However, imagine that you have a high speed Internet connection, you are unlikely to say “I have 57.344 bits”. It's much easier to say "I have 56 kB", isn't it? Or, you can say "I have 8 kb", which is actually exactly 56 kb, or 57.344 bits.
Let's take a closer look at how many megabits are in a megabyte.
The smallest measure of speed or size is Bit, followed by Byte, etc. Where, there are 8 bits in 1 byte, that is, when you say 2 bytes, you are actually saying 16 bits. When you say 32 bits, you are actually saying 4 bytes. That is, such measures of measurement as bytes, kbits, kbytes, mbits, mbs, GBs, GBs, etc. were invented so that you would not have to pronounce or write long numbers.
Just imagine that these units of measurement would not exist, how would the same gigabyte be measured in this case? Since 1 gigabyte is equal to 8.589.934.592 bits, wouldn't it be more convenient to say 1 gigabyte than to write such long numbers.
We already know what 1 bit is and what 1 byte is. Let's go further.
There is also a unit of measurement "kbit" and "kbyte", as they are also called "kilobit" and "kilobyte".
- Where, 1 kb is 1024 bits, and 1 kb is 1024 bytes.
- 1 kb = 8 kbps = 1024 bytes = 8192 bits
In addition, there are also “mbits” and “mbytes”, or as they are also called “megabits” and “megabytes”.
- Where, 1 Mbps = 1024 Kbps, and 1 Mbps = 1024 Kbps.
From this comes that:
- 1 MB = 8 Mbps = 8192 kbps = 65536 kbps = 8388608 bytes = 67108864 bits
If you think about it, everything becomes simple.
Now you guess how many megabits are in a megabyte?
It will be hard the first time, but you will get used to it. Try to go the easy way:
- 1 megabyte = 1024 kbytes = 1048576 bytes = 8388608 bits = 8192 kbps = 1024 kbps = 8 Mbps
- That is, 1 megabyte = 8 megabits.
- Similarly, 1 kilobyte = 8 kilobits.
- As in 1 byte = 8 bits.
Isn't it easy?
So, for example, you can find out the time for which you download one or another file. Let's say your Internet connection speed is 128 kilobytes per second, and the file you download on the Internet weighs 500 megabytes. How long do you think it will take to download the file?
Let's count.
To find out, you just need to understand how many kilobytes are in 500 megabytes. To do this is simple, just multiply the number of megabytes (500) by 1024, since there are 1024 kilobytes in 1 megabyte. We get the number 512000, this is the number of seconds for which the file will be downloaded, given the connection speed of 1 kilobyte per second. But, we have a speed of 128 kilobytes per second, so we divide the resulting number by 128. It remains 4000, this is the time in seconds for which the file will be downloaded.
Convert seconds to minutes:
- 4000 / 60 = ~66.50 minutes
Converting to hours:
- ~66.50 / 60 = ~1 hour 10 minutes
That is, our 500 megabyte file will be downloaded in 1 hour 10 minutes, given that the connection speed throughout the entire time will be exactly 128 kilobytes
per second, which equals 131.072 bytes, or to be more precise, 1.048.576 bits.
The terms denoting the speed of the Internet are extremely difficult to understand for a person who is far from this topic. For example, a provider offers the service of providing Internet at a speed of 1 Mbps, and you don’t know whether it’s a lot or a little. Let's figure out what it is - mbps, and how the speed of an Internet connection is generally measured.
Abbreviation decoding
"mbps" ( mbit per second) is a megabit per second. It is in these units that the connection speed is most often measured. All providers in their advertisements indicate the speed in megabits per second, so we should deal with these values.
How much is 1 mbps?
To begin with, we note that 1 bit is the smallest unit for measuring the amount of information. Along with a bit, people often use a byte, forgetting that these two concepts are completely different. Sometimes they say "byte" when they mean "bit" and vice versa. Therefore, it is worth considering this issue in more detail.
So, 1 bit is the smallest unit of measure. 8 bits equals one byte, 16 bits equals two bytes, and so on. That is, you just need to remember that a byte is always 8 times larger than a bit.
Given that both units are very small, in most cases they use the prefixes "mega", "kilo" and "giga". What these prefixes mean, you should know from the school course. But if you forgot, then it is worth recalling:
- "Kilo" is multiplication by 1000. 1 kilobit is equal to 1000 bits, 1 kilobyte is equal to 1024 bytes.
- "Mega" - multiplication by 1,000,000. 1 megabit is equal to 1,000 kilobits (or 1,000,000 bits), 1 megabyte is equal to 1024 kilobytes.
- "Giga" - multiplied by 1,000,000,000. equals 1,000 megabits (or 1,000,000,000 bits), 1 gigabyte is equal to 1024 megabytes.
In simple words, the connection speed is the speed of information sent and received by the computer in one unit of time (per second). If your internet connection speed is 1 mbps, what does that mean? In this case, it says that your Internet speed is 1 megabit per second, or 1,000 kilobits/second.
How much is this
Many users believe that mbps is a lot. Actually it is not. Modern networks are so advanced that, given their capabilities, 1 mbps is nothing at all. Let's give a calculation of this speed using the example of downloading files from the Internet.
We take into account that mbps is megabits per second. Divide the value of 1 by 8 and get megabytes. Total 1/8=0.125 megabytes/second. If we want to download music from the Internet, then, provided that one track "weighs" 3 megabytes (usually tracks "weigh" that much), we can download it in 24 seconds. It's easy to calculate: 3 megabytes (the weight of one track) must be divided by 0.125 megabytes / second (our speed). The result is 24 seconds.
But that only applies to normal songs. What if you want to download a 1.5 GB movie? Let's count:
- 1500 (megabytes) : 0.125 (megabytes per second) = 12,000 (seconds).
Convert seconds to minutes:
- 12,000: 60 = 200 minutes or 3.33 hours.
Thus, with an Internet speed of 1 mbps, we can download a 1.5 GB movie in 3.33 hours. Here, judge for yourself whether it is long or not.
Given the fact that in large cities Internet providers offer Internet speeds of up to 100 mbps, we could download a movie with the same volume in just 2 minutes, not 200. That is, 100 times faster. Based on this, we can conclude that mbps is a low speed.
However, everything is relative. In some remote village, where it is generally difficult to catch even a GSM network, having Internet at such a speed is cool. However, in a large metropolis with huge competition between providers and mobile operators, there cannot be such a weak Internet connection.
Conclusion
Now you know how to determine the speed of the Internet, and you can understand a little about these units of measurement. Of course, getting confused in them is a piece of cake, but the main thing to remember is that a bit is an eighth of a byte. And the prefixes "kilo", "mega" and "giga" only add three, six or nine zeros, respectively. If you understand this, then everything falls into place.
What does the concept of “normal Internet speed” imply, what should it be for optimal work and leisure time on a personal computer. The same connection will seem to someone quite sufficient, and to someone - the inability to work effectively. What is normal for an Internet cafe, for the University of Moscow State University, for example, "will not be enough."
Using computers at home raises reasonable questions for users: what is considered normal Internet speed for a home and how to choose the right tariff plan.
If the finances of a PC owner are limited, when choosing a tariff for home Internet, he will definitely come across a number of offers from providers that prevent him from making the right decision. To avoid mistakes, you should know some parameters that determine the quality of the Internet at home.
To determine what the Internet speed rate is, you first need to familiarize yourself with the basic concepts.
Bits, kilobits, megabits
Data transfer speed is usually measured in bits / sec. But since a bit is a very small value, kilobits or megabits are used:
- Kilobits = 1024 bits.
- Megabit = 1024 kilobits.
With the advent of optical cables, Internet speeds have increased dramatically. If earlier 128 kbps was considered normal, today the parameter is measured in megabits and is 100 megabits per second (Mbps).
Therefore, megabits per second is the standard unit for measuring the speed of the modern Internet. The conditional classification of Internet communications is as follows:
- slow - 512 Kbps;
- low - 2 Mbps;
- medium - 10 Mbps;
- high - 50 Mbps;
- very high - 100 Mbps.
It must be understood that the lower the speed, the lower the tariff.
A byte is not a bit
Internet users are interested in working with files, their size is usually measured in bytes, kilobytes, megabytes and gigabytes, equal to:
- Byte - 8 bits.
- Kilobyte = 1024 bytes.
- Megabyte = 1024 kilobytes.
- Gigabyte = 1024 megabytes.
Inexperienced users confuse bytes with bits. And they get megabits (Mbps) instead of megabytes. This leads to a serious error, for example, when calculating the download time of files.
It is unrealistic to accurately determine the period for downloading a file, because:
- Providers indicate the maximum connection speed. The average (working) will be lower.
- The speed is reduced by interference, especially if a remote router is used.
- The remote FTP server restricts downloads so much that everything else becomes irrelevant.
But the approximate time, nevertheless, is possible to establish. Calculations will be easier if you round:
- byte = 10 bits;
- kilobyte = 1 thousand bytes.
But it's better to just start downloading and determine the download time using the program than to calculate the time theoretically.
What tasks affect the choice of speed
The lower the Internet connection speed, the smaller the range of available tasks, but the tariff is cheaper. The right choice allows you to feel comfortable without wasting money.
Outlining the circle of interests
The Internet is used to solve various problems:
- Surfing social networks, listening to music.
- Online games.
- Organization of streaming broadcasting (stream).
- video calls.
- Watching videos online.
- Downloading music, movies, other files.
- Uploading files to cloud storage.
Choose a connection
When the circle of interests is defined, we set ourselves tasks and choose the appropriate tariff.
Providers offer various types of connection, for example, 300 rubles per month for Internet access at a speed of 15 Mbps.
There are two numbers in the tariff descriptions: 
If the second number is missing, then the speeds are equal. If necessary, check with your internet service provider.
How much internet speed is enough
To determine this indicator, the user is helped by a number of tasks that he needs to work with a PC:
For social networks and music
You don't need high speed to surf social networks and listen to music. The user will feel quite comfortable with 2 Mbps. Even a speed of 512 Kbps will do, but the pages of the sites will open more slowly.
To watch videos online
The following speed indicators for watching videos online are considered normal, depending on the quality of videos and movies:
- SD Video (360p, 480p) - 2Mbps
- HD video (720p) - 5 Mbps
- Full-HD (1080p) - 8 Mbps
- Ultra-HD (2160 p) - 30 Mbps.
100 Mbps - this speed is more than enough to watch online video in any quality. Because browsing is buffered, small dips in speed do not affect browsing.
For streams
To organize streaming broadcasting, you need a stable Internet connection. For a quality stream, the speed should not fall below a critical level. For video stream:
- 480p - 5Mbps
- 720p - 10Mbps
- 1080p - 20Mbps
But these are risky values. The transmission is the most critical, since broadcasting is the uploading of data to the Internet, so we focus on it.
No matter how stable the Internet is, jumps are still possible. The tariff is chosen so as to level them.
We calculate the optimal speed for the Internet by multiplying the speed of a quality stream by 2.5. For example, let's calculate the speed for 480 p: 5 x 2.5 = 12.5 Mbps.
Taking into account the fact that the boundary values are risky, we select Upload not lower than 15 Mbps.
Online Games
Games are undemanding to speed parameters. For most popular games, 512 Kbps is sufficient. This value is suitable for:
- Dota 2.
- World of Warcraft.
- GTA.
- World of Tanks.
But downloading the game and downloading updates at 512 Kbps will be very slow, as you will have to download tens of gigabytes. In order not to wait for hours, it is better to provide speeds up to 70 Mbps.
For games, the determining factor is the quality of the communication channel, characterized by the parameter "ping" (ping). Ping is the time it takes for a signal (request) to reach the server and return back (response). Ping is measured in milliseconds (ms).
Ping is affected by:
- The reliability of the Internet provider, which consists in the ability to maintain the declared quality of communication.
- Distance from client to server. For example, the player is located in Sevastopol, and the World of Warcraft game server is in London.
Acceptable ping values:
A persistent ping value above 300ms on any servers is seen as a symptom of serious network connection problems. The reaction time is extremely low.
For smartphones and tablets
If the device is connected to the router via Wi-Fi, it will work in the same way as a computer. The difference is that advanced sites offer pages for gadgets with convenient placement of information on a small screen.
But smartphones and tablets are “sharpened” for mobile Internet. Cellular operators for working with the Internet offer:
- 3G standard - up to 4 Mbps;
- 4G standard - up to 80 Mbps.
The operator's website contains a coverage map with marked 3G and 4G zones. The relief of a particular area makes adjustments, then instead of 4G there will be 3G, and instead of 3G there will be 2G - the standard is too slow for the Internet.
4G communication is provided only by devices equipped with modern radio modules.
In the mobile Internet, the client pays for traffic, not for speed. The question of choosing a normal Internet speed for the device is not worth it. The user selects the appropriate amount of megabytes of traffic.
For video calls
- voice calls - 100 Kbps;
- video calls - 300 Kbps;
- video calls (HD standard) - 5 Mbps;
- voice video communication (five participants) - 4 Mbps (reception) 512 Kbps (transmission).
In practice, these values are multiplied by 2.5 to compensate for spikes.
Factors affecting connection speed
The following factors affect the quality of the connection: 
- Wi-Fi standard supported by devices.
- The frequency at which data is transmitted.
- Walls and partitions in the signal path.
- Computer and browser settings.
- VPN and proxy.
- Outdated drivers.
- Interference from other networks.
- Viruses and malware.
You can find out the current connection speed (it is better to check at night) using the SpeedTest service. If it is very different from the one declared by the provider, you need to find the reason.
When choosing a connection speed, the number of users connected to Wi-Fi, the speed characteristics of tasks used in parallel mode and taken into account when choosing a suitable tariff are taken into account.
Conclusion
You can use the Internet in different ways. It is difficult to enumerate all the tasks set. But among those considered, it is necessary to find a similar one and decide on the connection.
In today's article, we will deal with the measurement of information. All pictures, sounds and video clips that we see on monitor screens are nothing more than numbers. And these numbers can be measured, and, now, you will learn how to convert megabits to megabytes and megabytes to gigabytes.
If it is important for you to know how many mb in 1 GB or how many KB in 1 mb, then this article is for you. Most often, such data is needed by programmers who evaluate the volume occupied by their programs, but sometimes it does not interfere with ordinary users to estimate the size of downloaded or stored data.
In short, it is enough to know this:
1 byte = 8 bits
1 kilobyte = 1024 bytes
1 megabyte = 1024 kilobytes
1 gigabyte = 1024 megabytes
1 terabyte = 1024 gigabytes
Common abbreviations: kilobyte=kb, megabyte=mb, gigabyte=gb.
Recently I received a question from my reader: "What is more kb or mb?". Hopefully now everyone knows the answer.
Information units in detail
In the information world, the decimal system of measurement, which is familiar to us, is not used, but binary. This means that one digit can take on a value not from 0 to 9, but from 0 to 1.
The simplest unit of information is 1 bit, it can be 0 or 1. But this value is very small for the modern amount of data, so bits are rarely used. Bytes are more commonly used, 1 byte is equal to 8 bits and can take a value from 0 to 15 (hexadecimal). True, instead of numbers 10-15, letters from A to F are used.
But even these data volumes are small, therefore, the prefixes familiar to everyone are kilo- (thousand), mega- (million), giga- (billion).
It is worth noting that in the information world, a kilobyte is not equal to 1000 bytes, but 1024. And if you want to know how many kilobytes are in a megabyte, then you will also get the number 1024. When asked how many megabytes are in a gigabyte, you will hear the same answer - 1024.
This is also determined by the feature of the binary system of calculus. If, when using tens, we get each new digit by multiplying by 10 (1, 10, 100, 1000, etc.), then in the binary system a new digit appears after multiplying by 2.
It looks like this:
2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64, 128, 256, 512, 1024
A number consisting of 10 binary digits can have as few as 1024 values. This is more than 1000, but closest to the usual prefix kilo-. Mega- and giga and tera-are applied in a similar way.
Useful articles:
How to make money on the Internet for a beginner - 23 ...
What is a blog, how to create it, promote it and how ...
How to promote video on Youtube for free?
