Baud

Updated: 10/01/2023 by Computer Hope
Wireless router transmitting a signal

Named after the French engineer Jean-Maurice-Emile Baudot, the first person to measure the speed of telegraph transmissions. Today, a Baud or Baudrate is the number of frequencies or voltages made per second on a line.

Common examples of Baudrate settings used today are 9600, 19200, 57600, and 115200.

Tip

A baud is not the same as bps (bits per second) or CPS (characters per second).

Scales of baud

A baud can be scaled using the standard metric prefixes, as shown below.

  • 1 kBd (kilobaud) = 1000 Bd
  • 1 MBd (megabaud) = 1000 kBd
  • 1 GBd (gigabaud) = 1000 MBd

BPS, Computer acronyms, Measurement, Modem terms, Serial communications