MiB/s to Mbps

1 mebibyte per second equals 8.388608 megabits per second exactly.

1 mebibyte per second = 8.388608 megabits per second

How to convert mebibytes per second to megabits per second

To convert mebibytes per second to megabits per second, multiply the number of mebibytes per second by 8.388608. This factor is exact. To go the other way, multiply megabits per second by 0.1192092896 (rounded).

megabits per second = mebibytes per second × 8.388608

Example: 10 mebibytes per second = 83.88608 megabits per second.

Network speeds are quoted in bits per second (lowercase b), while file sizes use bytes (uppercase B). Divide Mbps by 8 for MB/s.

About these units

Mebibyte Per Second (MiB/s)

ComputingCurrent unit

1,048,576 bytes per second (8.39 Mbps). Used by some operating systems and storage tools.

Mebibyte is one of the newest words in computing. In December 1998 the IEC approved names for binary multiples, published in 1999 as an amendment to IEC 60027-2. Each keeps the first two letters of its SI counterpart and adds bi for binary, so mebi stands for 2²⁰. The aim was to stop mega meaning 10⁶ in telecommunications and storage but 2²⁰ in memory, a split that left room for incompatibility.

A mebibyte per second is 1,048,576 bytes per second, about 8.39 Mbit/s, so it is roughly 4.9 percent larger than 1 MB/s. Some operating systems and tools divide by 1,024 and then print the result with a plain MB label, so one program may show 11.9 for a transfer that another shows as 12.5. For example, a 100 Mbit/s link carries about 11.92 MiB/s at most. The IEEE chose to keep SI meanings in its own standards, allowing base-two use of mega only when explicitly noted.

1 mebibyte per second = 8,388,608 bits per second (exactly).

Sources: NIST: Prefixes for binary multiples; Wikipedia: Data-rate units; Wikipedia: Megabyte

Megabit Per Second (Mbps)

ComputingCurrent unit

1,000,000 bits per second. The unit of internet connection speeds; 8 Mbps is 1 MB/s.

Megabits entered everyday life through Ethernet. The original 10BASE5 version arrived in 1981 at 10 Mbit/s, Fast Ethernet raised the figure to 100 Mbit/s in 1995, and wireless followed, with 802.11b offering 11 Mbit/s in 1999. Telecommunications engineers had always meant exactly one million bits per second by the megabit, while computer memory vendors were stretching the word mega toward powers of two. That divergence is part of why the IEC later published separate binary prefixes.

Internet providers still sell service in Mbit/s, which is why a plan and a download counter seem to disagree. A byte is eight bits, so 100 Mbit/s is at most 12.5 MB/s, and a 1 GB file needs about 80 seconds at that rate under ideal conditions. Streaming is far lighter: YouTube video at 1080p is listed at roughly 3 to 8 Mbit/s with H.264, and 2160p at 8 to 35 Mbit/s. Real throughput is lower than the line rate because of protocol overhead.

1 megabit per second = 1,000,000 bits per second (exactly).

Sources: Wikipedia: Bit rate (Ethernet, Wi-Fi and streaming rates); NIST: Prefixes for binary multiples; Wikipedia: Megabit

Related conversions

See all data transfer rate units.