A router that does not cut the speed over Wi-Fi and gives 100 Mbps and more

I decided to write an article and express my opinion and some observations about routers that do not cut the speed, and provide a stable 100 Mbit / s over the Wi-Fi network, or the speed that is declared at the rate of the Internet provider. A very controversial, controversial and popular topic. After all, everyone who chooses a router is basically looking for a model that does not cut the speed. Or that "breaks through the walls". But this is already from another opera 🙂

The background is very simple. Most likely you yourself, from your own experience, were convinced and saw how routers cut speed. Or somewhere on the Internet, perhaps in the reviews for a particular router, they read a comment about how a "cheated" client used the Internet at the maximum (according to the provider's tariff) speed, and then bought this damned router, set it up, and the connection speed dropped several times. Perhaps, through the cable from the router, it still receives almost the maximum speed (for example, 100 Mbit / s), but over Wi-Fi, it's complete horror. The speed dropped to 50, 20, 10 Mbps or even less.

Almost everyone who connects their devices to the Internet via a Wi-Fi network encounters this "problem". Yes, the Wi-Fi connection speed drops. How much depends on many factors, which I will discuss in this article. The router is not always the only culprit. And most importantly, there is no router that would not cut the speed over Wi-Fi. It's just that some cut less, some more. Under different conditions and external factors.

Why did I write 100 Mbps in the title? Because this is the most popular tariff, which is most often connected in cities. Yes, there is a lower rate. In this case, you may not even notice the drop in speed after installing the router. For example, if your provider gives up to 20 Mbps. But there are tariffs with speeds up to 200 Mbps, 500 Mbps or even more. In this case, the loss in speed of the Internet connection after installing the router can be very large. Here, of course, a lot depends on the router you choose.

Why is the speed lower than the one stated on the box with the router and in the specifications?

But why? Why is it written on the box with the router N150, N300, N450, or even N600 and higher, and my Internet speed is so low? About this issue very often suffer from support workers of online stores, router manufacturers, or innocent consultants in stores 🙂

Now I will explain, and already we will close the topic with these numbers, which are indicated on the box, or in the characteristics of the router. Also, many see the "Speed" item in the connection properties on a computer or mobile device, and do not understand why the data is so different.

Each router has a specific Wi-Fi network speed index. This is one of the main indicators and criteria when choosing a router. If we consider routers that operate only in the 2.4 GHz range, then the speed there is from 150 Mbit / s, and like up to 600 Mbit / s (4 antennas). If we consider dual-band routers supporting 5 GHz, then the speed there will be higher.

So, all these figures, up to 150Mbps, up to 300Mbps, are the maximum theoretically possible wireless network speed that this router can give out under ideal conditions and only in theory. In some article I already wrote that these numbers have nothing to do with real speed, since it depends on many factors.

Do not forget that internet speed primarily depends on your ISP. From the tariff. Therefore, before complaining about a slow connection through the router, connect the Internet (cable from the provider) directly to the computer and check the connection speed. Then you have data that you can navigate by.

The speed also depends on the device itself that you connect to the Wi-Fi router. From the signal strength of the wireless network, from interference, and to some extent from the wireless network settings.

What causes the speed drop through a Wi-Fi router?

Now about the most important thing. Why is the speed directly the same as declared by the provider, the cable from the router is the same, or slightly lower, but the speed sags over Wi-Fi? Sometimes even very strong.

Here, as it were, and without complicated proceedings, everything is clear. The cable is a cable. According to it, our Internet "flies" on the devices strictly according to the assigned route, and does not spray around the room, apartment, etc., as is the case with Wi-Fi.

Let's take a closer look, and consider the main factors due to which the speed of the wireless connection drops.

• Let me tell you a little secret. A router is like a small computer. It has a main board, processor, RAM, read-only memory, wireless module. As in the case of a computer, the performance of a router depends on the amount of memory, processor performance and the quality of these elements. The more memory, the more powerful the processor and wireless module, the faster the router can process data. And the speed of the Internet and the stability of work, even with loads, directly depend on this. It often happens that the speed seems to be good, but as soon as the load on the router appears, it immediately sags. All this is due to the weak and not very high quality hardware, which is most often installed in budget models.
• If our computer runs on Windows, then the router also runs on its operating system. Simply put - the firmware. And a lot also depends on the firmware. If the software part is done badly, then even powerful hardware will not save you. And if the firmware with many errors, raw and unfinished, then because of this, the connection speed may also suffer. Always update the firmware on your router. This does not always give a positive effect, but it happens that the router starts to work better and faster. You need to update the firmware!
• Each provider uses a specific type of internet connection. If you configured the router yourself, then most likely you understand what I mean. So, Dynamic IP (DHCP) and Static IP are the simplest and lightest protocols. With them, the router will cut the speed the least. If the connection is PPPoE, then here it is already more difficult, the router will spend its resources for connecting via this protocol and the speed will drop. And in the case of PPPTP, the speed will drop even more.
  
  So it is better to choose a provider that issues addresses automatically, or requires you to register them manually, but without authorization by username and password.
• Wi-Fi client. Simply put, the device that you connect to the router. For example, when measuring the speed from a laptop (via Wi-Fi), it can be 15 Mbps, and from a phone - 70 Mbps. Or vice versa. Why is that? Quite simply, the speed is limited by the slowest device on the network. And if the router even gives 100 Mbit / s, and the module in a laptop or other device has a limit of 24 Mbit / s (this is the maximum real speed for 802.11g), then we will get this speed. Outdated Wi-Fi module, lack of support for new standards and technologies, outdated software (drivers) - all this directly affects the speed of the Internet connection. And the router, as you know, has nothing to do with it.
• Other external factors. For example, the worse the signal strength on your device, the slower the connection may be. Each Wi-Fi network operates in a specific range and on a specific channel. And when there are many of these networks around, they begin to intersect and interfere with each other. I would also add here interference from various household appliances, obstacles in the form of metal in the walls, etc.
• Router settings. From the factory, by default, the router is configured in such a way as to ensure maximum compatibility with different devices. Including with the old ones, which you may not have. For example, the network operating mode is set to auto mode (b / g / n). And the channel width is 20/40 MHz. But, if you do not have old devices that only support wireless g mode, then it makes sense to switch the router to n (only n) mode, and the channel width to 40 MHz.
  Perhaps the speed of the Wi-Fi network will increase decently. All these settings can be changed in the web-based interface of the router, in the section with the wireless network settings. I wrote about this in the article How to increase the speed of the Internet over Wi-Fi through a router.

We figured out the reasons, as if I did not miss anything.

What kind of router is needed to get the maximum speed over a Wi-Fi network?

To get the maximum speed over Wi-Fi, we need a modern, powerful (and therefore not the cheapest) router. New device (laptop, PC with Wi-Fi adapter, phone, tablet, TV) with a modern Wi-Fi module. And preferably a provider with a Static IP connection protocol, or Dynamic IP.

If we are talking about modern, wireless network equipment, then of course, there must be support for the 5 GHz band and the 802.11ac standard. This support should be both in the router and in the device itself that we connect to the Wi-Fi network. That is, the router must be dual-band. You can read more in this article.

Not only is the Wi-Fi network speed much higher according to the 802.11ac standard (the maximum, theoretically possible up to 6.77 Gbps) compared to the currently most popular 802.11n, but also in the 5 GHz range (and 802.11ac works only in this range) there is practically no interference.

802.11ac routers are now available. There are so many models on the market. The only drawback is that the coverage of the Wi-Fi network in the 5 GHz range is slightly less than in the 2.4 GHz range. This is really so, I have already seen this. Not critical, but the signal is weaker.

Some important points:

• Dual-band routers distribute two Wi-Fi networks. At 5 GHz and 2.4 GHz. So those devices that do not have support for the new standard will connect in the 2.4 GHz band. If necessary, you can disable unnecessary network.
• If you want to squeeze out the maximum speed through a Wi-FI router, then don't buy budget models. The more expensive the router, the better the hardware installed in it. This means more performance and speed.
• Do not forget about the restrictions on WAN and LAN ports.
• For maximum speed, update your router's firmware and experiment with Wi-Fi settings. Operating mode, channel, channel width.
• Do not forget that the speed of a Wi-Fi connection also directly depends on the quality, performance and characteristics of the Wi-Fi module of the device on which we measure the speed. You can take measurements on different devices, and you will see that the speed will most likely be different.

You can find more tips on choosing a router in the article which Wi-Fi router is better to buy for a house or apartment.

Conclusions

Any router will cut the speed over a Wi-Fi network. The only question is how strong. But how much the speed will drop depends primarily on the power of the router, support for new standards, on the parameters of the Wi-Fi receiver in the device, on the provider (type of connection and rate according to the tariff), interference, signal strength, etc.

If you are just choosing a router, then I definitely advise you to buy a dual-band one. With support for the new 802.11ac standard. And preferably with gigabit ports. Chances are, your new mobile devices already support 802.11ac. If everything works well, you can buy ac-compatible USB adapters for PCs and even laptops. I would also advise you not to save on the router. It is better to take a good, modern and powerful model, which will be relevant for many years to come, than to change the router in a year, and spit at low speed all this year.

It is clear that everything here is individual, and a lot depends on the tasks that the router must cope with. But in this article we are talking about choosing a router that can provide maximum performance and minimum loss in speed.

You can leave questions in the comments, and share your thoughts on this matter. Also write what kind of router you have, what tariff, and what speed over Wi-Fi. Maybe you somehow managed to speed up your Wi-Fi and would like to share some useful advice.

Just one request, do not ask me which model to buy. It's up to you to choose. And how to choose, I wrote above.

Watch the video: How to Increase WiFi Speed up to 100mbps. WiFi Adapter Issue Solved. Lenovo Wifi Issue Solved (May 2024).