Network bandwidth calculator
Estimate bandwidth from total users, their active share and explicit headroom.
Fill in the fields and the result will appear here automatically.
Multiplies the number of users by the share active at once and the bandwidth each one needs, then adds the headroom you choose. Nothing is hidden in a protocol coefficient: real overhead depends on protocol, codec and network, so every factor that changes the answer is a visible field.
How it works
Formula and logic
Expected active users A = total users N·active share c/100. Raw bandwidth = A·rate per active user b; headroom z% gives A·b·(100+z)/100. N is a positive safe integer, c is 0–100% and z≥0. A may be a fractional expectation rather than an observed headcount. At c=0 bandwidth is zero. All rates refer to the same selected transfer direction.
Example
50 users at 5 Mbit/s each is 250 Mbit/s raw, or 300 Mbit/s with 20 percent headroom.
Fields and units
- Total users — users
- Rate per active user — Mbit/s
- Headroom — %
- Active at once — %
How to use
- — Enter how many users the link serves.
- — Enter the bandwidth each one needs.
- — Set the share active at once and the headroom.
Method and limitations
- Calculation method
- Formula and logic
- Limitation
- Scenario estimate of mean demand, not a peak-capacity guarantee. Latency, loss, protocols and other traffic are not modelled beyond the supplied assumptions.
FAQ
Should I count all users or only active ones?
Both, separately. Enter the total and set the share active at once — a hundred seats rarely stream simultaneously.
Where does the headroom percentage go?
It is added on top of the raw figure. Nothing else is applied behind it, because real protocol overhead varies too much to guess on your behalf.
How much headroom is sensible?
That depends on how bursty the traffic is. The field exists so the assumption stays yours and stays visible.
Why megabits and not megabytes?
Links are sold in bits per second. The result also shows megabytes per second for comparison with download speeds.