Need help with your Wi-Fi router's speed? Let me know what you're experiencing!
Need help with your Wi-Fi router's speed? Let me know what you're experiencing!
I’m preparing to purchase a Wi-Fi router and have already signed up with my internet service for an Ethernet connection. My concern is whether using three of the four LAN ports (TV, PC, and laptop—no Wi-Fi) will affect my internet speed on both the LAN and Wi-Fi connections. If it does, is there a router model that can provide at least 30-40 Mbps? I also have the specifications from Amazon and a screenshot ready. Thank you!
It depends on your starting internet connection. With a higher speed, you can handle more downloads at once, but with a lower speed, the available bandwidth limits each system. The exact amount will vary based on current usage and remaining capacity.
Your internet speed from the ISP should be divided fairly among all connected devices. Keep in mind that only active devices will share the bandwidth. Be aware that the router you mentioned above the WAN and LAN ports typically supports up to 100 Mbps. If your ISP provides 200 Mbps, you’ll only receive the maximum allowed speed. Also, since Wi-Fi is involved, actual speeds might be lower than what you’d see on a wired connection.
You're wondering if your speeds will really depend on the number of connected devices and how they're using the network. Based on your estimate, it sounds like your connection might be limited to about 33 Mbps per device in a busy environment. If you're sharing the connection among several users, each could get around 20 Mbps at best. That's a reasonable concern, especially during peak usage times.
There isn't a 200 Mbps router available. Ethernet connections typically offer 10 Mbps, 100 Mbps, or 1 Gbps speeds. My router supports 1 Gbps on the WAN port, which means it can manage most standard internet plans. Besides the Ethernet speed ratings, the router's internal hardware decides which speeds it can actually provide. I previously used a D Link DIR 835 with poor firmware, so I installed DDWRT and upgraded to a better model. My Dlink also overheated, requiring extra cooling with a laptop fan. I’m considering ASUS and Netgear routers; my current Synology works well but is costly.
Maximizing all devices is possible, but keep in mind that simply being online won’t fully utilize the network. Streaming at high resolutions can quickly drain bandwidth. QoS settings on your router help manage this by allocating specific bandwidth limits to each device, ensuring streaming gets the resources it requires.
That means I need to run at a streaming speed and avoid doing streaming and downloads on the PC at the same time. That’s okay! Thanks for your assistance!
QoS offers some benefits, though it varies by router. Many don’t provide it, and those that do often have poor choices.