What is Bandwidth sharing?

Bandwidth sharing is Salad’s newest, non-crypto related workload. This new workload will process video content from premium streaming platforms.

This feature is in testing and not completely rolled out yet. In this explainer, we’ll give you a heads up as to what you can expect with this experimental feature as we develop it.

Breaking it Down

The term “bandwidth” refers to the rate at which data is transmitted to your PC from the Internet and vice versa. If you initiate one of the various speed tests you can find on the web, you’ll notice that bandwidth is usually measured in Gbps (gigabits per second) or Mbps (megabits per second). For example, the difference between downloading a massive game update versus a simple PDF file is enormous. Either way, the bandwidth you aren’t using could be put to use for your benefit.

With Salad, you’ll have the choice to share your unused bandwidth to process video content on top of blockchain workloads. The result? Increased earnings for you.

What Can My Bandwidth Do?

The video content from premium streaming platforms is run on anonymous, private networks as a means to maintain personal privacy. Chefs won’t see what streamers are watching and the streamers won’t even know their video time is being supported by Chefs. Our top priority is maintaining everyone’s online privacy in this process.

What Are The Risks?

Here are two rare situations that could occur when sharing your bandwidth on Salad: 

1. Internet Service Provider (ISP) Data Cap
   Sharing your bandwidth on Salad is likely to increase your overall usage per cycle. Be sure to watch your overall usage carefully so you avoid throttled Internet or extra charges on your next bill if you have a capped, or semi-capped, internet plan.
2. Streaming Service Block
   Most streaming services have regional libraries, meaning that certain content is only available in certain parts of the world due to contracts with local businesses.
   
   Through our internal testing, we’ve identified that sharing your bandwidth on Salad could result in a rare, temporary (typically 1-2 days) content restriction on those streaming platforms. This moderation may limit your IP address to the global library of that specific streaming platform (meaning some shows may not be shown for a short time).
   
   In extreme cases, a streaming platform may choose to blacklist your IP address. Our SaladCloud partners have implemented industry-leading safeguards that anonymize your personal information to prevent blacklisting. If you have a dynamic IP address (most home internet connections do), it'll automatically recycle after a period of time (you can check with your ISP on how long this is), and you'll be able to access your content again. This situation is worth considering before you push the button to share your bandwidth.

What’s The Future Look Like?

Bandwidth sharing is in testing for now while we collect feedback, bugs, and opportunities to improve. We’ll make a formal announcement in the near future about the official rollout of the workload and include a more technical explanation of it.