This reports the node's current data throughput, in characters per second. Because this multiplexer's traffic is measured in characters, a legacy asynchronous-terminal-oriented unit distinct from raw bytes on a modern Ethernet device, this is the throughput figure most relevant to admins managing character-oriented PAD or terminal traffic on this specific class of device. For example, this reading 500 characters per second on a node primarily serving low-speed async terminals would represent healthy, expected throughput, whereas the same reading on a node meant to carry higher-speed data links would signal a serious bottleneck.