Bandwidth is the maximum amount of data that can be sent over a connection each second. Bandwidth is measured in bits per second.

Latency is the delay between data being sent and the data arriving. Latency is usually measured in milliseconds.

How do wired and wireless connections compare for speed?

Wired connections usually give faster and more consistent data transfer. Wireless speed drops with distance and when many devices share the connection.

How do wired and wireless connections compare for range?

Wireless signals reach only tens of metres indoors and are weakened by walls. A copper Ethernet cable can run about 100 metres, and fibre optic cable much further.

Why does a wireless connection usually have higher latency than a wired one?

Wireless devices share the same radio channel and must take turns to transmit. Interference can also force data to be sent again.

Edexcel GCSE Computer Science 1CP2

Computational Thinking

Topic overview Decomposition, abstraction and subprograms Algorithms, flowcharts and pseudocode Operators and trace tables Logic errors, test data and efficiency Searching and sorting algorithms Truth tables

Data

Topic overview Binary, states and unsigned integers Two's complement Binary addition, overflow and shifts Hexadecimal ASCII and the limits of binary representation Bitmap images Sound sampling Storage units, file sizes and compression

Computers

Topic overview Von Neumann architecture and the fetch-decode-execute cycle Secondary storage: magnetic, optical and solid state Embedded systems Operating systems Utility software and robust software Low-level and high-level languages and translators

Networks

Topic overview LANs, WANs and the structure of the internet Wired and wireless connectivity and network speed Network protocols The four-layer TCP/IP model Bus, star and mesh topologies Network security and protection

Issues and Impact

Topic overview Environmental impact of digital devices Personal data: privacy, ownership and consent Artificial intelligence, machine learning and robotics Intellectual property: copyright, patents, trademarks and licences Malware, hacking and social engineering Protecting digital systems and data

Problem Solving with Programming

Topic overview Readable code, debugging and testing Selection and loops in Python Data types, conversion, variables and constants String handling Lists, two-dimensional lists and records Keyboard input, screen output and CSV files Validation and authentication in Python Operators, functions and variable scope Turtle graphics

Networks

Wired and wireless connectivity and network speed

3 things to know
Paper 1

Overview

Bandwidth and latency, wired and wireless connections compared, bits per second, the difference between kilobits and kibibytes, and worked transmission-time calculations.

What you need to know

Answer each one before you reveal it.

Your recallNot started

Key term

What is bandwidth?

Key term

What is latency?

Key term

Why does high latency cause problems in online games and video calls?

Questions from this subtopic

Each one with the model answer underneath.

1
What is bandwidth?
Model answer
Bandwidth is the maximum amount of data that can be sent over a connection each second. Bandwidth is measured in bits per second.
2
What is latency?
Model answer
Latency is the delay between data being sent and the data arriving. Latency is usually measured in milliseconds.
3
Why does high latency cause problems in online games and video calls?
Model answer
Every action or word reaches the other person after a noticeable delay. A game or call feels unresponsive even when the bandwidth is high.
4
How do wired and wireless connections compare for speed?
Model answer
Wired connections usually give faster and more consistent data transfer. Wireless speed drops with distance and when many devices share the connection.
5
How do wired and wireless connections compare for range?
Model answer
Wireless signals reach only tens of metres indoors and are weakened by walls. A copper Ethernet cable can run about 100 metres, and fibre optic cable much further.
6
Why does a wireless connection usually have higher latency than a wired one?
Model answer
Wireless devices share the same radio channel and must take turns to transmit. Interference can also force data to be sent again.

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