As more and more daily entertainment comes from online sources, internet speed has become a very important factor. In a world where people can legally download movies and stream TV shows from their PC, users don't want to sit around and wait to watch their shows. For this reason, when buying a new broadband plan, users want to know the speed of the connection. Unfortunately, this comes with its own little conundrum, which is the question of megabits versus megabytes.
ContentsThe problemThe “real” speedWhy use bits? Why not bytes?Why speed is not guaranteedA little helpLet's say you want to get a new Internet service. You look at the speeds on offer and spy on a package that advertises speeds of up to 50 Mbps. If you buy this package, how fast do you think your download speeds would be?
Now that we know that, we can figure out how fast 50 megabits per second will be in megabytes. Since there are 8 bits in a byte, we can take the value of 50 Mbps and divide it by eight. That gives us 6.25, which means we'll be downloading at a speed of 6.25 megabytes per second. It's a parcel slower than originally thought!
This is why it is so important to understand the difference between megabits and megabytes. What looks like a fantastic deal suddenly becomes eight times worse after signing the contract. If you want to know if a company uses megabits or megabytes, it's easy to distinguish between the two. Remember that megabits use a lowercase "b" (Mbps) while megabytes use an uppercase "B" (MBps).
But why do we use bits in the first place? Wouldn't it be so much easier if companies just advertised their speeds in megabytes and cut out all this confusion?
By way of explanation, there are quite a few, including megabits which are more favorable from a marketing point of view (50 Mbps seems more impressive than 6.25 Mbps). However, the more reasonable explanation is that this is simply how network communication speeds have always been measured. Bytes are generally used when we calculate storage and size (500 GB hard drive, 10 MB file), while bits are used when discussing the speed of a connection (50 Mbps Internet).
In fact, we've been measuring network activity in bits since the invention of the first modems over half a century ago! This was obviously at a time when people weren't worried about streaming their favorite TV show on Netflix, but just cared about how fast one device could communicate with another. So when an ISP tells you a speed in Mbps, they may just be using the standard that's been in use since modems were invented.
Even after all that math and determining what your download speed will be, it might not be perfect. If you look closely, you'll notice that service providers advertise their connections as "up to" the number they advertise. This is due to a wide range of variables, such as your distance from the ISP, the number of people using the Internet at the time, and how the ISP maintains its service.
In short, this means that you are not guaranteed to always get the speed you buy. Be careful when buying a new internet plan and be sure to read reviews to check if the company delivers on its promise of advertised speeds. For streaming movies online, like on Netflix, it will also be helpful for you to know how to improve internet speed.
When you're looking for a new internet service, it can be hard to tell what ISPs are selling you. Although confusing at first glance, the question of megabits versus megabytes is very simple once broken down. Remember, 1 megabyte equals 8 megabits, and you'll never be stuck on internet speeds again.
Has the megabyte/megabit similarity caused any problems for you or someone you know? Tell us your stories below.
