Are "baud rate" and "bit rate" the same thing, is one the updated version of the other and/or are the two terms related?

Answer by  trigonometry (668)

Baud rate tells how many symbols are transmitted per second, bit rate tells how many bits. As long as a symbol represents a bit, they are the same.

Answer by  quisqualis (1756)

A long while ago, when modems were a new technology, bit rate and baud rate were exactly the same thing. Later on, a "baud" could represent two or more bits, so the two were no longer the same thing. Today, it is considered careless usage to use them interchangeably.