Unlimited bandwidth is a myth

by: Dan Thompson

How much bandwidth Monthly Transfer Do You Need?

Bandwidth is the measure of the amount of data transmitted via an internet connection in a given time. Most web hosting companies will set monthly limits. Some of these hosts allow overselling which means your site will remain in place, but you receive an invoice for the additional amount used other simply pull the plug until next month.

Bandwidth explained:

Bandwidth is the amount of data transfer you are allowed to have a package ie Let's say you have a Web page that is 48KB in size, now each time a user opens your site and to page S he downloads 48 KB of information on their computer. If a 100 users view that page one time each then there has been a total of 4800 KB of data transferred from the server where your files are stored on users' computers.

Web Page Size: 48 KB
Number of users who viewed the web page: 100
Total data transferred: 48KB 100 4800 KB

Bandwidth is the term used to describe the amount of data that have been transferred from your web space.

The amount of bandwidth that you require while choosing a host depends on two factors:

The size of your site. The popularity of your site.

If your site is great and you do not have audio video downloads and it's not popular to say not many people visit your site, then you do not really need much bandwidth, on an average of a Web site uses up only 500 MB of bandwidth per month. Or if your site is small but very popular at the time that you might have to go to a web hosting package that offers high bandwidth.

On the other hand, if your website is huge, providing audio video downloads, though very popular so you would probably need a huge amount of bandwidth. Say you have a video file is 150 MB in size and in a single day 100 visitors download the file. This means that 15 GB of bandwidth were used. If you multiply that by 30 days for the month, he comes to 450 GB.

Unlimited Bandwidth
several sites hosting companies offer "unlimited bandwidth" as part of their web hosting packages.

This is absolutely true, you can have unlimited bandwidth. However, you will need an unlimited amount of money with you! Jokes aside, if you ever met such a host, it would be better to turn around and run to the path where you came from.

Any web hosting company claiming "Unlimited Bandwidth" is simply false. There is no such thing as "unlimited bandwidth".

In the real world, we've never seen a company offering a broadband Internet connection "unlimited megabytes per second." So, how does a web hosting company, which normally does not even its own access lines own claims to customers that give them "Unlimited Bandwidth"? I have yet to meet a hard disk with unlimited disk space either.

Just think, if you can get unlimited bandwidth for $ 25-30 a month then why are not big companies like Sun, Microsoft etc. not hosted there? In fact, why is not everyone hosted there? Besides, if unlimited is a standard feature then why do not all web hosting companies to offer? Is it because the equipment is expensive? No, it's because some hosts are honest and not give in to these things.

There are many ways you can be duped by these 'unlimited' hosts, here are a few of them:

The secret of 'unlimited' is actually buried in the conditions of use by the host. Do not be surprised that only 900 MB Unlimited equal or more.

The host may restrict the type of files you can host on its server. general picture galleries and audio video downloads to attract more leading consumer of higher bandwidth. So if there are no such files, your site will not really need much bandwidth.

Some newly opened hosts use it as a scam. They take your money and after a few months when their server starts to become slow or reaches its limit, they run. with your money!

Some hosts outline in their Terms of Use that you can have unlimited bandwidth as you are eligible for it. v. Your site must use less than, say, 2 GB of bandwidth in order to qualify for the feature of unlimited bandwidth. Once your site goes over that limit they either start charging you for it or cut off your downloads altogether.

In life it is absolutely true that you always get what you pay, and this is no different for web hosting.

If a host is using an advertising gimmick cheap as "unlimited bandwidth" they may have lied on a few other things too.

In brief: Website hosting companies offering "unlimited bandwidth" to attract customers should be avoided. In most cases, sites of high bandwidth on these "Unlimited" plans will be disconnected, and no refund given or will end up with a big bill at the end of the month they had not counted on. Normally, the web hosting company will simply say that the site violated its Acceptable Use Policy or Terms of Use.

So why the plans are unlimited bandwidth?

Most websites only consume a very small amount of bandwidth and disk space. Web hosting companies that provide unlimited nothing like a typical plan rely on the fact that you will not use much. Unlimited is a marketing gimmick to get your business. The hosting market is very competitive. Although the marketing plans that claim to be unlimited can seem dishonest, it does not mean that the hosting company will not offer a good service. Check Terms of service hosting company: there will probably be a note on what is "unlimited" really means.

Where plans are unlimited Ok?

If you have a small site and I know it will not consume too much space or bandwidth, and unlimited plans make your choice a little easier to understand. Most plans that offer unlimited will have some restrictions, as no download audio or video. The reason audio or video downloads are typically not allowed in unlimited hosting plans because these types of files consume significant bandwidth and disk space which exposes the host at risk of having to add space disk drive and more bandwidth, which costs them more money. If you choose an unlimited plan and you know your needs will not be very intense, you will not encounter any problems.

When Unlimited Plans Not Ok?

If you intend to have many visitors to your site, many downloads, including audio or video, do not choose an unlimited plan hoping to get unrestricted bandwidth. You end up with problems. Your host will not run in a loss of time - they may stop your site or even charge you extra (read the conditions of service).

So what is the best thing to do?

The best course of action is to plan ahead. Remember, you can always buy more bandwidth or disk space if you need - often just a few extra pounds

Only consider an unlimited hosting plan if you know your disk space and bandwidth are very low. If, on the other hand, you have an ecommerce site or a site that you expect to grow in size and bandwidth in the future, avoid any plans that offer unlimited bandwidth or space disc.

Remember that it is impossible for a provider able to provide an unlimited amount of bandwidth or disk space.

1st Choice Web Host provides budget web hosting to customers around the world. Based in London 1st Choice Web Host boasts feature-rich hosting packages at affordable prices. - Www.1stchoicewebhost.co.uk

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