On the other hand, a megabyte is equal to 1, kilobytes, and so on. Nowadays, we commonly use 1, or the SI conversion instead of 1, binary conversion to convert these units. However, new prefixes have been developed for binary conversion in case we need to use them. These prefixes are shown in the table below. You can also learn more about this in the " What is the difference between Mb and Mib " section of our video file size calculator.
Files cannot always be in just one computer or machine. When we take a picture using a digital camera, we need to have a way to transfer the picture file to a computer and then to a printer to end up with the image printed on a piece of paper.
With that said, several ways have been developed for us to be able to transfer digital files from one device to another. The simplest way to transfer a file is through a data cable specifically made to transmit data. Nowadays, we can also transfer data wirelessly through radio frequencies like Bluetooth or Wi-Fi. We can now also upload or transfer data to the internet so that other people can access it.
The internet is a series of computer networks running all across the world. With the internet, we can now easily send any file to our loved ones, even if they are a thousand miles away from us, as long as they also have access to the internet. All we need to do is upload our file to the internet. Then, to access our file, people have to download it to their devices.
Uploading and downloading data can take a while, depending on the file's size and transfer rate. Think of it like pouring water into a beaker. Pouring water from one beaker to another will only take a little amount of time. However, if we place a funnel on one beaker, the amount of water flow will decrease due to the narrow part of the funnel. The flow rate of the water in this analogy is similar to the transfer rate of a file.
We can compare a funnel's narrow tube part to what is called the internet's bandwidth. The larger the bandwidth is, the more data that can be transmitted at a time. Therefore, a file can be transferred much faster if the internet connection has a larger bandwidth.
Bandwidth is also, in a way, an internet connection's maximum capacity, and we can express it in units of bits per second. Internet bandwidth can also represent the maximum speed an internet connection can have. However, when moving a file from one computer to another, the maximum transfer speed will depend on the slowest bandwidth that the data has to go through - which can be anywhere in the route.
To better understand this, let us consider an example. Let's say that your friend wants to send you his new MB megabytes video creation over his 10 Mbps megabits per second internet connection. On the other hand, you will be receiving the video file over your 5 Mbps home internet connection. For this example, let us assume that the upload and download speeds for both connections can use their entire bandwidths.
Since the file will also be coming through the much lower 5 Mbps connection, this will be the maximum transfer speed that we can get for this data transfer. But, to determine the upload and download speeds of your connection, you can use any third-party speed test applications that can be accessed online through your browser.
Now that we know how to determine the transfer speed for our uploads and downloads, we can now calculate a file's download time or duration. Calculating download time is as simple as dividing the size of the file you wish to transfer by the transfer speed of the network that the transfer will go through. However, we have to be careful with the units we use, since this could be quite confusing.
Let us consider the example above for our sample computation. To calculate how long to download the MB video over a 5 Mbps internet download speed, we can use the equation below:. But first, let us convert the units of the file size in terms of megabits, which is equivalent to 1 million bits.
To do so, we'll be using the conversion table above under the SI system. With that said, we now have this computation:. As shown above, the MB video file will finish downloading in less than 11 minutes over a stable 5 Mbps connection. However, if somebody else in the house uses the internet while you're downloading this video file, it could take much longer to complete the download because of congestion in the data transfer.
Aside from calculating the download time of a file from the internet, you can also use this calculator to determine the transfer duration from, let's say, a computer to an external storage device like a USB flash drive. However, you must first know the transfer rate of your connection to calculate the transfer duration.
You can also use this download time calculator to determine your download speed. However, for this, you have to time how long to download a particular file.
Then, by entering the file size and the download time in our calculator, you'll be able to calculate your internet's download speed. To convert Kilobits to Megabits you have to divide them by To convert the Megabits to Gigabits you have to divide them to again and so on.
The download speed is determined by your service provider and the hardware limits of the connection. For example the highest download speed of a Base-T connection is Megabits. Of course that speed is the maximum that can be reached on such hardware and may be slower based on the Internet plan that you have signed for.
You can check your download and upload speeds at SpeedTest. The download and upload speed are usually different. In most cases the upload speed is much slower than the download speed. If the two are equal we call such connection symmetric. If the connection is not "shaped" limited by an ISP it is symmetric by default. Please note that the above test is not always correct. IS providers usually detect where your computer connects and provide higher speeds for tests if they detect that you are trying to test your connection speed.
Use the Download Time Calculator above to enter your file size and calculate the time need for the transfer. Multiple Internet connection speeds are listed and you can see the ones that are close to yours. To calculate download time you have to divide the file size by the connection speed. The more difficult part is that you have to convert the speed and time units to the desired ones.
All the download speeds are in bits per second e. Mbps is Megabits per second, Gbps is Gigabits per second. In the above calculation those seconds are converted to days, hours, minutes and seconds for easier reading. To convert the seconds to minutes you have to divide them by 60 seconds in a minute and the whole part will be minutes and the fractional part that is left is the seconds. Check also the free online File Size calculator and converter.
File Size:. Download this freeware tool and check the distribution of your disk space. Free Duplicate File Finder. Low on disk space?
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