Unmetered Bandwidth vs Unlimited Bandwidth In Dedicated Hosting
While getting started with a website, the first thing that you need to consider is buying a domain name and hosting that offers good bandwidth.
Bandwidth means the amount of data your server transfers each time a user request is received. The more people that visit your website, the more bandwidth you will need.
Read on to understand the difference between unlimited and unmetered bandwidth from the perspective of having a dedicated server in Australia.
What is Bandwidth?
The term bandwidth refers to data your website can transfer to users in a given period. So, if we say a bandwidth of 50Mbps, your system can transfer 50 megabits of data in one second.
The more bandwidth you have, the faster your website will load, and the less you have slower it will load. In some cases, low bandwidth may even cause a website crash if it is unable to accommodate a huge traffic spike.
What is Unmetered Bandwidth?
The term unmetered bandwidth means that the amount of data transfer here is not monitored for a set bandwidth.
For example, if you have 50Mbps of unmetered bandwidth, your speed also gets automatically limited to 50Mbps. There is no limitation on the amount of data transfer. It is like a broadband plan without a data cap; if you choose a 50Mbps plan, you can use it all day long without incurring extra charges.
What is Unlimited Bandwidth?
The term unlimited bandwidth may sound lucrative, but it is not unlimited, as there is always a limiting factor. Speed is the first thing that comes limited with whatever plan you choose.
For example, if you have a data cap of 200GB, you may have unlimited bandwidth up to 600GB. You can download and upload as much as you want as far as the amount of data transfer goes.
Difference Between Dedicated Server Unlimited Bandwidth and Unmetered Bandwidth
| Factors | Unmetered Bandwidth | Unlimited Bandwidth |
| Tracking of Bandwidth | The bandwidth usage isn’t monitored. The user has only a base bandwidth speed allocated. | Dedicated server unlimited bandwidth doesn’t imply a usage limitation, but the usage is still being tracked. |
| Exhaustion of Data | There is no exact limit, so there is no such chance of running out of data. | Has high caps, so if you run out of bandwidth, you need to pay for additional bandwidth. |
| Price | A flat price is only charged for the generally higher speed than the metered bandwidth. But here, there is one advantage: you do not have to worry about your data getting exhausted. | Unlimited bandwidth is not unlimited. You are charged for a high ceiling of data transfer that is more costly than metered bandwidth but much cheaper than unmetered plans. |
| Who Should Opt for It? | It is generally used for high-traffic data and media websites. | Ideal for small to mid-level websites that need higher bandwidth. |
Conclusion
Unlimited bandwidth requires you to read the fine print to determine the upper limit offered to you, whereas in unmetered bandwidth, there is no data cap, and you do not need to worry about data exhaustion. You are changed a flat rate for the speed you opt for.
Hence, it’s important that you look into the types of bandwidth your hosting provider offers when it comes to dedicated server hosting.
If you’re hosting a large E-Commerce website an unmetered bandwidth might make more sense, but if your website is smaller or does not experience large traffic spikes, you may be fine with going for unlimited bandwidth.