Web Hosting Bandwidth Part 2

In part one of this article we were learning about what bandwidth was and how it worked.  In this article I will continue explaining the meaning of Unlimited Bandwidth a term that causes quite a bite of confusion amongst developers.

The secret of 'unlimited' is actually buried in the Terms of Service by the host. Do not be surprised to find that unlimited = 15 GB. The host may restrict the sort of files that you can host on their server.

Generally image galleries and audio/video files attract a lot more downloads thereby resulting in higher bandwidth consumption. So if there are no files of this type, your site won't really require a lot of 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 Service that you can have unlimited bandwidth as long as you qualify for it. i.e. Your site must use less then, let's say 2 GB of bandwidth in order to qualify for the unlimited bandwidth feature. As soon as your site goes over that limit they either start charging you for it or cut off your downloads altogether.

In life it's a universal truth that you always get what you pay for, and it's no different for web hosting.

If a host is using a cheap advertising gimmick like 'unlimited' bandwidth they maybe lying about a few other things too. Their 'dedicated' support team could be a single person (the hoster itself in most cases) sitting in front of a computer and taking your calls.

Do you really want unlimited bandwidth hosting from hosts that have very limited resources at their disposal? Or, do you want to go for a host that has spent thousands of dollars on setting up a good network infrastructure, servers, and a highly qualified team of experts.