kbps

Data rate unit

Kbps stands for kilobits per second, a measure of data transfer speed.

Internet connections, audio streams, and file downloads are often rated in kbps: The podcast streams at 128 kbps.

A kilobit is 1,000 bits—not to be confused with kilobytes, which are eight times larger.

Higher kbps generally means better quality for audio and video.

networking

upload

Transfer data outward

downloadRemote-to-local data transfer
latencyDelay in system response
pingBrief metallic tone

jitter · packet · throughput · TCP · UDP · router · Ethernet · Wi-Fi · wireless · satellite

bandwidth

bitrate

Data transfer speed

throughputProcessing rate over time
megabitsMillion-bit data units
gigabitsBillions of bits

bps · Gbps · broadband · dial-up · ISDN · ADSL · DSL · VDSL · fiber · cable

streaming

audio

Transmitted sound content

videoRecorded moving imagery
codecData compression algorithm
compressionForcing into smaller space

buffering · quality · MP3 · AAC · VoIP · podcast · Spotify · YouTube · adaptive · VBR

Categories

audio termsWAV, dB, tone, frequency response, MP3
computing unitsbit, byte, kilobyte, megabyte, gigabyte
Internet Speedsbroadband, dial-up, DSL, fiber, 3G
Data Unitsbit, byte, kilobyte, megabyte, gigabyte
Bandwidthbandwidth limit, bit rate, bitrate, bits per second, bps
BitratesGbps, bps, VBR

Opposites

data rate scale

kbpsGbps

Data transmission speed unit

Mbps · bps · bits per second · broadband speed · broadband

measurement unit type

kbpsKB

Data size abbreviation

kilobytes · MB · megabytes

bits vs bytes distinction

kbpsbytes per second

Data transfer rate unit

Family

Familiarity: Top 500,000
Profile: Used worldwide · Timeless · Abstract · Rated G