Bandwidth Converter
Convert data rates: bps, Kbps, Mbps, Gbps and Tbps.
Convert internet and network data rates between bits per second and its multiples — Kbps, Mbps, Gbps and Tbps. Handy for comparing connection speeds and planning transfers.
Formula / method
Examples
100,000 kbps
1,000 Mbps
Scaling data rates
Network speeds are measured in bits per second, and each step up multiplies by 1000: 1 Kbps is 1000 bps, 1 Mbps is 1000 Kbps, 1 Gbps is 1000 Mbps, and 1 Tbps is 1000 Gbps. This tool moves a rate up and down that ladder instantly. Data rates conventionally use these decimal (power-of-1000) steps, unlike file storage, which often uses 1024-based units.
Note the lowercase b: these are bits, not bytes. Since one byte is eight bits, a 100 Mbps connection tops out around 12.5 MB per second of actual download, before protocol overhead.
Bits versus bytes confusion
The single most common mistake is comparing an internet plan quoted in megabits (Mbps) against a download shown in megabytes (MB) and expecting the numbers to line up. Divide the bit rate by eight to estimate the byte throughput. ISPs advertise in bits partly because the figure looks larger.
Use this converter to sanity-check a speed-test result against your plan, size a video stream's requirement, or translate a data-center link spec. For raw file sizes rather than transfer rates, a data-storage converter is the right companion tool.
Where it's used
- Comparing an internet plan's Mbps against a download speed shown in MB/s
- Converting a data-center or fiber link spec between Gbps and Mbps
- Sizing the bandwidth a video stream or backup will need
- Sanity-checking a speed-test result against your advertised plan
- Reading network hardware specs quoted in Kbps, Mbps or Gbps
Real-world examples
- A 100 Mbps connection equals 100,000 kbps, or about 12.5 MB per second of real download.
- 1 Gbps is 1,000 Mbps, or 1,000,000 kbps.
- A 25 Mbps video stream needs about 3.1 MB/s of throughput (25 ÷ 8).
- A 10 Gbps data-center link is 10,000 Mbps.
Did you know?
Internet speeds are quoted in bits per second (lowercase b, as in Mbps) while file sizes use bytes (uppercase B, as in MB) — and since a byte is 8 bits, a 100 Mbps line downloads at only about 12.5 MB/s.
FAQ
Is this bits or bytes?
This converts data rate in bits per second — the standard for internet speeds. Divide by 8 to get bytes per second (e.g., MB/s).