Internet speed via Wi-Fi is a topic that has always been discussed, and will be discussed on various forums, in comments, etc. Very often they ask questions like: “why is the speed via Wi-Fi lower than via cable,” “ why is the speed through the router less”, “how to increase the Internet speed via Wi-Fi”, etc. Why does this even happen, where do these questions come from? I'll explain now.
There is Internet, which is connected directly to the computer. The provider promises speeds of, for example, 100 Mbit/s. When checking, the speed may be a little lower, but something like that. We buy a router, install it, and of course check the speed, because we read somewhere that the router slows down the speed. We check from the router via cable, it seems normal, the speed has not dropped much. We check when connecting via Wi-Fi and see that the speed is two or even more times lower than when connecting via cable. For example, on Wi-Fi, out of 100 Mbit/s that the provider provides, there are only 50 Mbit/s left, 40, or even less. It is clear that this does not suit us, and we are starting to look for a solution. And in search of a solution, we go to pages like this one.
If you want to see specific tips on the topic of increasing speed over Wi-Fi, then I will write about this a little later, in a separate article. But, I want to say right away that the tips that I will write about, and which can already be found on the Internet, as a rule, do not give any results in terms of increasing speed. Although, it depends on individual cases. And in this article I just want to tell you why it happens that when connected via a router, the Internet speed is lower than, for example, via cable.
Why does my Wi-Fi router slow down?
Every router slows down the speed. Some less, some more. As a rule, this depends on the price of the router itself. The more expensive it is, the more powerful it is, and the more powerful it is, the less speed will be reduced. Now I'm talking specifically about connecting via Wi-Fi. If the cable speed through the router is lower, then, as a rule, this is not critical. But over a wireless network, there are significant losses in speed.
Many are still interested in the numbers that are indicated on the box with the router, or in the specifications. There you can see speed information. For example: up to 150 Mbit/s, or 300 Mbit/s. And here the questions arise again: “why does my router support 300 Mbit/s, but my speed is 50 Mbit/s?” So, the manufacturer indicates the maximum speed , which under normal conditions would never be obtained. The speed will always be much lower. And from the 300 Mbit/s that is written on the router, we often get speeds several times lower. But how much less the speed will be depends on the power of the router (mostly), and on a number of other factors, which I will now talk about.
Also, we must not forget that in addition to the router, we also have a Wi-Fi receiver in our network, in our laptop, tablet, smartphone, or. Which also supports different standards, and the speed at which it operates may be lower than what the router can produce. Speed is always determined by the slowest device on the network. For example: the router produces a theoretical 300 Mbit/s. But the adapter that receives the signal can operate at a maximum speed of 150 Mbit/s. And we already get a limit of 150 Mbit/s, since this device is the slowest on the network. Well, I will delve further into these nuances, I just wanted to explain why the speed suffers so much when connecting via a Wi-Fi network.
What determines the speed of a Wi-Fi network, and how to get maximum speed?
As promised, I will write in more detail about ways to increase speed in a separate instruction. And now, I will list the main reasons that affect the speed of a Wi-Fi network:
- Wi-Fi router. Network standards (802.11b, 802.11g, 802.11n, 802.11ac) which it supports, what technologies it uses, and the power of the hardware itself. Typically, the more expensive the router, the higher the wireless speed.
- Router software and Wi-Fi receiver on your computer. Very often, by updating the router firmware or adapter drivers on the computer, the speed becomes faster.
- Interference. Interference can come from other neighboring Wi-Fi networks (mostly) and from household appliances.
- Wi-Fi network power. It’s not news that near the router, where the signal is maximum, the speed will be higher than in another room, where the network signal is no longer so stable.
- The number of connected devices to your network. If one device is connected to your router, then it will receive all the speed that the router can provide. If we connect another device and start downloading something on it, then the speed will be divided by 2, and so on. In addition, all connected devices create a load on the router’s hardware, which leads to a drop in speed.
- The type of internet connection your ISP uses. The fact is that if your provider uses the connection type Dynamic IP or Static IP, then the router will reduce speed less than with a PPPoE, L2TP and PPTP connection.
- Router settings. Correctly setting up network protection, choosing the network operating mode and channel width, as well as changing the channel can slightly increase the speed.
How to organize a Wi-Fi network so that the loss of speed is minimal?
Regarding the Internet provider: if you have not yet connected to the Internet, and if possible, then choose a provider that uses Dynamic IP or Static IP connection technology. This will make it easier for the router, and setting up such a connection is much easier.
Selecting a router: if you want minimal loss of speed, you will have to spend money on a router. I advise you to buy a router that can operate at the frequency 5GHz(GHz), and support . The 5GHz frequency is now practically free, which means that there will not be much interference there. After all, basically, so far all Wi-Fi networks operate at a frequency of 2.4 GHz. And the new standard 802.11ac, even in comparison with the currently most popular 802.11n, allows you to transmit information at a speed of as much as 6.77 Gbit/s. This is of course in theory, with special equipment.
Devices you will connect to the network: as I wrote above, the speed also depends on the network clients. It is advisable that your devices are new, supporting the modern 802.11ac standard, or at least 802.11n. If this is a computer, then update the driver of your Wi-Fi adapter. I wrote about this in.
Check your Internet speed, share the results in the comments, and tell us if your router slows down the speed too much. Best wishes!
300 Mbit/s two spatial streams and a 40 MHz channel for reception and transmission. The actual transmission speed of a wireless network depends on the features and settings of the client equipment, the number of clients on the network, obstacles in the signal path, and the presence of other wireless networks and radio interference in the same range.
150 Mbit/s - maximum speed at the physical level according to the IEEE 802.11n standard when connected to adapters using one spatial stream and 40 MHz channel for reception and transmission.
Let's start with the fact that many users incorrectly focus on the connection speed in megabits per second (Mbps), which is displayed in the line Speed (Speed) on the tab Are common (General) in the window State (Status) of the wireless connection in the Windows operating system.
Users mistakenly think that this value shows the actual throughput of a particular network connection. This figure is displayed by the wireless adapter driver and shows what connection speed at the physical level is currently used within the selected standard, that is, the operating system reports only the current (instantaneous) physical connection speed of 300 Mbit/s, but the actual transmission bandwidth of the connection data can range from 50 to 140 Mbit/s, depending on the settings of the access point supporting 802.11n, the number of client wireless adapters simultaneously connected to it, and other factors.
The difference between the connection speed that is displayed in Windows and the actual performance is primarily due to the large amount of overhead, network packet loss in the wireless environment, and retransmission costs.
To get a more or less reliable value of the actual data transfer speed on a wireless network, you can use one of the following methods:
- Network administrators can recommend the program (cross-platform console client-server program) or (graphical shell of the Iperf console program).
Run a copy of a large file in Windows and then calculate the speed at which the file was transferred using the file size and transfer time (Windows 7 calculates a fairly reliable speed for a long copy in the additional information window).
We draw your attention to the following:
The technical specifications of devices indicate the connection speed in Megabits per second (Mbit/s), and in user programs (Internet browsers, download managers, p2p clients) the data transfer speed when downloading files (download speed) is displayed in Kilobytes or Megabytes per second (KB/s, KB/s or MB/s, MB/s). These quantities are often confused.
To convert Megabytes to Megabits, you need to multiply the value in Megabytes by 8. For example, if the Internet browser shows a speed of 4 MB/s when downloading files, then to convert to Megabits you need to multiply this value by 8: 4 MB/s * 8 = 32 Mbit/s.
To convert from Megabits to Megabytes, you need to divide the value in Megabits by 8.
But let's return to Wi-Fi connection speed.
In real-world conditions, the throughput and coverage of a wireless network are affected by interference from other devices, obstacles, and other factors. We recommend that you familiarize yourself with: "What affects the operation of Wi-Fi wireless networks? What can be a source of interference and what are their possible causes?"
As we wrote above, in the Windows operating system, as well as in the utilities supplied with the wireless adapter, when connecting, it is not the actual data transfer speed that is displayed, but the theoretical speed. The actual data transfer speed is approximately 3 times lower than that indicated in the specifications for the device.
The fact is that at any given time an access point (an Internet center with an active access point) works with only one client Wi-Fi adapter from the entire Wi-Fi network. Data transmission occurs in half-duplex mode, i.e. one by one - from the access point to the client adapter, then vice versa, and so on. Simultaneous, parallel data transmission (duplex) is not possible in Wi-Fi technology.
If there are two clients in the Wi-Fi network, then the access point will need to switch twice as often as if there was only one client, because Wi-Fi technology uses half-duplex data transmission. Accordingly, the actual data transfer speed between two adapters will be two times lower than the maximum actual speed for one client (we are talking about data transfer from one computer to another via an access point over a Wi-Fi connection).
Depending on the distance of the Wi-Fi network client from the access point or the presence of various interferences and obstacles, the theoretical and, as a result, the actual data transfer speed will change. Together with wireless adapters, the access point changes the signal parameters depending on the radio conditions (distance, presence of obstacles and interference, radio noise and other factors).
Let's give an example. The transfer speed between two laptops connected directly via Wi-Fi is ~10 MB/s (one of the adapters operates in access point mode and the other in client mode), and the data transfer speed between the same laptops, but connected via an Internet center Keenetic, is ~4 MB/s. That's how it should be. The speed between two devices connected via a Wi-Fi access point will always be at least 2 times less than the speed between the same devices connected directly to each other, because... There is only one frequency band and the adapters will be able to communicate with the access point only one at a time.
Let's consider another example, when a wireless Wi-Fi network was created in the Keenetic Lite Internet center with support for the IEEE 802.11n standard with a possible theoretical maximum speed of up to 150 Mbit/s. A laptop with a Wi-Fi adapter of the IEEE 802.11n standard (300 Mbit/s) and a desktop computer with a Wi-Fi adapter of the IEEE 802.11g standard (54 Mbit/s) are connected to the Internet center.
In this example, the entire network has a maximum theoretical speed of 150 Mbps, because it is built on an Internet center with an IEEE 802.11n 150 Mbit/s access point. The maximum real Wi-Fi speed will not exceed 50 Mbit/s. Since all Wi-Fi standards operating on the same frequency range are backward compatible with each other, you can connect to such a network using a Wi-Fi adapter standard IEEE 802.11g, 54 Mbit/s. In this case, the maximum real speed will not exceed 20 Mbit/s.
The speed through the router is “not the same”, the router “cuts” the speed.
Often, after purchasing a router, connecting it and setting it up, users are faced with the problem that the Internet connection speed has become lower than before purchasing the router. This problem occurs especially often on high-speed Internet plans.
For example, if you have a tariff plan that provides “Internet connection speed” of 100 Mbit/s, and when you connect the provider’s cable “directly” to the computer’s network card, the Internet speed fully corresponds to the tariff plan:
When you connect the provider's cable to the WAN port of the router, and the computer to the LAN port, you can often observe a decrease in throughput (or, as they say, “the router cuts the speed of the tariff plan”):
It is most logical to assume that in this scheme the problem is in the router itself and the speed of the router does not correspond to the speed of the tariff plan. However, if you connect to a “slower” tariff plan (for example, 50 Mbit/s), you will notice that the router no longer cuts the speed and the “Internet speed” corresponds to that specified in the tariff plan:
Among engineers, the terminology “router cuts speed” or “router speed” is not accepted - they usually use the terms “WAN-LAN routing speed”, “WAN-LAN switching speed”, or “WAN-LAN throughput”.
WAN-LAN throughput is measured in Megabits per second (Mbps) and is responsible for the performance of the router. The speed of WAN-LAN switching and the performance of the router as a whole is determined by the hardware of the router (H/W - from the English “Hardware”, indicated on a sticker that is pasted on the bottom of the device) - this is the model and clock frequency of the router processor, the amount of RAM memory, switch model (switch built into the router), standard and model of the Wi-Fi radio module (Wi-Fi access point) built into the router. In addition to the hardware version of the device (H/W), the version of the installed firmware installed on the router plays a significant role in the speed of WAN-LAN routing. That is why it is recommended to update the device’s firmware version immediately after purchase (see “How to “reflash” a router?”).
After “reflashing” or, professionally speaking, after updating the firmware to the recommended firmware version, the stability of the router, the level of optimization of the device for working in the networks of Russian providers, as well as WAN-LAN throughput should increase.
It is worth noting that the WAN-LAN switching speed depends not only on the device’s hardware version (H/W) and firmware version, but also on the connection protocol to the provider. In order to find out how to determine the type and protocol of connection to the provider, you can follow this link.
The highest WAN-LAN routing speed is achieved using the DHCP and Static IP connection protocols, the lowest when the provider uses VPN technology, and the lowest if the PPTP protocol is used.
WiFi speed.
Many users who connect to any Wi-Fi network are not always satisfied with the connection speed. The issue is quite complex and requires detailed consideration.
Real speeds of Wi-FI technology.
This is what frequently asked questions on this topic look like:
“My tariff plan provides a speed of 50 Mbit/s - why is it only 20?”
“Why does the box say 54 Mbit/s, but the client program displays a maximum of 2.5 MB/s (which is equal to 20 Mbit/s) when downloading a torrent?”
“Why does the box say 150 Mbit/s, but the client program displays 2.5 - 6 MB/s (which is equal to 20 - 48 Mbit/s) when downloading a torrent?”
“Why does the box say 300 Mbit/s, but the client program displays 2.5 - 12 MB/s (which is equal to 20 - 96 Mbit/s) when downloading a torrent?”
The boxes and specifications for the devices indicate the theoretically calculated maximum throughput for ideal conditions of a particular Wi-Fi standard (essentially for a vacuum).
In real-world conditions, network throughput and coverage are dependent on interference from other devices, WiFi network load, the presence of obstacles (and the materials they are made of), and other factors.
Many client utilities supplied by manufacturers along with WiFi adapters, as well as utilities of the Windows operating system, display exactly the “theoretical” bandwidth when connecting via Wi-Fi, and not the actual data transfer speed, misleading users.
As the test results show, the maximum real throughput is approximately 3 times lower than that specified in the specifications for the device or for one or another IEEE 802.11 group standard (Wi-Fi technology standards):
WiFi Technology Standards Maximum Achievable Theoretically Designed Bandwidth
PC users who previously interacted directly with the provider via cable, when connecting the router, notice a loss of speed. The article answers the question - how to increase Internet speed via a Wi-Fi router.
Reasons for reducing speed
Obvious reasons:
- Poor location of the router. There are large metal or electrical obstacles in the signal path.
- Low power signal transmission device.
- The provider uses one of the connection types - PPPoE, L2TP, PPTP.
- Not installed or not updated driver for signal transmission and reception devices.
- Connected users cutting Internet speed in half.
Among the hidden reasons:
- Incorrect modem settings in the parameters of channel width, network operating mode, network security, and channel selection.
- Incompatibility of router and receiver equipment. The discrepancy between their capacities, resulting in asymmetry. In this case, fine tuning is required using device manufacturers' data shields to achieve a balance between speed and coverage.
- Setting up the transmission channel in adjacent rooms (if you do not have a reflector).
Speed increase
Let's consider options that will help increase the speed of your Internet connection.
The more advanced the technology, the better the equipment works. In 2009, a new wireless communication technology was developed that supports channel speeds of up to 300Mbit/s. This is 3 times higher than the 802.11g standard. Therefore, all wireless devices are transferred to this standard (the diversity of standards leads to a decrease in speed).
WPA2-PSK security standards
Encryption itself reduces transmission speed. But it’s impossible without him. Data protection is the basis for device performance. The challenge is to choose the right encryption type in the router settings so as not to reduce performance.
For standards-compatible receiver and transmitter, choose WPA2-PSK with AES encryption. On older versions, you will have to select the TKIP cipher.
Wi-Fi MiltiMedia
To ensure speeds greater than 54 Mbit/s, you need to enable WMM in the router settings (if such a function is available on the router).
Enable WMM on the receiving device too.
Channel width 20 MHz
By default, the 802.11n standard sets the channel width to 40 MHz. It is better to define a width of 20 MHz. The reason is that if there are routers in the neighborhood, it is impossible to maintain the 5 GHz mode, in which a channel with a width of 40 MHz will work well.
There will always be interference that will force the router into 2.4 GHz mode, which will reduce performance. It is better to immediately set the width to 20 MHz.
Installing drivers for Wi-Fi
On devices connected to the Internet - tablets, laptops, desktop PCs and other gadgets - a signal receiver (adapter) driver must be installed. If it is installed, you need to update the firmware from the manufacturer's website.
New driver versions optimize the operation of individual device elements and eliminate the shortcomings of previous versions. An incorrectly installed driver is often the main reason for slow speed or lack of communication.
The driver needs to be updated for both the receiver and the signal transmitter.
Elimination of influence of external factors
It is impossible to completely exclude such influence. But this can be done as much as possible.
- The router must be placed at a minimum distance from all receiver devices.
- An ideal placement option when there are no obstacles in the way of large metal objects or electrical communications.
- Avoid placing it on a window so as not to pick up neighbor interference and not become a source of broadcast interference yourself.
Checking the connection speed with the router
There are several ways to find out the performance of your wireless connection:
After the manipulations, the following result was obtained via a Wi-Fi connection. The receiving speed has increased by 6 Mbit/s.
Limiting the speed of connected devices
If one of the network users constantly loads the channel and does not allow others to work comfortably, the administrator performs the task of limiting the speed of this user, either equalizing the speed for everyone, or setting each user a certain speed.
This can be done through the modem settings:
Questions have arisen! Please indicate what the problem is so that we can help.
How to increase Internet speed through a wifi router if providers promise users high Internet speed under any conditions and often this promise is not realized in practice?
Sometimes users themselves incorrectly determine the speed of a wifi router. Internet speed is the amount of data transferred per second of time (measured in kilobits or megabits per second).
In browsers and other programs, the speed of uploading or downloading files is measured in kilobytes or megabytes per second. These two concepts should not be confused.
Possible reasons for low Internet speed
Internet speed may decrease due to the following reasons:
- the device is too far from the router;
- low bandwidth wifi router;
- the network is simultaneously used by several devices that consume a large amount of traffic;
- software problems in the router;
Before you start troubleshooting the problem, you should test the speed of the Internet using online services. During testing, disable third-party browser tabs and programs that may interfere with the speed test. Some popular services:
Updating router drivers
Updating all router drivers can help increase the speed. The installed driver may not be compatible with the operating system version.
Open Device Manager (a system utility that displays all connected devices) and select the Network Adapters tab. Find your wifi adapter in the list and, by right-clicking, select the “update” menu item.
The drivers will be downloaded and installed in the background in one to two minutes.
Advice! After updating the drivers, be sure to restart your computer and router.
Changing the network operating mode
The router operating modes are responsible for its throughput on a specific device. There are modes that can increase the speed of the router by improving the QoS level.
To change the operating mode, go to the device manager and right-click on the wifi adapter. Select the properties item. The “advanced” tab lists all possible operating modes of the router through which you can increase its performance.
WiFi adapter
To ensure the fastest possible internet speed, select WMM, Preamble or Power Output mode. These modes can only be used by a certified router, otherwise connecting to the Internet will be impossible.
You can increase or decrease the speed of Wi-Fi at any time by changing the operating mode.
The impact of security standards on Internet speed
Router security standard is a technology with which all data that passes through wifi is encrypted and transmitted.
The more complex the protection mode, the correspondingly lower the speed of the Internet, because it takes more time to encrypt/decrypt packets (incoming and outgoing network data).
If you want to maximize the speed of your router, disable all security standards. However, there will then be a risk that unauthorized users may penetrate your network.
For the optimal security-speed ratio, choose WPA security. You can change the protection level through the router settings.
Router firmware
If the above methods do not help increase Internet speed and the router periodically turns off spontaneously, you should reflash it. Contact any service center that specializes in servicing wifi routers.
Installing the firmware yourself may cause problems with the device. To find out which software version you need to update to, turn your device over and look at the current firmware version, as shown in the image:
For example, in the figure, the router software version is 7.2, which means it needs to be updated to version 7.
Other ways to increase internet speed
There are also other ways that will help increase the wifi speed on your personal computer or laptop.
- Increasing channel width. You can change this parameter in the router settings window. The recommended channel width for an uninterrupted and fast Internet connection is 20 Megahertz. You can also increase the channel width;
- Transmitter power control. This parameter is also set in the router settings. The recommended value is 75.
A video that will tell you how to apply all the above methods of increasing Internet speed in practice:
How to increase the speed of your WiFi router and Internet? Speed up wifi
The speed of a WiFi router is the main problem when creating a wireless network. We often hear from viewers that the router slows down the speed, which is why their Internet speed is low.
Internet speed via wifi is another question that you will probably have if you have carefully read previous articles on my blog and have already installed wireless Internet at home. Surely many have already noticed that you have low wifi speed connection - often much lower than it was when connecting via cable and than indicated in the tariff plan. Also, probably at least half of those reading this article have encountered the riddle that the box of the router, access point or adapter indicates support for 100 or even 300 Megabits per second, but the actual Internet speed over WiFi and local network is much lower. Let's find out why router slows down internet speed and how to increase it!
The speed of a wifi connection, like the Internet in general, is measured in kilobits or megabits per second. They are designated by the following abbreviations: Kbit/s, Kb/s, Kb/s, Kbps, Mbit/s, Mb/s, Mb/s, Mbps. Do not confuse them with another speed measurement - kiloBYTES and megaBYTES per second - this is not the speed of the Internet, but the speed of data transfer by the program. Most often it is displayed in utilities such as ftp or torrent clients. They are designated very similarly, but the letter “B” (“B”) is large here: KB/s, KB/s, KB/s, KBp, MB/s, MB/s, MB/s or MBps. Their ratio is as follows:
1 byte = 8 bits
Accordingly, if the ftp client displays a data transfer speed of 5 megabytes per second, then multiply this number by 8 and get an Internet speed of 40 megabits per second.
Now let's define what we mean by the concept of “router speed”. There are actually two characteristics:
- Speed of working with the Internet, that is, from WAN port to LAN port.
- Speed of operation between two devices within the same local network, that is, WLAN-WLAN
How to measure the speed of a wifi router when using the Internet?
To measure Internet speed via wifi, it is not necessary to launch programs and perform mathematical operations. There are online services that will help you do this automatically. We will use the most popular site SpeedTest.net.
Click on the “Begin Test” button and wait for the system to test. Here's the result:
It turns out that my downstream speed is 33.56 Mbit/s, and my downstream speed is 49.49 Mbit/s. This measured the speed of the wifi connection to the Internet, and not the speed of the wifi router connection via cable. Now we disconnect from wifi, connect the PC to the router via cable and take the same measurements. If it turns out that the cable speed is higher than the speed of the wifi connection, then read the article further.
Scientific experiment - measuring the speed of a wifi connection
Theory is theory, but let's evaluate in practice how different the speed readings for receiving and sending data are for different types of connection.
As we can see, the highest speed is obtained when the cable is connected directly to the computer - 41 Mbit/s for reception.
A little less - when the Internet is via cable, but through a router - 33 Mbit/s for reception
And even less - via wifi: 26 Mbit/s
From this we can conclude that the router reduces the speed for objective reasons, which we will now look into.
Router slows down wifi speed
So, if your wifi speed is low, then the router is cutting the speed. Scientifically, this is called WAN-LAN throughput or routing speed. This parameter is responsible for the filling of the device, the parameters of which are usually indicated on a sticker on the bottom and are designated as H.W. - HardWare. If they do not correspond to your tariff plan, then you need to change the device to a more powerful one with more bandwidth.
Also, the speed of the Internet via wifi depends on the type of connection to the provider. In decreasing order they look like this: DHCP and Static IP - VPN - PPTP.
It turns out that if the device box indicates a Wi-Fi data transfer speed of up to 300 Mbit/s, and the WAN-LAN parameter for this model in combination with the type and protocol of connection to the provider is equal to 24 Mbit/s, then the speed of the Internet connection cannot exceed 24, but in reality it will most likely be less.
But the reason may not only be in the router - the hardware and software of the wifi adapter on the computer receiving the signal must also have the appropriate parameters.
You should also take into account that the technical specifications indicated in the instructions and on the stickers are designed for ideal operating conditions - with a minimum distance from the router to the device, in the absence of third-party interference, signal-absorbing materials and with minimal network load. That is, if you have a Navy communications center near your house, the router is in the next room behind a reinforced concrete wall, and at the same time your sister downloads all the episodes of “Interns” via torrent, then it is quite logical to assume that your wifi Internet speed will be much lower than indicated on the box and in the tariff plan and you will not be able to enjoy playing Counter Strike. In practice, the actual speed of a wifi connection is two to three times less than indicated in the specification.
WiFi speed via router
In nature, there are several standards for wireless data transmission technology via wifi. Below is a table that compares theoretical and practical speeds:
| Standard | Speed in theory in Mbit/s | Speed in practice in Mbit/s |
|---|---|---|
| IEEE 802.11a | Up to 54 | Up to 24 |
| IEEE 802.11g | Up to 54 | Up to 24 |
| IEEE 802.11n | Up to 150* | Up to 50 |
| IEEE 802.11n | Up to 300** | Up to 100 |
* - for devices operating at a frequency of 40 MHz in 1 stream
** - for devices operating at a frequency of 40 MHz in 2 streams
Speed when working within a local network (WLAN-WLAN)
Many users may also note the fact that the router slows down the speed not only when accessing the Internet, but also exclusively when exchanging data within the local network.
The whole joke is that when several devices actually work simultaneously, the router actually works with each of them in turn. It turns out to be a kind of queue, which is why the speed is reduced - it becomes several times less than when the router works with only one client. And when exchanging data between two devices, for example, when you transfer files from one computer to another via LAN, it will be 2-3 times less than the total actual speed over the network.
Let's look at an example - we are transferring data between 2 computers - one with an 802.11g adapter (up to 54 Mbit/s), the other with 802.11n (up to 300 Mbit/s). The router also has 802.11n (up to 300 Mbit/s)
Regardless of what kind of sophisticated router you have, in theory, the maximum speed within the network, even in theory, will not be more than 54 Mbit/s - according to the maximum data of the slowest adapter. In practice, based on our table, this will be no more than 24 Mbit/s. As we found out, when working with several clients simultaneously, the router will interact with them one by one, that is, the actual speed will be 12 Mbit per second. When you move some distance away from the access point, it will fall even more.
At the same time, on a computer that has an “N” standard adapter, as a mockery, utilities for measuring speed can show theoretical data of 150 Mbit/s, which is actually the maximum possible for our router.
Many PC users, when determining speed, rely on the indicators displayed in the connection information
This is fundamentally wrong, since here in the “Speed” column the theoretical speed supported by the adapter is displayed. For real measurements, we will use the AIDA32 program, which has a benchmark for testing the speed between two devices on the network.
We get the following:
- via cables - 11217 Kilobytes per second.
- cable + WiFi - 9166 KB/s
- pure WiFi - 4303 KB/s
Here the units of measurement are slightly different - in the first part they were calculated in MEGABITS per second, and in the second in kiloBYTES per second. To convert the data from the second part to Mbit/s, we will use an online converter. We get 10.9, 8.9 and 4.2 respectively.
As you can see, with the connection of one, or even more so two adapters, the speed decreases significantly, and the amplitude between the highest and lowest speeds in the test increases, that is, the stability of data transmission decreases.
Who among you is the most observant was probably able to make one observation - despite the fact that in several measurements we used devices whose maximum speed should be up to 300 Megabits per second, in all tests the speed never exceeded 100 Mb/s.
This is due to the fact that the actual speed of Internet connections depends on the technical characteristics:
- Provider equipment
- A cable stretched to your computer or router
- WAN port of the router
- WiFi adapter or computer network card
- Internet tariff plan
It turns out that in order to achieve maximum performance of the entire system, it is necessary that each of its components maintain the declared speed. If you connect to a tariff with a maximum speed of more than 100 Mbit per second, then both the network card or wireless adapter, the router, and the cables with which you connect your PC to the router must support this speed, otherwise it will hit the ceiling, indicated by the slowest link.
For example, if the PC’s network card and router support a speed of 1 Gbit/s, and the connection goes through a simple patch cord, which is found on the shelf of any store, then up to a speed of 1000 Mbit per second. you will be very, very far away.
In most cases, we use “Fast Ethernet” cables (category 5), the speed of which is limited to 100 Megabits per second - when connected to a tariff from a provider that supports operation at this speed. This is exactly the cable that I have - that’s why a high-quality 150 Mbit/s adapter performed just as well as a more advanced 300.
That is, the maximum task for any wireless equipment is to get closer to the reference speed that is provided by a cable connection. Which in turn is limited by the capabilities of the tariff and WAN ports of the router and computer.
Essentially, buying equipment that lists speeds above 150 makes sense if your ISP provides you with gigabit internet plans (Category 5e and 6 cables). But do you know how much it costs? Let's look at the tariff schedule of my provider:
For a theoretical speed above 100 - 1200 rubles per month - not too shabby, right? Are you ready to give that amount? Me not.
So in practical realities, the question of choosing a router and adapter is to ensure that the equipment best meets the characteristics declared by the manufacturer and brings us closer to the maximum speed for which the tariff plan of your Internet provider is designed.
In this case, you should pay attention not only to the bright, attractive speed characteristics indicated on the packaging of the equipment, but also to the specifications written in small print in the instructions. For example, with a declared high speed, the instructions very often indicate that the WAN port of the router only supports operation at speeds of up to 100 Mbit/s. This means that no matter how steep the tariff we pay, we will not achieve anything higher than this value.
To the credit of the devices we reviewed today, they showed their excellent quality and, in conditions close to ideal, were in no way inferior in their performance to connecting to the Internet via cables in accordance with their declared parameters.
Other factors influencing low WiFi speed through a router
As you know, wi-fi is a technology for transmitting data over radio channels. Therefore, the operation of other devices may have a strong influence and cause interference.
First of all, household appliances, as well as other wi-fi networks located around you and operating in the same frequency range. Now in nature there are two ranges - 2.4 and 5 GHz (gigahertz). 802.11b/g wireless networks operate in the 2.4 GHz band, 802.11a networks operate in the 5 GHz band, and 802.11n networks can operate in both.
5GHz (GHz) is a relatively new standard, so if you use it, you have a better chance of not being overwhelmed by other devices.
You need to plan the speed of your future WiFi network before purchasing devices that will work in it!
If you purchase a router that supports the 5GHz frequency and the latest standard with data transfer up to 300 Mb/s, but an adapter is installed on the computer that supports only 2.4 GHz and speeds up to 54 Mb/s, then this combination will work exactly at the maximum adapter characteristics. As they say, the speed of a squadron is equal to the speed of the slowest ship. Plus, also keep in mind that these values are maximum under ideal conditions - in reality everything will be slower.
Finally, several more sources of interference are Bluetooth, microwave ovens and baby monitors. They also operate at a frequency of 2.4 GHz, so it is not recommended to use a bluetooth headset, heat soup and connect to wifi at the same time.
Conclusion - how to increase wifi speed?
If you look closely at the technical characteristics of the router, you will notice that many models also have a LAN port speed that does not exceed 100 Mbit/s, so even if they claim 300 Mbps via WiFi, when connecting one of the devices via cable the speed will not exceed 100 .
If we talk about a purely wireless connection, here, in addition to the stated parameters of devices for supported wifi speed, such a concept as the “duplex” mode of operation of the router comes into play. That is, speaking in Russian, it processes the WiFi request from each client one by one, which is why a kind of queue of requests is formed, and the speed drops by at least 2-3 times compared to what it could have been during operation with only 1 computer. And this is under ideal conditions - in case of interference, distance from the access point and the influence of other external factors, it will be even lower.
From all that has been said, we can conclude: no matter how hard we try, in ideal reception conditions and in the presence of a router and adapter that support the same communication standards, in most cases we will not be able to achieve a speed of more than 100 Mbit/s - as our tests clearly showed . It only makes sense to buy high-speed equipment as a package (router + cable + adapter + network card) for ALL devices on the network and when connected to a gigabit tariff.
In order to increase the speed of your wifi connection you need to:
- Select a provider with a DHCP connection ()
- Use a router and adapter with maximum bandwidth that supports the IEEE 802.11 N or AC standard ()
- Use the router and adapter from the same company
- in such a place in the apartment that it is not covered by thick ceilings and is located far from sources of radio radiation, but as close as possible to the location of your devices. If the signal source is initially set incorrectly, then an article about it will help you.
- Keep in mind that if your home network is heavily loaded, the time it takes to open pages in your browser will increase. To improve performance, you can expand the channel from 20 to 40 MHz.
By following these rules, you will always have high speed wifi internet in your home. I wish you good luck, and for starters, an interesting video on how to increase wifi speed and range with a can of beer!
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