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What's the fastest bandwidth current WiFi can reach?

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    Please read How do I ask a good question? - "Have you thoroughly searched for an answer before asking your question? Sharing your research helps everyone. Tell us what you found and why it didn’t meet your needs. This demonstrates that you’ve taken the time to try to help yourself, it saves us from reiterating obvious answers, and above all, it helps you get a more specific and relevant answer!". A search for "wireless max bandwidth" gives the answer ... in the first link returned.
    – DavidPostill ♦
    Sep 26, 2015 at 9:44
  • Thank you. One of the recommendations for a good answer is that it is not a link to another website but contains the information in the post itself. When I typed the question I checked the top related questions that appeared when you write a new question. I didn't see the post you mentioned listed. If it was on Google I didn't check. Sometimes I do but today I visited about 10 websites that were no longer running. They were just gone. So if Stack Exchange doesn't have that information I'll ask the question here. I might get voted down but that's the reason.
    – 1.21 gigawatts
    Sep 26, 2015 at 12:53
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    You're welcome. I always check google first. The se search is rather limited by comparison, but if there is a relevent match it will also appear on a google search. When I said "A search for" above I meant a Google search.
    – DavidPostill ♦
    Sep 26, 2015 at 12:56
  • @1.21gigawatts: One thing to keep in mind is that questions and answers are intended to be enduring. Something like WiFi capabilities change on an ongoing basis, so answers to a question like this tend to be obsolete before the ink is dry. As written, it isn't a great question for SU. Can you refine the question, perhaps tie it to current versions that you specify in the question?
    – fixer1234
    Sep 26, 2015 at 20:24
  • Hi fixer. Good idea. I'll update the question
    – 1.21 gigawatts
    Sep 26, 2015 at 22:10

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What's the fastest bandwidth current WiFi can reach?

Below is a breakdown of the various 802.11 WiFi standards and their corresponding maximum speeds. Theoretical wireless speeds (combined upstream and downstream) are as follows:

  • 802.11b - 11 Mbps (2.4GHz)
  • 802.11a - 54 Mbps (5 GHz)
  • 802.11g - 54 Mbps (2.4GHz)
  • 802.11n - 600 Mbps (2.4GHz and 5 GHz) - 150Mbps typical for network adapters, 300Mbps, 450Mbps, and 600Mbps speeds when bonding channels with some routers
  • 802.11ac - 1300+Mbps (5 GHz) - newer standard that uses wider channels, QAM and spatial streams for higher throughput

Actual wireless speeds vary significantly from the above theoretical maximum speeds due to:

  • distance - distance from the access point, as well as any physical obstructions, such as walls, signal-blocking or reflecting materials affect signal propagation and reduce speed
  • interference - other wireless networks and devices in the same frequency in the same area affect performance
  • shared bandwidth - available bandwidth is shared between all users on the same wireless network.

In addition, net IP layer throughput of WiFi is typically 60% of the air link rate due to WiFi being half-duplex with ACKs, and being CSMA/CA. The number of simultaneous connections, and even the type of wireless security can affect and slow down some older routers with inadequate processors/memory.

Below is a breakdown of actual real-life average speeds you can expect from wireless routers within a reasonable distance, with low interference and small number of simultaneous clients:

  • 802.11b - 2-3 Mbps downstream, up to 5-6 Mbps with some vendor-specific extensions.
  • 802.11g - ~20 Mbps downstream
  • 802.11n - 40-50 Mbps typical, varying greatly depending on configuration, whether it is mixed or N-only network, the number of bonded channels, etc. Specifying a channel, and using 40MHz channels can help achieve 70-80Mbps with some newer routers. Up to 100 Mbps achievable with more expensive commercial equipment with 8x8 arrays, gigabit ports, etc.
  • 802.11ac - 70-100+ Mbps typical, higher speeds possible over short distances without many obstacles, with newer generation 802.11ac routers, and client adapters capable of multiple streams.

Source What is the actual real-life speed of wireless networks?

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