Type of Connection |
bandwidth |
what you get in 1 second |
Or live streaming |
---|---|---|---|
old modem | 9600 bps | small email ~ 1.2 kB | irc / text / telnet |
modem | 56 kbps | web graphic ~ 7 kB | audio |
ISDN (Integrated Service Digital Network) | 128 kbps | 2 web graphics ~ 15 kB | visioconference one 2 one |
DSL / Cable Modem | 512 kbps | 1 jpeg image 600x400 ~ 62 kB | 300kbps = very useful video (cable, ADSL) |
near future DSL / Cable Modem | 1Mbps | Document ~ 125 kB | 1500kbps, 2.2 Mbps= VHS video |
ethernet WIFI 54Mbps |
10Mbps | 1 floppy disk ~ 1.25 MB | 6Mbps = PAL video |
ethernet | 100Mbps | 2 MP3 songs ~ 12.25 MB | 20Mbps = compr. HDTV |
ethernet | 1Gbps | 10m CD audio ~ 125 MB | 270Mbps = raw PAL video |
10Gbps | 2 CDs ~ 1.25 GB | 1.5Gbps = raw HDTV | |
100Gbps | 2 DVDs ~ 12.5 GB | 1Tbps = 50,000 channels of compressed HDTV |
The standard for carriers and networks is that Mbps is
1000x1000 bits per second (and Gigabit/s is 1000x1000x1000). That's also the
transport rate, not the payload rate - so you need to allow for overheads of
whatever protocols you are using. (e.g. tcp/ip/atm/sdh - you lose a lot of payload
bandwidth that way.)
Conversely, if somebody quotes MB/s (Megabytes/s) they do usually mean 1024x1024
bytes per second.
Back in the bad old days, a 1 Megabyte floppy was 1024x1000 !