Internet speed via Wi-Fi, this is a topic that has always been discussed, and will be discussed in various forums, in the comments, etc. Very often they ask questions like: "why the speed on Wi-Fi is lower than on cable", " why the speed through the router is less "," how to increase the speed of the Internet via Wi-Fi ", etc. Why does this happen at all, where do these questions come from. I'll explain now.
There is an Internet that is directly connected to the computer. The provider promises a speed for example 100 Mbps. When checking, the speed may be slightly lower, but something like that. We buy a router, install it, and, of course, check the speed, because we read somewhere that the router cuts the speed. We check from the router via the cable, it seems normal, the speed has not dropped much. We check when connected via Wi-Fi and see that speed is two or even more times lower than when connected via cable... For example, over Wi-Fi, out of 100 Mbps, which the provider gives, there are 50 Mbps, 40, or even less left. It is clear that this does not suit us, and we start looking for a solution. And in search of a solution, we go to pages like this.
You can check the internet speed on the website http://www.speedtest.net/ru/... Nice, popular service. Read more here.
If you want to see specific tips on the topic of increasing the 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 this happens, that when connected via a router, the Internet speed is lower than, for example, via cable.
Why does Wi-Fi router cut speed?
Each router cuts speed. Some less, some more. As a rule, it depends on the price of the router itself. The more expensive it is, the more powerful, and the more powerful it is, it means less speed reduction. I'm talking about the Wi-Fi connection right now. If the speed over the cable through the router is less, then, as a rule, this is not critical. But on a wireless network, the loss in speed can be decent.
Many are still interested in the numbers that are indicated on the box with the router, or in the characteristics. There you can see information on speed. For instance: up to 150 Mbps, or300 Mbps... And here the questions arise again: "Why does my router support 300 Mbps, but my speed is 50 Mbps?" So, the manufacturer indicates the maximum speed, which under normal conditions can never be obtained. The speed will always be much lower. And since those 300 Mbps, which are written on the router, we often get the speed several times lower. But how much less the speed will already depend on the power of the router (mainly), and on a number of other factors, which I will now talk about.
Also, do not forget that in addition to the router, we also have a Wi-Fi receiver in our laptop, tablet, smartphone, or a USB / PCI adapter in a stationary computer. Which also supports different standards, and the speed at which it works may be lower than that which the router can give. The speed is always determined by the slowest device on the network. For example: the router gives out theoretical 300 Mbps. But the adapter that receives the signal can operate at a maximum speed of 150 Mbps. And we are already getting a limit of 150 Mbps, since this device is the slowest on the network. Well, I will go further into these nuances, I just wanted to explain why the speed suffers so much when connected via a Wi-Fi network.
What determines the speed of a Wi-Fi network, and how to get the 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) that it supports, what technologies it uses, and the power of the hardware itself. Generally, the more expensive the router is, the higher the wireless speed.
- Router software, and Wi-Fi receiver on your computer. Very often, with updating the firmware of the router, or the adapter drivers on the computer, the speed becomes faster.
- Interference. Interference can be 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 as stable.
- The number of devices connected to your network. If one device is connected to your router, then it will receive all the speed that the router can give. If we connect another device and start downloading something on it, then the speed will already be divided by 2, well, etc. 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 is using. The fact is that if your provider uses the Dynamic IP or Static IP connection type, then the router will cut the speed less than with PPPoE, L2TP and PPTP connections.
- Router settings. Correct configuration of network protection, selection of 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?
As for the internet provider: if you have not yet connected the Internet, and if possible, then select a provider that uses the Dynamic IP connection technology or Static IP. This will make it easier for the router, and it is much easier to set up such a connection.
Router selection: if you want a minimum loss of speed, you will have to spend money on a router. I advise buying a router that can operate at5GHz (GHz), and support for the new 802.11ac standard. The 5GHz frequency is now practically free, which means that there will not be much interference there. Basically, so far all Wi-Fi networks operate at 2.4GHz. And the new standard 802.11ac, even in comparison with the most popular at the moment 802.11n, allows information to be transmitted at a speed of as much as 6.77 Gbps. This is, of course, in theory, with special equipment.
Devices that you will connect to the network: as I wrote above, the speed also depends on the network clients. It is desirable that your devices are new, with support for the modern 802.11ac standard, or at least 802.11n. If it is a computer, then update the driver of your Wi-Fi adapter. I wrote about this in a separate article.
Check your internet speed, share the results in the comments, and tell me if your router cuts the speed a lot. Good luck!
