Question : Switch Bandwidth

We have a network of 4 computers using a switch and one broadband connection of 1mbps. I wanted to know a few things.

1. Does this mean each of us gets 1mb every second, or does each of us get 1mb for 1/4 second(since my understanding is that access to the bandwidth is "switched" among the four comps very fast.

2.Does it matter if we are all downloaading movies or playing online games. I mean, does the downloading by one user affect the speed of the other users in my house?

3. If a computer is connected to the switch but is not accessing the internet, does it mean when it is his turn, the bandwidth is wasted?

Thanks, and I would really appreciate a detailed yet clear and easy to understand answer. I will not hesitate to increase the points if I find the answer given worthy of it.

Thanks in advance.

Answer : Switch Bandwidth

1. You all share 1mb.  If only one user is browsing the internet, he/she should be getting 1mb speeds.  'switching' is happening within milliseconds.  If four machines start downloading at the same time, then each will approx get 256mb, some slightly fast than others but this is dependant on various connections of the performance of each PC and where its being downloaded from.

2. It usually doesn’t matter, but yes each user is affecting other users download speed.  When browsing the internet, it not usually noticed because you are only using the internet for the time a page is being loaded to the screen, once the page is on the screen your computer is not using the internet (usually).  But playing online games is quite different, since most games require an instant response from the internet.  If someone else is using the internet at the same time, you will notice the effect on the game.

3. Nope.  If the a user is connected but not using the internet, its not a waste, that connection is not in use, so the full bandwidth is available for all other connected machines instead.  Note, if you have auto-updated running, then you may find machines downloading from Microsoft when the machine is not in use.

Usually connecting a number of machines connected to use one internet connection is always beneficial , as usually everyone benefits.  The only real downside is online gaming, to get the most from your game you need to tell everyone to stop using the internet...!!

The other advantage is sharing resources.  You only need one printer/scanner.  When setup correctly, all other users can use the same devices.  You can also share files to other machines easily as well.  Have one machine with all the mp3 on, and everyone has access to the same songs.  Your switch is probably 100mbs switch, so you can access other machines 100 times faster than accessing the internet.