Free IT Planning Tool
Throughput Estimator
Calculate real-world throughput from link speed, protocol overhead, packet loss, and latency — so you plan for actual capacity, not theoretical maximums.
Network Throughput Calculator
Enter link parameters to estimate real throughput and identify bottlenecks.
Common: 100, 1000, 10000
Understanding Throughput
Why your network never runs at theoretical maximum.
Protocol Overhead
Ethernet framing, IP headers, and TCP/UDP headers consume 3-8% of available bandwidth.
Mathis Formula
TCP throughput = (MSS/RTT) × (1.22/√loss). Even 0.1% loss halves throughput on high-speed links.
Bandwidth-Delay Product
TCP window must match BDP to fill the pipe. High latency needs large receive windows.
Jumbo Frames
MTU 9000 reduces overhead from 3% to <1% on local networks — but requires end-to-end support.
UDP vs TCP
UDP avoids congestion control overhead but has no retransmission — app layer must handle loss.
Test Regularly
Run iperf3 tests quarterly to validate actual throughput matches design specifications.
Related Services
Network Not Performing as Expected?
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