Bandwidth Converter
Convert between bits per second, megabits, megabytes per second and more.
What the Bandwidth Converter does
Internet speeds are advertised in megabits per second, but download managers report megabytes per second. Since a byte is 8 bits, divide the advertised figure by 8 to get real download speed — a 100 Mbps line downloads at about 12.5 MB/s.
Formula
Convert to bit per second, then divide by the target unit's factorResult = Value × (from factor ÷ to factor)
Inputs explained
| Input | Unit | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Value | number | Yes | — |
| From | one of 8 options | Yes | — |
| To | one of 8 options | Yes | — |
How to use it
- Choose From and To.
- Enter Value.
- Select Calculate.
Worked example
Convert a 300 Mbps connection to megabytes per second.
- Value
- 300
- From
- Mbps
- To
- MB/s
300 ÷ 8 = 37.5 MB/s.
Reading the result
- A 100 Mbps connection tops out near 12.5 MB/s, because a byte is eight bits. That factor of eight accounts for most complaints that a connection is slower than advertised.
Assumptions and limitations
- Prefixes here are decimal, so 1 Mbps is 1,000,000 bits per second — the convention networking equipment uses. Storage sometimes uses binary prefixes, where a MiB is 1,048,576 bytes.
Common mistakes
- Reading Mb and MB as the same unit. A lowercase b is bits and an uppercase B is bytes.
- Expecting the full advertised rate in practice. Protocol overhead, wireless conditions and the far server each take a share.
Frequently asked questions
Why is my download slower than my plan?
Partly the bits-versus-bytes conversion (divide by 8), and partly overhead, congestion and server-side limits.