“What is 1 Gig in Mbps?” and Other Internet Questions

If you’re in the market for home internet, chances are you have a few questions. What is 1 gig in Mbps? How many Mbps do I need? Is 1 gig service better than what I have? They don’t teach us these things in grade school; the internet is just sort of there. How can you be sure of what you need?

In the current era of working from home, streaming all the things, spending hours mastering the latest video game obsession, and keeping a household of smartphones connected, having the best available home internet has become a “bit” (digital dad joke) of a necessity.  How do you know what the best is? We can help answer these questions and more.

What Speed do I Need?

The average household that uses the internet casually to scroll social media platforms and stream movies would be fine with 100 Mbps internet speeds. But why settle for fine when you can have the best? Here are a few activities that are simply better with 1 gig speeds.

  • Streaming the big game. Streaming isn’t just TV shows and movies these days. More and more families are opting for streaming their favorite content instead of locking in with a cable or dish contract. With 1 gig speeds, you can stream the game with no buffering and no pixelation.
  • Dinner and a movie in. Grandma only takes the kids so often. 1 gig speeds allow you to make the most of your weekend alone. As wonderful as children are, they can make watching a movie difficult. The last thing you want when they’re away is to deal with the distractions of subpar internet.
  • Dominating your favorite online video game. When it comes to competitive video games, reaction time is critical. Unfortunately, your reaction time can only be as good as your internet connection. With 1 gig internet, you can get the edge on your opponents and climb the rankings.
  • The WFH (work from home) lifestyle. When the workforce started writing reports in their pajamas, they developed a need for ISPs (internet service providers) to do more. Download speeds remained important, but upload speeds needed to be just as great. The 1 gig service of fiber offers symmetrical speeds, making the WFH lifestyle much less painful.

But what about all that internet jargon? How can you know what you’re signing up for with so much digital lingo? We’ve got you covered. Here’s a brief overview of all the things you need to know.

What is 1 Gig in Mbps?

If you’re talking about megabits (Mb), then there are 8,000 of them in a gigabyte (GB) and 1,000 in a gigabit (Gb). Maybe you thought it was megabytes (MB), in which case there are 1,000 in a GB and 125 in a Gb. It can all be kind of confusing. Let’s make some sense of it.

What is the Difference Between Bits and Bytes?

1 byte equals 8 bits. Put another way, 1 byte is 8 times larger than a bit. Put another other way, a bit is a single digit of binary code (think: 1s and 0s), and a byte is a string of 8 bits needed to represent a character (think: what shows up when you press a key on your keyboard). Bits and bytes are the base units used for measuring digital storage space. When talking about internet speeds, however, we’re talking about the time it takes to transfer those digital units.

So, What about Mbps and MBps

The conversions here are the same as between bits and bytes, only “mega” equals 1 million. 1 megabyte (1 million bytes) is equal to 8 megabits (8 million bits). Internet speed is typically measured in megabits per second (Mbps). If your internet has a download speed of 100 Mbps, which is pretty standard, then every second your computer is processing 100 million bits.

Where do the G’s Come In?

Ah yes, gigabits (Gb) and gigabytes (GB). 1 GB is a store of a lot of data. 1 Gbps is an incredibly fast internet speed. According to the FCC, an internet service qualifies as broadband if it delivers 25 Mbps download speeds and 3 Mbps upload speeds. (HighSpeedInternet) With a fiber-optic broadband service like Connexion, you get symmetrical (download and upload) 1 Gbps internet speeds.

Connexion Offers the Best

Equipped with a better understanding of bits and bytes and all that goes into internet speeds, you’re ready for the best. Fort Collins Connexion was created to make the best internet a reality for the Fort Collins community. We know how important reliable, high-speed internet is for the success of our community. Your internet speeds matter to us, because they’re our internet speeds, too.

Ready to sign up for the best internet available? Take a look at our home internet options and make the best a reality.

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