What is Latency and What it Means for Your Internet Experience
CFU's all fiber broadband network provides customers with reliably fast internet service, delivering both low latency and increased bandwidth.
Bandwidth has long been used to quantify internet speed. It is commonly used to differentiate among providers and internet service tiers. Bandwidth, however, is a measurement of capacity whereas latency is a true measurement of speed.
"Bandwidth is an important factor when selecting internet providers," says Charles Dostale, CFU Director of Communication Services and Chief Technology Officer. "However, latency is just as important and can greatly impact user experience."
Bandwidth versus Latency
Bandwidth is the capacity of data that can be downloaded at one time. Latency is the speed at which a packet of that data can be delivered. Both can contribute to how quickly your video plays or a webpage loads.
A direct fiber connection, like CFU's, delivers a large capacity of data and allows that data to move quickly. It is also not adversely affected by weather or a large number of users like cellular or satellite service can be.
"It can be helpful to think of the internet as water and your device as a faucet. When you turn on your faucet to get a glass of water, there are many factors contributing to the time it takes to fill the glass," says Charles.
"Your bandwidth in this analogy is the size of the pipe bringing water to your house. The larger the pipe, the more capacity you have. But if the water source is really far away or the infrastructure is not well maintained, this may impact the time it takes the water to get to your glass. The amount of time it takes for a drop of water to get from the source to your glass is latency."
CFU Provides Top of the Line Equipment and Limits Delays so Customers Get Best User Experience
When there are few obstacles, data can arrive more quickly resulting in lower latency. This means when you click a link or push a button in an online video game, there is a quicker reaction.
"There are many factors when it comes to how quickly your device reacts to your click online," says Charles. "At CFU it is our job to provide top of the line equipment on our end and limit the number of delays so our customers can enjoy the best user experience."
CFU fiber internet has latency scores up to 10 times faster than cable internet, cellular data and satellite service.
Numbers shown here are based on what is currently available in Cedar Falls.
| Download Bandwidth |
Upload Bandwidth |
Latency |
| CFU up to 10 Gbps (10,000 Mbps) |
CFU up to 10 Gbps (10,000 Mbps) |
CFU as low as 2 Milliseconds (ms) |
| Cable up to 1 Gbps (1,000 Mbps) |
Cable up to 50 Mbps |
Cable as low as 20 ms |
| Cellular up to 300 Mbps |
Cellular up to 50 Mbps |
Cellular as low as 37 ms |
| Satellite up to 300 Mbps |
Satellite up to 28 Mbps |
Satellite as low as 24 ms |