How much internet traffic per month do you need?

We are often asked questions: how much internet do I need? 1 GB - is it a lot or a little? How long will 500 MB last me? What do I need to connect to make it enough? Let's try to figure it out together.

So, let me remind you: in 1 MB - 1,024 KB, 1 GB - 1,024 MB - 1,048,576 KB

HOW MUCH DOES IT WEIGH" ...

Site page. There is no exact answer. It all depends on what page you open. For example, a simple text page takes on average 60-70 KB. Photos, pictures and other graphic elements make the page heavier, and the total amount of traffic will depend on the total number of images. On average, loading a page on a news site takes 200-400 KB, and viewing a review page with photos will weigh 5-10 MB

Music file. Of course, there is no exact answer. The volume will depend on the length of the song and its quality (bitrate). On average, listening or downloading a song takes 3-5 MB.

Movie. Naturally, there is no exact answer here either. The volume of traffic is significantly affected not only by the duration of the film, but also by its quality (DVD, RIP, etc.) and compression ratio. On average, an hour and a half film in DVD quality (required for viewing on big screen With high resolution) weighs 8-15 GB. Downloading a DVDRIP quality movie will take about 1.5 GB (quite enough quality for watching on a tablet or laptop).

Online video viewing. Even though streaming video typically has maximum compression, the average movie viewing weighs 700 MB - 1.2 GB. This also applies to online TV and video calls (Skype, messenger, etc. Although the resolution of the web camera also matters here). For video calls, count on a few MB per minute.

IP telephony. Traffic for a conversation over IP (similarly for Skype, Whats App, etc.) will weigh on average 128 kB/minute. That is, by spending 1 MB you can talk for 7-8 minutes. I repeat, we are talking about an audio call, not a video call.

Miscellaneous. Communication on social networks (Facebook, VKontakte, etc.), ICQ and other messengers consume very little traffic. Naturally, if you are not regularly sent “heavy” investments, etc. What is worth paying attention to: on average, social network pages “weigh” the same as pages on a regular website, but checking for new messages, they regularly update themselves (which wastes traffic).

HOW MUCH INTERNET DO YOU NEED?

Smartphone. It doesn’t matter what platform your device is on (IOS, Android, Windows, etc.): regular automatic updates in background(synchronization, checking mail, etc.) takes about 50 MB per day (which is about 1.5 GB per month). You can reduce the amount of traffic by disabling everything automatic updates(for example, the same social networks), but then the question arises of making full use of all the capabilities of your device. If you do not use Wi-Fi all the time, I recommend connecting to a package of at least 1-1.5 GB or an unlimited option (but in this case, consult about possible speed limits).

Tablet. For tablet users, the same recommendations apply as for smartphone users. But the required volume of traffic should be increased by an average of 2-3 times (depending on the mode of use). What you should pay attention to: for a tablet, paying per megabyte for the Internet will not be profitable, it is better to enable the option. Before traveling outside your region, do not forget to check the conditions of the option: many of them are more expensive when used in other regions of Russia. And in international roaming Using a “native” SIM card is very expensive! Better connect to a local number or use Wi-Fi.

Netbook, laptop, computer. Certainly. it all depends on how actively you plan to use the Internet. After all, we are talking about mobile traffic. If you plan to use the Internet occasionally, checking social networks, news, etc. on average 20-30 minutes, then 1-2 GB is enough. If you plan to use the Internet more, but without downloading movies, music, etc. (I also mean online viewing), then about 3-5 GB per month will be enough for you. If you use the Internet regularly, including downloading videos and music, you should consider packages of 10 GB or more per month. IMPORTANT: disable automatic system updates for your device (of course, you shouldn’t risk using an antivirus). This will allow you to reduce the amount of traffic and you will be able to fit into the packages described above.

We live in a world where almost everything is measured. Weight, length, height are measured. And much more. And today, in this article, we will get acquainted with the unit of measurement of information, we will find out what is greater than 1kb or 1mb. And how much is 1 GB MB.

How to measure data?

In the beginning there was the word. No, I apologize if I hurt anyone's feelings, but we are talking about computer science. And that means in the beginning there was “Beat”. A bit is the smallest piece of information. It can only have two meanings. 0 or 1. Yes or no. To be or not to be. Loves or not. So as you can see, even one bit can be a very important unit.

What is more - 1kb or 1mb?

We've already gotten used to it since childhood. 1 kilo means 1000. For example, one kilogram is equal to a thousand grams. There is another word - mega. In mathematics, it means a number consisting of a million particles or, more simply, 1000 kilos. Well, giga means 1000 mega. That is, it is clear that 1 MB (megabyte) will be more than 1 KB (kilobyte). But how much? A thousand times? You are sure? Let's take a look at the drawing.

We see an interesting picture. Here is information about the flash drive. And what do we see?

Free space 6,488,064 bytes. A megabyte is equal to 6.18 MB. If you suddenly think that my computer is racing, you can check it yourself. Why? Read on.

How many MB in 1 GB

We already see that 1 megabyte is NOT equal to 1000 bytes. And this is what the table will look like.

• 1kbyte = 1,024 bytes
• 1 MB = 1,024 KB = 1,048,576 bytes
• 1GB = 1,024 MB = 1,073,741,824 bytes

It will probably be interesting to know why this is so. This is due to the nature of the binary system in which all computers operate and so on.

The fact is that the digits in our usual decimal system look like this.

1, 10, 100, 1000, 10000, 100000, 1000000 and so on.

But in the binary system, it’s different.

2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64, 128, 256, 512, 1024.

Thus, in the decimal system, 1 kilo is equal to ten to the third power or simply 1000. In the binary system, 2 to the tenth power = 1024. And since these numbers are almost equal, they were given the same prefix. But remember, when measuring kilograms, 1 kilogram is equal to 1000 grams, but when measuring bytes, 1kbyte is equal to 1024 bytes.

Do you want to know, how much is 1 GB, megabyte and kilobyte, then read this article, where you will get comprehensive answers to this question.

What is larger: kilobyte or megabyte?

I think that most of those who use the Internet know that all the information that is posted in this virtual space(texts, pictures, videos, sounds, etc.) is presented as a set of numbers.

And this whole set of numbers can be measured, and now I will show you how to do it. After this, you can convert bytes to bits, bits to kilobytes, kilobytes to kilobits, kilobits to megabytes, megabytes to megabits, megabits to gigabytes to gigabits, gigabyte to terabyte, tarabyte to tarabit.

So, if you need to know how much is contained in 1 GB or 1 MB KB, then now, I will tell you about it in detail. I don’t know why you will need this if you are not a programmer (although they don’t really need such information), but nevertheless, I’ll tell you about it now, because I recently thought about this question and decided to write an entire article. At least this will help estimate the size of the downloaded information and more.

There is nothing complicated here; it is enough to know some rules and have a calculator at hand.

1. 1 byte is 8 bits
2. 1 kb is 1024 bytes
3. 1 MB is 1024 kilobytes
4. 1 GB is 1024 megabytes
5. 1 terabyte is 1024 gigabytes

Abbreviations that are considered generally accepted:

1. kilobyte - kb
2. megabyte - mb
3. giga-byte - GB

You should also know that in the world of information only the binary measurement system is used, and not the decimal one to which we are accustomed. That is, a number can take a value not from 0 to 10, but from 0 to 1.

That is, the simplest digit for measuring information is 1 bit, the value of which can be 0 or 1.
And due to the fact that such an insignificant value is very small for measuring the size (volume) of information, it is almost not used, but a byte is used, where 1 byte is equal to 18 bits. And it can take values ​​from 0 to 15 (hexadecimal number system), only instead of numerical indicators 10-15 the letters from A to F are used. These volumes of information measurements are also not particularly large, so the familiar prefixes kilo (1000), mega (1,000,000), giga (1,000,000,000).

Also, I want to add that in information space kilobyte = not 1,000 bytes, but 1024. And if you want to know how many kilobytes are in a megabyte, then you will also get the number 1024. And asking the question: “so how many megabytes are in a gigabyte”? you will hear the same answer - 1024.

This “metamorphosis” is determined by the peculiarity of the binary calculation system. That is, when using tens, we will obtain each new digit by multiplying by 10 (1, 10, 100, 1,000, 1,000,000, etc.), then with the binary method of calculus, a new digit appears after that how to perform the operation of multiplying by 2.
An example of how it all looks: 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64, 128, 256, 512, 1024
That is, a number consisting of 10 digits in the binary system can only have 1024 values. This is more than 1,000, but is closest to the kilo- prefix. Exactly the same calculation scheme is used: mega.., giga.. and tera...

How often can you hear from Internet users that they cannot decide on the choice of Internet option for themselves! Usually people do not understand how many gigabytes they will need approximately per month and what tariff plan purchase. One of the most popular questions: “Is 1 GB of Internet a lot or a little?” Let's try to figure it out and find out what the Internet actually is. What is 1 GB enough for and how? What does the data transfer speed depend on?

1 GB of Internet: is it a lot or a little?

A question with no clear answer. For some this is very little, but for others it is more than enough. It all depends on many factors that should be taken into account when purchasing Internet traffic from your operator. First, let's understand this: 1 GB = 1024 MB, and 1 MB = 1024 KB. Therefore, in order to find out whether one gigabyte is enough for you for a whole month, 1 GB of Internet - is it really a lot or not enough, and what can you afford without going beyond the traffic limits, you need to consider the following points:

What device is the Internet connected to? After all, how much Internet traffic you need per month depends on whether it is a smartphone or a laptop.

How often do you plan to use the Internet?

For what purposes do you need the Internet: for some people it’s enough to check their email once a day, for others they play online games and watch movies all day long.

Do you have the ability to switch to Wi-Fi sometimes.

What weighs how much

In order to find out what you spend your traffic on every month, you first need to understand what a gigabyte is and how much it is, using examples:

Regular page- depends on how overloaded this page is with photographs. If a regular text page weighs about 60-70 KB, then viewing a social network feed with a bunch of photos and gifs can take 5-10 MB. By the way, such social media tend to update themselves, therefore, this will additionally consume traffic.

Listen or download music- again depends on the file format and duration. It will take you approximately 3 to 5 MB of traffic.

Watching a movie - Depending on the quality, format, duration and compression, the volume of the film can vary from 8 to 15 GB. If you decide to download a DVD movie, you will have to sacrifice another 1.5 GB of traffic.

Online TV, video streaming and Skype- thanks to maximum compression, you may end up with about 700 MB. In the case of Skype, everything depends on the camera resolution.

All the rest— as for small chats, acq, correspondence on Skype, checking mail, you don’t need a lot of Internet (provided that they don’t send you huge files).

How much Internet traffic per month does a smartphone need?

Let's say you would like to connect the Internet to your smartphone, and the platform of the phone itself does not matter. This can be either Android, iOs, Bada, or even such old-fashioned operating systems as Simbian and Java, in any case, regardless of whether you use this moment Internet or not, the phone itself will update and check everything installed applications and programs, which means additional traffic.

Of course, you can turn off updates, switch to Wi-Fi whenever possible, not play online games, and if not necessary, turn off data transfer completely. Thus, you will significantly save your Internet, but why do you need a smartphone then? So, 1 GB mobile internet- is this a lot or a little? This is hardly enough. It’s better to purchase 1.5-2 GB, then you won’t have to think about saving.

How much internet do you need for a tablet?

A tablet is essentially the same smartphone, only slightly larger in size. And since it has a large screen diagonal, therefore, there will be a little more transmitted (received) data. It turns out that everything that was recommended for smartphones also applies to tablets, only the Internet will be required 2-3 times more.

It is not recommended to use under any circumstances basic tariff from an operator with megabyte tariffing. Wild prices will empty your personal account in a matter of minutes. And secondly, when roaming, it is better to purchase a local SIM card, otherwise you risk falling into big debts in a couple of clicks.

How much traffic is needed for a netbook and laptop?

If everything is very clear with a phone and tablet, then with a laptop things are a little different. Still, the question sounded like this: “Is 1 GB of Internet a lot or a little?” Therefore, if you do not plan to use your laptop once every couple of days to check your email, then, of course, this will be very little.

If you pursue goals such as daily viewing news feed, downloading movies and music, online games, then you will undoubtedly need much more Internet, about 15-20 GB.

Question from a user

Hello.

Please tell me, I have an Internet channel of 15/30 Megabit/s, files in uTorrent are downloaded at a speed of (approximately) 2-3 MB/s. How can I compare the speed, is my Internet provider cheating me? How many Megabytes should there be at a speed of 30 Megabit/s? Confused about the quantities...

Good day!

This question is very popular; it is asked in different interpretations (sometimes very threateningly, as if someone had deceived someone). The bottom line is that most users confuse different units : like grams and pounds (also Megabits and Megabytes) ...

In general, to solve this problem you will have to resort to a short excursion into a computer science course, but I will try not to be boring ☺. Also in the article, I will also discuss all the issues related to this topic (about speed in torrent clients, about MB/s and Mbit/s).

Note

Educational program on Internet speed

And so, with ANY Internet provider(at least, I personally haven’t seen others) Internet connection speed is indicated in Megabit/s(and pay attention to the prefix "BEFORE"- no one guarantees that your speed will always be constant, because... this is impossible).

In any torrent program(in the same uTorrent), by default, the download speed is displayed in MB/s (Megabytes per second). That is, I mean that Megabyte and Megabit are different quantities.

Usually, the declared speed in your tariff is enough Internet provider in Mbit/s, divide by 8 to get the speed that uTorrent (or its analogues) will show you in MB/s (but see more about this below, there are nuances ☺).

For example, the tariff speed of the Internet provider about which the question was asked is 15 Mbit/s. Let's try to put it in a normal way...

Important! (from a computer science course)

The computer does not understand numbers; only two values ​​are important to it: there is a signal or there is no signal (i.e. " 0 " or " 1 "). These are either yes or no - that is, "0" or "1" is called " Bit" (minimum unit of information).

In order to be able to write any letter or number, one unit or zero will clearly not be enough (it will definitely not be enough for the entire alphabet). It was calculated to encode all the necessary letters, numbers, etc. - a sequence of 8 Bit.

For example, this is what the code for the English capital "A" looks like - 01000001.

And so the code for the number “1” is 00110001.

These ones 8 Bits = 1 Byte(i.e. 1 Byte is the minimum data element).

Regarding consoles (and derivatives):

• 1 Kilobyte = 1024 Bytes (or 8*1024 Bits)
• 1 Megabyte = 1024 Kilobytes (or KB/KB)
• 1 Gigabyte = 1024 Megabytes (or MB/MB)
• 1 Terabyte = 1024 Gigabytes (or GB/GB)

Mathematics:

1. One Megabit is equal to 0.125 Megabytes.
2. To achieve transfer speeds of 1 Megabyte per second, you will need an 8 Megabit per second network connection.

In practice, they usually do not resort to such calculations; everything is done simpler. The declared speed of 15 Mbit/s is simply divided by 8 (and ~5-7% is subtracted from this number for the transfer of service information, network load, etc.). The resulting number will be considered the normal speed (an approximate calculation is shown below).

15 Mbps / 8 = 1.875 MB/s

1.875 MB/s * 0.95 = 1.78 MB/s

In addition, I would not discount the load on the Internet provider's network during peak hours: in the evenings or on weekends (when a large number of people use the network). This can also seriously affect access speeds.

Thus, if you are connected to the Internet at a rate of 15 Mbit/s, and your download speed in the torrent program shows about 2 MB/s, everything is very good with your channel and Internet provider ☺. Usually, the speed is less than declared (my next question is about this, a couple of lines below)...

Typical question. Why is the connection speed 50-100 Mbps, but the download speed is very low: 1-2 MB/s? Is the Internet provider to blame? After all, even according to rough estimates, it should be no lower than 5-6 MB/s...

I'll try to break it down point by point:

1. firstly, if you carefully look at the contract with the Internet provider, you will notice that you were promised access speed "UP TO 100 Mbit/s" ;
2. secondly, in addition to your access speed, it is very important where do you download the file(s) from?. Let's say, if the computer (from which you download the file) is connected via low-speed access, say 8 Mbit/s, then your download speed from it is 1 MB/s, in fact, the maximum! Those. First, try downloading the file from other servers (torrent trackers);
3. thirdly, perhaps you already have some kind of the program downloads something else. Yes, the same Windows can download updates (if in addition to your PC, you have a laptop, smartphone, etc. devices connected to the same network channel - look at what they are doing...). In general, check how your Internet channel is loaded;
4. it is possible that in the evening hours (when the load on the Internet provider increases) there are “drawdowns” (you are not the only one who decided to download something interesting at this time ☺);
5. if you are connected via a router, check that too. It often happens that inexpensive models they slow down the speed (sometimes they just reboot), in general, they just can’t cope with the load...
6. check driver for your network card (for example, to the same Wi-Fi adapter). I have encountered the situation several times: after on the network card (drivers for network adapter 90% is set by Windows itself when installing it), access speed increased significantly! The default drivers that come with Windows are not a panacea...

However, I do not exclude the possibility that your Internet provider (with old equipment, clearly inflated tariffs, which are only theoretically available on paper) may be the culprit for the low access speed. Simply, to begin with, I would like you to pay attention to the above points...

Another typical question. Why then indicate the connection speed in Mbit/s, when all users are guided by MB/s (and in programs it is indicated in MB/s)?

There are two points:

1. When transferring information, not only the file itself is transferred, but also other service information (some of which is less than a byte). Therefore, it is logical (and in general, historically) that connection speed is measured and indicated in Mbit/s.
2. The higher the number, the stronger the advertising! Marketing has not been canceled either. Many people, they are quite far from network technologies, and seeing that somewhere the number is higher, they will go there and connect to the network.

My personal opinion: for example, it would be nice if providers indicated next to Mbit/s real speed downloading data, which the user will see in the same uTorrent. Thus, both the wolves are fed and the sheep are safe ☺.

By the way, for anyone who is dissatisfied with their Internet access speed, I recommend reading this article: .

Additions on the topic are welcome...