Network Congestion
performanceintermediate
bandwidth saturationpeak hoursnetwork capacity
A state where a network node or link is carrying more data than it can handle, leading to decreased performance and slower speeds for users.
Examples
Evening slowdowns
Internet slows 7-10 PM when everyone in neighborhood streams video
Office network
Video conference quality drops when large files are being transferred
Typical Values
Peak hours residential6 PM - 11 PM
Peak hours business9 AM - 5 PM weekdays
Common Misconceptions
- •Congestion can occur at multiple points - your home network, ISP, or destination server
- •More bandwidth doesn't always solve congestion if the bottleneck is elsewhere
Optimization Tips
Schedule large downloads for off-peak hours
Use QoS to prioritize important traffic
Upgrade internet plan if consistently congested
User Impact
Streaming
Quality automatically reduced or buffering increases
Gaming
Higher latency and packet loss
Downloads
Significantly slower speeds than usual
Troubleshooting
Issue: Time-based slowdowns
Solution: Indicates ISP congestion - consider different provider
Issue: Home network congestion
Solution: Limit device connections, upgrade router