In this post we explain how to convert from Bandwidth (Hz/kHz/MHz/GHz) to Data throughput in terms of Bits per second (bps/kbps/Mbps/Gbps).
Formula
To calculate the bit rate we use the Shannon-Hartley formula
C = B*Log2(1 + S/N)
where,
- C is the throughput in bits per second
- B is the bandwidth in Hz
- S/N is the linear signal-to-noise ratio
In the calculator below, enter the bandwidth and the SNR (dB)
Key Assumptions
The Shannon-Hartley formula makes the following assumptions:
- The noise is white Gaussian. In other words it does not consider the effect of Fading which can cause additional signal losses.
- The throughput in bit-per-second is an upper bound. It represents an ideal condition that can be achieved with an arbitrarily low error rate.
Example Calculation
For 100 MHz of bandwidth and 10 dB Signal to noise ratio, the maximum throughput is 346 Mbps.
Throughput increases with SNR.
For instance at 15 dB SNR, the max data rate is 503 Mbps.
Signal-to-Noise Ratio
The calculator on this page uses the Signal-to-Noise ratio in deciBels (dB). If the SNR is a linear ratio use the linear to dB converter.
Related Posts
- Signal-to-Noise Ratio – how to calculate and measure
- Hz to kbps
- What does the MHz specification in Ethernet cables mean?
- Noise Free Capacity Calculator