How Fast is Wi-Fi Networking?

Question: How Fast is Wi-Fi Networking?

Answer: The speed of a Wi-Fi wireless network depends on several factors.

Theoretical vs. Actual Speed

First, wireless local area networks (WLANs) feature differing levels of performance depending on which Wi-Fi standard they support. Each Wi-Fi standard is rated according to its maximum theoretical network bandwidth:

• 802.11b offers up to 11 Mbps
• 802.11a and 802.11g WLANs offer up to 54 Mbps
• 802.11n offers up to 300 Mbps

The performance of Wi-Fi networks in practice never approaches these theoretical maximum. 802.11b networks, for example, generally operate no faster than about 50% of theoretical peak, around 5.5 Mbps. Likewise, 802.11a and 802.11g networks generally run no faster than 20 Mbps. And even though 802.11n rates at 300 Mbps compared to wired Fast Ethernet at 100 Mbps, the Ethernet connection can often outperform 802.11n Wi-Fi in real-world usage.

Limiting Factors of Wi-Fi Connections

The disparity between theoretical and practical performance of Wi-Fi comes from network protocol overhead, radio interference, physical obstructions on the line of sight between endpoints, and decreasing signal strength with distance. In addition, the more devices communicating on a WLAN simultaneously, the slower the network will appear.

A Wi-Fi network connection operates at the highest possible speed that both endpoints can support. An 802.11g laptop connected to an 802.11n router, for example, will network at the lower speeds of 'g'.

On home networks, the performance of an Internet connection is often the limiting factor in perceived network speed. Even though files can be shared within the home at speeds of 20 Mbps or more, wireless clients will still connect to the Internet at the speeds supported by Internet providers.

Wi-Fi performance continues to be improved with future generations of the technology. Speeds upwards of 1 Gbps (1000 Mbps) are expected with next-generation 802.11ac Wi-Fi.