Speed restricted by the router's port
Speed restricted by the router's port
It also includes the Xiaomi Mi Router 4a, which lists "2 x LAN 10/100M/1000Mbps - 1 x WAN Gigabit Ethernet 10/100/1000Mbps".
Yes, gigabits is the right unit here. GB stands for gigabytes, not gigabits. It still surprises me. I was told recently that the 10 GB I thought some Ethernet could handle was actually around 10 GB, which translates to about 1.2 GB. Now that I see it, it does seem small. 10 GB is roughly close to 80 GB (there will be some extra space and other factors involved, but I’m not sure). That might actually be reasonable.
I always disliked the GB GB approach. It seems to suggest someone was trying to be overly precise, but it was actually just a sneaky marketing ploy meant to take advantage of people and left me with a lot of money I’m currently enjoying. It’s similar to how 3.0 shifted into 3.2 in Gen1.
It seems you're pointing out some irrelevant details. At this price and for this purpose, most features will be similar. Activating bridge/AP mode removes many of the premium capabilities you get with more expensive routers (like QOS or VPN support). If you were facing a similar budget, I’d choose the most affordable option.
Yeah yeah, thats kinda the plan, if it has what I need to give me more than 100 megabits per second of speed with 5 Ghz I'll take it, I'm just asking if you have anything to say about those like, I don't know "in this case you shouldn't buy that cheap because it wouldn't work that well" or whatever. I might get the Xiaomi Mi Router 4a, that one seems good
You challenge me for a reason, but when I respond, it veers into unrelated territory. It seems like only one of us is on track.
I’m explaining that the idea isn’t accurate. Everyone follows the same protocol and acts like packet radio receivers. A feature such as MIMO could play a role, but transmission power is limited by FCC rules. The main factor influencing distance is antenna quality. I’ve noticed large folded horn antennas that work well over long ranges, yet they’re rare. Ultimately, it depends on the components inside and how well they’re made. Your question about Wi-Fi isn’t relevant here—it’s all about Ethernet. Each setup varies, making it difficult to make consistent claims.
You're asking about how a 10/100 port bottlekneck affects 5G speeds. The answer depends on whether your internet plan offers more than 100 Mbps and if the connection speed exceeds the Wi-Fi 5 limits.
Generally, any WiFi 5/AC device with Gigabit ports should support speeds over 100Mbit. Ensure it includes at least 2x2 MIMO at 5GHz to maintain performance as distance increases. Budget models often have underpowered processors that struggle at higher rates, limiting speed regardless of the connection or restricting reception quality. More affordable options may achieve double the speed if they support 2x2 MIMO and operate efficiently, but weaker CPUs can cap performance at lower rates. Speed is influenced by signal strength (2x2 MIMO helps more than 1x1), Ethernet port speeds, and CPU capabilities. Even with strong hardware, physical barriers like walls can reduce speeds back to below 100Mbit. The client device also matters—some routers restrict access to certain ports when acting as APs, which can be managed in router settings.