Buzz
Previously, Mytour helped you compare Mb/s and MB/s or Mbps and MBps with basic concepts. In this article, Mytour will delve deeper so you can have a better understanding of these two types of symbols.
With users' increasing demand for online entertainment, Internet speed has become a crucial factor. In a tech-savvy world where anyone can legally download movies to their computer and stream them directly, having a fast Internet connection is essential.
This implies that users are often curious about how fast the connection speed will be. However, this raises the question of how megabit and megabyte differ.
Comparing Megabit and Megabyte: What Sets Them Apart?
The Issue
Imagine you're looking to purchase a new Internet package, and you come across an advertisement boasting speeds of up to 50 Mbps. If you buy this package, how do you think the download speed of applications and documents will be?
Assuming Mbps is an abbreviation for megabytes per second, and if you purchase this internet package, the download speed could be 50 MB/s. However, careful consideration is needed. If you notice the speed in the advertisement is in Mbps and up to 50 MB/s.
In reality, we write megabytes as 50 MB. In this example, the lowercase 'b' is crucial. It indicates that the advertised network speed is 50 megabit/s, but in reality, it's megabyte/s.
Actual Speed
So if the download speed isn't 50 megabytes/s, what would you do with a speed of 50 Mb/s?
To answer this question, you need to understand the difference between megabit and megabyte. To simplify the distinction between megabit and megabyte, let's remove the term 'mega' from both and focus on comparing the difference between bit and byte.
1 byte equals 8 bits, so it can be said that a byte is 8 times larger than a bit, using the mathematical formula 1 byte = 8 bits. Using this information to compare megabyte and megabit, you can see that 1 megabyte is 8 times larger than 1 megabit, or 1 megabyte = 8 megabits.
From here, you can calculate the speed of 50 megabits/s in megabytes/s. 1 byte = 8 bits, so you divide the value of 50 Mb/s by 8, resulting in 6.25, meaning the download speed is 6.25 megabytes/s. Much slower than the advertised speed.
This is why it's crucial to understand the difference when comparing megabits and megabytes. It's no different from a contract deal where the advertising claims excellent speed, but reality falls short. To determine if your internet package speed is in megabits or megabytes, you can easily differentiate between the two units. Just remember that megabit uses the lowercase 'b' (Mbps), while megabyte uses the uppercase 'B' (MBps).
Why Use Bits Instead of Bytes?
The question arises: why use bits when companies advertise network speeds in megabytes, and how can we eliminate this confusion?
To explain this, network providers often advertise an impressive speed of 50Mbps, much more impactful than advertising, introducing a speed of 6.25MBps.
However, the most reasonable answer lies in the transmission speed of the network package. Bytes are commonly used when calculating space, storage capacity, and size (500 GB hard drive, 10MB file). On the other hand, bits are used when talking about Internet connection speed, assuming 50Mb/s.
In reality, people have been using bits to measure network activity since the first modems were released over half a century ago. Clearly, this was a time when users weren't concerned about streaming reality TV shows on Netflix but were only interested in the speed at which a device could communicate with another.
So, when an Internet service provider informs you of the Mbps speed, it simply means they are using a standard that has been in use since the invention of modems.
Why is the speed not guaranteed?
Even if calculated and determined, this download speed may not be perfect. If you pay attention, you'll notice that service providers advertise their connection figures as 'maximum.' This is due to a range of variables, such as the distance of the Internet service provider (ISP) you are using, the number of internet users at that time, and how the ISP maintains their service.
In summary, this means that the connection speed of the internet package you purchase is not guaranteed.
Be cautious when buying new internet packages and research reviews to check if the Internet service provider delivers as promised, providing the advertised connection speed. To stream online movies, such as on Netflix, you can explore the internet acceleration methods we've introduced.
When searching for a new Internet service, it's challenging to predict what Internet service providers are offering. Users may confuse between megabit and megabyte. Hopefully, after the article Comparing Megabit and Megabyte, the differences mentioned by Mytour, readers will have more information to choose Internet service packages accurately. Just remember that 1 megabyte equals 8 megabits.
Have you ever been confused between megabyte and megabit? Share your thoughts with Mytour.
