Bandwidth Calculator

Divide the file size (in bits) by the effective bandwidth (in bits per second). For example, a 1 GB file over a 1 Gbps link: 8,589,934,592 bits ÷ 1,000,000,000 bps ≈ 8.6 seconds. Our calculator accounts for protocol overhead (typically 10–20%), giving you a realistic estimate.

Protocol overhead is the extra data added by network protocols (TCP/IP headers, Ethernet framing, encryption). It typically reduces usable throughput by 5–20%. For example, Gigabit Ethernet's real-world throughput is around 940 Mbps after accounting for Ethernet frame overhead.

Bandwidth is the maximum theoretical capacity of a link (e.g., 1 Gbps). Throughput is the actual data transfer rate you achieve after protocol overhead, network congestion, and other losses. Throughput is always lower than bandwidth.

Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) has a theoretical maximum of 9.6 Gbps versus Wi-Fi 5's 3.5 Gbps. Real-world, Wi-Fi 6 typically delivers 1–2 Gbps, about 2–3x faster than Wi-Fi 5, with better performance in congested environments thanks to OFDMA and MU-MIMO.

LoRaWAN operates at 0.3–50 Kbps depending on the spreading factor (SF7–SF12). Higher spreading factors give longer range but lower data rates. It's designed for small IoT payloads (tens of bytes), not file transfers.

At 10 Gbps with 20% overhead, effective throughput is 8 Gbps. 1 TB = 8,796,093,022,208 bits ÷ 8,000,000,000 bps ≈ 1,100 seconds ≈ 18.3 minutes.