Live Converter
Convert Power Online
Enter your value above to convert watts to milliwatts or vice versa.
Real-World Examples
The Uses of Watts to Milliwatts Conversion
Overall device power budgets given in watts often need to be converted into milliwatts when specifying individual laser, RF, or optical signal components.
Translating Milliwatt Specs to Overall Device Power Budgets
Electronics designers who read a laser diode or RF radio's milliwatt rating convert it into watts to fit the component into a device's overall power budget calculation.
Scaling Optical Signal Measurements to System-Level Power
Telecom engineers who measure fiber-optic signal strength in milliwatts convert the figure into watts to compare against the overall power draw of amplifiers and other system components.
Checking RF Transmit Power Against Regulatory Limits
Product compliance engineers who verify a radio's milliwatt transmit power rating convert it into watts to document the figure alongside other device power specifications in a regulatory filing.
Quick Reference
Comprehensive Conversion Table
Our quick table gives you instant results, so you don't have to calculate these common values manually.
| Conversion | Formula | Result (mW) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 W to mW | 1 × 1000.0 | 1,000.00 mW |
| 2 W to mW | 2 × 1000.0 | 2,000.00 mW |
| 3 W to mW | 3 × 1000.0 | 3,000.00 mW |
| 5 W to mW | 5 × 1000.0 | 5,000.00 mW |
| 10 W to mW | 10 × 1000.0 | 10,000.00 mW |
| 20 W to mW | 20 × 1000.0 | 20,000.00 mW |
| 50 W to mW | 50 × 1000.0 | 50,000.00 mW |
| 100 W to mW | 100 × 1000.0 | 100,000.00 mW |
| 500 W to mW | 500 × 1000.0 | 500,000.00 mW |
Got Questions?
Frequently Asked Questions
What's a quick way to size up what 1 watt means in milliwatts?
It helps to know that 1 watt comes out to roughly 1,000 milliwatts, which puts the size of a single watt into perspective against the milliwatt.
How many watts make up 1 milliwatt?
It takes exactly 0.001 watts to equal 1 milliwatt, a ratio worth knowing when working at the laser pointer, Bluetooth and RF signal power ratings scale.
Why are lasers and RF signals rated in milliwatts?
Milliwatts give a precise, practical figure for small but meaningful power levels like laser output or wireless transmit power, where a full watt would be an impractically coarse unit.
How many milliwatts does it take to add up to 1 watt?
It takes exactly 1,000 milliwatts combined to equal a single watt, a ratio worth knowing when fitting a laser or RF component into an overall power budget.