Baud rate
From The Glossary of Digital Photography
The speed at which symbols (or characters) can be sent. By convention, a baud is one symbol or one signaling event per second. Since baud rate does not tell how much information each symbol holds, it does not make clear how much data is being sent. As an example, if each symbol can represent only 1 bit, then a rate of 1,000 baud is equal to 1,000 bits per second. If, on the other hand, each symbol can represent 4 bits, then a rate of 1,000 baud is equal to 4,000 bits per second. At one time, computer modems were rated in baud, but now bits per second is used because it more accurately depicts the amount of data or information that is being translated.
