skip to main content

PingPlotter Insights

Provider Bandwidth Saturation Discovered


A provider network that you are using is showing signs of bandwidth saturation. Bandwidth saturation occurs when the network is trying to transport data through a connection that can't handle all of the traffic it's being asked to handle. On a provider's network, this can mean that there are too many customers on the hardware closest to your location (neighborhood, office) and not enough bandwidth has been allocated in the right way to accommodate peak usage. It can also be a sign that the service you are using (like a website) doesn't have a hearty enough connection to the internet to handle the traffic it is receiving.

Solution

Unfortunately, if the saturation isn't on your local network (home, office) you can't kick people off the network or just upgrade your monthly download speed. What you can do is watch your network over time and determine if the problem is ongoing or only occurs at certain times. If it happens only at certain times like when people get home and stream TV, then you can plan less critical tasks for those time periods. If you are like us, however, working around a poor network provider just won't cut it. Find an ISP with a better quality of service, or if you don't have another provider option, find out if your provider offers a different tier of service that provides a guaranteed QoS. Sometimes switching to a business plan will significantly improve your connection quality.