Megabytes per second (MB/s) to Kilobits per second (Kb/s) conversion

Megabytes per second to Kilobits per second conversion table

Megabytes per second (MB/s)Kilobits per second (Kb/s)
00
18000
216000
324000
432000
540000
648000
756000
864000
972000
1080000
20160000
30240000
40320000
50400000
60480000
70560000
80640000
90720000
100800000
10008000000

How to convert megabytes per second to kilobits per second?

Certainly! Converting Megabytes per second (MBps) to Kilobits per second (kbps) involves a couple of steps, as you need to account for the difference between bytes and bits, and then correctly handle the conversion factors based on whether you're using base 10 or base 2.

Conversion Steps:

  1. Understand the relationship:

    • 1 Megabyte (MB) = 8 Megabits (Mb), because there are 8 bits in a byte.
  2. Convert Megabits to Kilobits:

    • Base 10: 1 Megabit (Mb) = 1,000 Kilobits (kb)
    • Base 2: 1 Megabit (Mb) = 1,024 Kilobits (Kb)

Base 10 Conversion:

  1. Start with 1 MBps.
  2. Convert to Megabits: 1 MBps=1 MBps×8(MbMB)=8 Mbps1 \text{ MBps} = 1 \text{ MBps} \times 8 \left(\frac{\text{Mb}}{\text{MB}}\right) = 8 \text{ Mbps}
  3. Convert Megabits to Kilobits: 8 Mbps=8×1,000(kbMb)=8,000 kbps8 \text{ Mbps} = 8 \times 1,000 \left(\frac{\text{kb}}{\text{Mb}}\right) = 8,000 \text{ kbps}

So, 1 MBps in base 10 equals 8,000 kbps.

Base 2 Conversion:

  1. Start with 1 MBps.
  2. Convert to Megabits: 1 MBps=1 MBps×8(MbMB)=8 Mbps1 \text{ MBps} = 1 \text{ MBps} \times 8 \left(\frac{\text{Mb}}{\text{MB}}\right) = 8 \text{ Mbps}
  3. Convert Megabits to Kilobits: 8 Mbps=8×1,024(KbMb)=8,192 Kbps8 \text{ Mbps} = 8 \times 1,024 \left(\frac{\text{Kb}}{\text{Mb}}\right) = 8,192 \text{ Kbps}

So, 1 MBps in base 2 equals 8,192 Kbps.

Real-World Examples:

Here's how various quantities of Megabytes per second convert:

Base 10:

  • 2 MBps: 2×8,000=16,000kbps2 \times 8,000 = 16,000 kbps
  • 5 MBps: 5×8,000=40,000kbps5 \times 8,000 = 40,000 kbps
  • 10 MBps: 10×8,000=80,000kbps10 \times 8,000 = 80,000 kbps
  • 50 MBps: 50×8,000=400,000kbps50 \times 8,000 = 400,000 kbps

Base 2:

  • 2 MBps: 2×8,192=16,384Kbps2 \times 8,192 = 16,384 Kbps
  • 5 MBps: 5×8,192=40,960Kbps5 \times 8,192 = 40,960 Kbps
  • 10 MBps: 10×8,192=81,920Kbps10 \times 8,192 = 81,920 Kbps
  • 50 MBps: 50×8,192=409,600Kbps50 \times 8,192 = 409,600 Kbps

Practical Usage:

  • 2 MBps (base 10, 16,000 kbps): This is roughly the speed needed for streaming HD video on platforms like Netflix.
  • 10 MBps (base 10, 80,000 kbps): This is suitable for working with remote desktop applications and video conferencing tools in a professional work setting.
  • 50 MBps (base 10, 400,000 kbps): This could support several simultaneous 4K video streams and is found in high-bandwidth environments, such as in an office building with many users.

Knowing these conversions is essential in networking, setting up streaming services, and understanding internet service plans to ensure the required bandwidth matches the application needs.

See below section for step by step unit conversion with formulas and explanations. Please refer to the table below for a list of all the Kilobits per second to other unit conversions.

What is megabytes per second?

Megabytes per second (MB/s) is a common unit for measuring data transfer rates, especially in the context of network speeds, storage device performance, and video streaming. Understanding what it means and how it's calculated is essential for evaluating the speed of your internet connection or the performance of your hard drive.

Understanding Megabytes per Second

Megabytes per second (MB/s) represents the amount of data transferred in megabytes over a period of one second. It's a rate, indicating how quickly data is moved from one location to another. A higher MB/s value signifies a faster data transfer rate.

How MB/s is Formed: Base 10 vs. Base 2

It's crucial to understand the difference between megabytes as defined in base 10 (decimal) and base 2 (binary), as this affects the actual amount of data being transferred.

  • Base 10 (Decimal): In this context, 1 MB = 1,000,000 bytes (10^6 bytes). This definition is often used by internet service providers (ISPs) and storage device manufacturers when advertising speeds or capacities.

  • Base 2 (Binary): In computing, it's more accurate to use the binary definition, where 1 MB (more accurately called a mebibyte or MiB) = 1,048,576 bytes (2^20 bytes).

This difference can lead to confusion. For example, a hard drive advertised as having 1 TB (terabyte) capacity using the base 10 definition will have slightly less usable space when formatted by an operating system that uses the base 2 definition.

To calculate the time it takes to transfer a file, you would use the appropriate megabyte definition:

Time (seconds)=File Size (MB or MiB)Transfer Rate (MB/s)\text{Time (seconds)} = \frac{\text{File Size (MB or MiB)}}{\text{Transfer Rate (MB/s)}}

It's important to be aware of which definition is being used when interpreting data transfer rates.

Real-World Examples and Typical MB/s Values

  • Internet Speed: A typical broadband internet connection might offer download speeds of 50 MB/s (base 10). High-speed fiber optic connections can reach speeds of 100 MB/s or higher.

  • Solid State Drives (SSDs): Modern SSDs can achieve read and write speeds of several hundred MB/s (base 10). High-performance NVMe SSDs can even reach speeds of several thousand MB/s.

  • Hard Disk Drives (HDDs): Traditional HDDs are slower than SSDs, with typical read and write speeds of around 100-200 MB/s (base 10).

  • USB Drives: USB 3.0 drives can transfer data at speeds of up to 625 MB/s (base 10) in theory, but real-world performance varies.

  • Video Streaming: Streaming a 4K video might require a sustained download speed of 25 MB/s (base 10) or higher.

Factors Affecting Data Transfer Rates

Several factors can affect the actual data transfer rate you experience:

  • Network Congestion: Internet speeds can slow down during peak hours due to network congestion.
  • Hardware Limitations: The slowest component in the data transfer chain will limit the overall speed. For example, a fast SSD connected to a slow USB port will not perform at its full potential.
  • Protocol Overhead: Protocols like TCP/IP add overhead to the data being transmitted, reducing the effective data transfer rate.

Related Units

  • Kilobytes per second (KB/s)
  • Gigabytes per second (GB/s)

What is Kilobits per second?

Kilobits per second (kbps) is a common unit for measuring data transfer rates. It quantifies the amount of digital information transmitted or received per second. It plays a crucial role in determining the speed and efficiency of digital communications, such as internet connections, data storage, and multimedia streaming. Let's delve into its definition, formation, and applications.

Definition of Kilobits per Second (kbps)

Kilobits per second (kbps) is a unit of data transfer rate, representing one thousand bits (1,000 bits) transmitted or received per second. It is a common measure of bandwidth, indicating the capacity of a communication channel.

Formation of Kilobits per Second

Kbps is derived from the base unit "bits per second" (bps). The "kilo" prefix represents a factor of 1,000 in decimal (base-10) or 1,024 in binary (base-2) systems.

  • Decimal (Base-10): 1 kbps = 1,000 bits per second
  • Binary (Base-2): 1 kbps = 1,024 bits per second (This is often used in computing contexts)

Important Note: While technically a kilobit should be 1000 bits according to SI standard, in computer science it is almost always referred to 1024. Please keep this in mind while reading the rest of the article.

Base-10 vs. Base-2

The difference between base-10 and base-2 often causes confusion. In networking and telecommunications, base-10 (1 kbps = 1,000 bits/second) is generally used. In computer memory and storage, base-2 (1 kbps = 1,024 bits/second) is sometimes used.

However, the IEC (International Electrotechnical Commission) recommends using "kibibit" (kibit) with the symbol "Kibit" when referring to 1024 bits, to avoid ambiguity. Similarly, mebibit, gibibit, tebibit, etc. are used for 2202^{20}, 2302^{30}, 2402^{40} bits respectively.

Real-World Examples and Applications

  • Dial-up Modems: Older dial-up modems typically had speeds ranging from 28.8 kbps to 56 kbps.
  • Early Digital Audio: Some early digital audio formats used bitrates around 128 kbps.
  • Low-Quality Video Streaming: Very low-resolution video streaming might use bitrates in the range of a few hundred kbps.
  • IoT (Internet of Things) Devices: Many IoT devices, especially those transmitting sensor data, operate at relatively low data rates in the kbps range.

Formula for Data Transfer Time

You can use kbps to calculate the time required to transfer a file:

Time (in seconds)=File Size (in kilobits)Data Transfer Rate (in kbps)\text{Time (in seconds)} = \frac{\text{File Size (in kilobits)}}{\text{Data Transfer Rate (in kbps)}}

For example, to transfer a 2,000 kilobit file over a 500 kbps connection:

Time=2000 kilobits500 kbps=4 seconds\text{Time} = \frac{2000 \text{ kilobits}}{500 \text{ kbps}} = 4 \text{ seconds}

Notable Figures

Claude Shannon is considered the "father of information theory." His work laid the groundwork for understanding data transmission rates and channel capacity. Shannon's theorem defines the maximum rate at which data can be transmitted over a communication channel with a specified bandwidth in the presence of noise. For further reading on this you can consult this article on Shannon's Noisy Channel Coding Theorem.

Complete Megabytes per second conversion table

Enter # of Megabytes per second
Convert 1 MB/s to other unitsResult
Megabytes per second to bits per second (MB/s to bit/s)8000000
Megabytes per second to Kilobits per second (MB/s to Kb/s)8000
Megabytes per second to Kibibits per second (MB/s to Kib/s)7812.5
Megabytes per second to Megabits per second (MB/s to Mb/s)8
Megabytes per second to Mebibits per second (MB/s to Mib/s)7.62939453125
Megabytes per second to Gigabits per second (MB/s to Gb/s)0.008
Megabytes per second to Gibibits per second (MB/s to Gib/s)0.007450580596924
Megabytes per second to Terabits per second (MB/s to Tb/s)0.000008
Megabytes per second to Tebibits per second (MB/s to Tib/s)0.000007275957614183
Megabytes per second to bits per minute (MB/s to bit/minute)480000000
Megabytes per second to Kilobits per minute (MB/s to Kb/minute)480000
Megabytes per second to Kibibits per minute (MB/s to Kib/minute)468750
Megabytes per second to Megabits per minute (MB/s to Mb/minute)480
Megabytes per second to Mebibits per minute (MB/s to Mib/minute)457.763671875
Megabytes per second to Gigabits per minute (MB/s to Gb/minute)0.48
Megabytes per second to Gibibits per minute (MB/s to Gib/minute)0.4470348358154
Megabytes per second to Terabits per minute (MB/s to Tb/minute)0.00048
Megabytes per second to Tebibits per minute (MB/s to Tib/minute)0.000436557456851
Megabytes per second to bits per hour (MB/s to bit/hour)28800000000
Megabytes per second to Kilobits per hour (MB/s to Kb/hour)28800000
Megabytes per second to Kibibits per hour (MB/s to Kib/hour)28125000
Megabytes per second to Megabits per hour (MB/s to Mb/hour)28800
Megabytes per second to Mebibits per hour (MB/s to Mib/hour)27465.8203125
Megabytes per second to Gigabits per hour (MB/s to Gb/hour)28.8
Megabytes per second to Gibibits per hour (MB/s to Gib/hour)26.822090148926
Megabytes per second to Terabits per hour (MB/s to Tb/hour)0.0288
Megabytes per second to Tebibits per hour (MB/s to Tib/hour)0.02619344741106
Megabytes per second to bits per day (MB/s to bit/day)691200000000
Megabytes per second to Kilobits per day (MB/s to Kb/day)691200000
Megabytes per second to Kibibits per day (MB/s to Kib/day)675000000
Megabytes per second to Megabits per day (MB/s to Mb/day)691200
Megabytes per second to Mebibits per day (MB/s to Mib/day)659179.6875
Megabytes per second to Gigabits per day (MB/s to Gb/day)691.2
Megabytes per second to Gibibits per day (MB/s to Gib/day)643.73016357422
Megabytes per second to Terabits per day (MB/s to Tb/day)0.6912
Megabytes per second to Tebibits per day (MB/s to Tib/day)0.6286427378654
Megabytes per second to bits per month (MB/s to bit/month)20736000000000
Megabytes per second to Kilobits per month (MB/s to Kb/month)20736000000
Megabytes per second to Kibibits per month (MB/s to Kib/month)20250000000
Megabytes per second to Megabits per month (MB/s to Mb/month)20736000
Megabytes per second to Mebibits per month (MB/s to Mib/month)19775390.625
Megabytes per second to Gigabits per month (MB/s to Gb/month)20736
Megabytes per second to Gibibits per month (MB/s to Gib/month)19311.904907227
Megabytes per second to Terabits per month (MB/s to Tb/month)20.736
Megabytes per second to Tebibits per month (MB/s to Tib/month)18.859282135963
Megabytes per second to Bytes per second (MB/s to Byte/s)1000000
Megabytes per second to Kilobytes per second (MB/s to KB/s)1000
Megabytes per second to Kibibytes per second (MB/s to KiB/s)976.5625
Megabytes per second to Mebibytes per second (MB/s to MiB/s)0.9536743164063
Megabytes per second to Gigabytes per second (MB/s to GB/s)0.001
Megabytes per second to Gibibytes per second (MB/s to GiB/s)0.0009313225746155
Megabytes per second to Terabytes per second (MB/s to TB/s)0.000001
Megabytes per second to Tebibytes per second (MB/s to TiB/s)9.0949470177293e-7
Megabytes per second to Bytes per minute (MB/s to Byte/minute)60000000
Megabytes per second to Kilobytes per minute (MB/s to KB/minute)60000
Megabytes per second to Kibibytes per minute (MB/s to KiB/minute)58593.75
Megabytes per second to Megabytes per minute (MB/s to MB/minute)60
Megabytes per second to Mebibytes per minute (MB/s to MiB/minute)57.220458984375
Megabytes per second to Gigabytes per minute (MB/s to GB/minute)0.06
Megabytes per second to Gibibytes per minute (MB/s to GiB/minute)0.05587935447693
Megabytes per second to Terabytes per minute (MB/s to TB/minute)0.00006
Megabytes per second to Tebibytes per minute (MB/s to TiB/minute)0.00005456968210638
Megabytes per second to Bytes per hour (MB/s to Byte/hour)3600000000
Megabytes per second to Kilobytes per hour (MB/s to KB/hour)3600000
Megabytes per second to Kibibytes per hour (MB/s to KiB/hour)3515625
Megabytes per second to Megabytes per hour (MB/s to MB/hour)3600
Megabytes per second to Mebibytes per hour (MB/s to MiB/hour)3433.2275390625
Megabytes per second to Gigabytes per hour (MB/s to GB/hour)3.6
Megabytes per second to Gibibytes per hour (MB/s to GiB/hour)3.3527612686157
Megabytes per second to Terabytes per hour (MB/s to TB/hour)0.0036
Megabytes per second to Tebibytes per hour (MB/s to TiB/hour)0.003274180926383
Megabytes per second to Bytes per day (MB/s to Byte/day)86400000000
Megabytes per second to Kilobytes per day (MB/s to KB/day)86400000
Megabytes per second to Kibibytes per day (MB/s to KiB/day)84375000
Megabytes per second to Megabytes per day (MB/s to MB/day)86400
Megabytes per second to Mebibytes per day (MB/s to MiB/day)82397.4609375
Megabytes per second to Gigabytes per day (MB/s to GB/day)86.4
Megabytes per second to Gibibytes per day (MB/s to GiB/day)80.466270446777
Megabytes per second to Terabytes per day (MB/s to TB/day)0.0864
Megabytes per second to Tebibytes per day (MB/s to TiB/day)0.07858034223318
Megabytes per second to Bytes per month (MB/s to Byte/month)2592000000000
Megabytes per second to Kilobytes per month (MB/s to KB/month)2592000000
Megabytes per second to Kibibytes per month (MB/s to KiB/month)2531250000
Megabytes per second to Megabytes per month (MB/s to MB/month)2592000
Megabytes per second to Mebibytes per month (MB/s to MiB/month)2471923.828125
Megabytes per second to Gigabytes per month (MB/s to GB/month)2592
Megabytes per second to Gibibytes per month (MB/s to GiB/month)2413.9881134033
Megabytes per second to Terabytes per month (MB/s to TB/month)2.592
Megabytes per second to Tebibytes per month (MB/s to TiB/month)2.3574102669954

Data transfer rate conversions