Speed ​​by Wi-Fi in the Range of 2.4 GHZ and 5 GHZ. Real Speed, Measurements, Difference

Choosing a router is not easy. Especially when there are so many dual-band models on the market. I am referring to dual-band routers, which distribute Wi-Fi network in the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands (see the article what is a dual-band Wi-Fi router). There are many articles on the Internet that describe the pros and cons of the 5 GHz band and the 802.11ac standard. The main pros are high speed (support for the new 802.11ac standard, which works only in the 5 GHz range) and a small amount of interference in this range. The main disadvantage is the shorter wireless range compared to the 2.4GHz band (this is clearly visible, including in my examples in the article). Well, not all devices support the 5 GHz band. I wrote about it in the article: Why a laptop, smartphone, or tablet can’t see a 5 GHz Wi-Fi network.

All this theoretical information (maximum speed in a certain range, interference, signal strength, etc.) is unlikely to be useful in practice and help to determine the choice of router. Based on this information, we can hardly understand what the real speed will be in the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands. How much it will differ, and whether it makes sense to buy a router with 5 GHz support and switch to 802.11ac standard.

I decided to go with a regular dual-band router. Not the most expensive and not the cheapest. Set it up in the most ordinary three-room apartment (where the Internet speed up to 100 Mbps is tested), and measure the speed on an ordinary laptop in different bands and at different distances from the router (with different signal strength).

The equipment on which I made speed measurements and other information:

• TP-Link Archer C2 (AC750) router. I did not change the settings, only the network name and password. Mode of operation (b/g/n/ac) – mixed in both bands. Wi-Fi network channel selection – automatic.
• Internet provider Vodafone. Connection type – “Dynamic IP”. Speed by tariff – up to 100 Mbit/s.
• I measured the speed on a laptop with Wi-Fi module Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 3160 (3160HMW). The driver seems to be the newest, I downloaded it from Intel’s site. Windows 10 is installed.
• I measured on speedtest.net through Microsoft Edge browser. Read more in the article how to check internet speed on a computer, smartphone, tablet.
• I checked the number of Wi-Fi networks in the apartment using the inSSIDer program. In the range of 2.4 GHz – about 15 networks (the number keeps changing). And in the 5 GHz band – 2 networks (including mine).
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• At the moment when I measured the speed, there was almost no load on the router. The devices were connected, but nobody was using them. I measured the speed several times in each band and over the cable. Of course, the results were different each time (the load on the provider’s network, the selected server for speed testing, etc.). But they did not differ much.

If you are interested in other nuances of my experiment, or if I missed something – write in the comments.

Speed comparison in the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands

Before checking the wi-fi speed, I decided to measure the speed using a network cable. Here are the results:

• Speed directly, when connecting the network cable from the provider directly to the laptop (without router):
  I expected to see about 100 Mbps (that’s the speed according to the tariff). Maybe the problem is in the network card of the laptop (the laptop is not very new). For some reason, I immediately thought that the provider does not give the stated speed. But as it turned out later, on Wi-Fi in the range of 5 GHz the speed was under 100 Mbps.
• By cable, but already from the router, the speed was about the same:
  I think the problem is in the laptop’s network card. Probably in the driver. I wish I had another computer at hand. But we are not really interested in cable speed. This is just for a general picture of what’s going on.

Since the Internet speed also drops when the signal level drops, I took measurements in two places. Closer to the router and further away. In this article I will also show the real Wi-Fi speed in two variants:

1. At a distance of about 6 meters from the router. Without line of sight. There is one wall with a closet (closet) in the way.
   
2. Then I moved further away from the router. The signal went through 2-3 walls (one of them is load-bearing). The signal strength on the laptop was no longer maxed out. Especially in the 5 GHz range.
   

In the article number 1 will be measurements when the laptop is closer to the router, and number 2 – further away.

Actual wi-fi speed: 2.4 GHz (802.11n)

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First, I connected to a Wi-Fi network in the 2.4 GHz band. The signal is good (all divisions on the laptop). This is the speed in the 2.4 GHz band not far from the router:

Even for the 2.4 GHz band, this is low speed. Especially since my router is not a budget router. There were times when the speed went up over 50 Mbps. But rarely. I think that 15 neighboring Wi-Fi networks in the same range do their job (create interference).

2
Step away from the router and check the speed. In the same 2.4 GHz band. As you can see, the speed has dropped a bit. The ping has gone up. The signal strength has also dropped a bit. On the screenshot is the maximum signal, but sometimes one division was missing. Pay attention to the network level in the 5 GHz band (Marsik_5G) on the screenshot below. There is almost no signal.

The connection speed drops along with the Wi-Fi signal strength.

The speed of Wi-Fi network in the range of 2.4 GHz is not very good for me. In principle, the normal speed in this range is somewhere between 40 Mbps and 70 Mbps. It can be less, or more (very rare). It all depends on the equipment (router and client), settings, interference, etc.

Real wi-fi speed: 5 GHz (802.11ac)

1
Let’s continue the experiment. I connected my laptop to Wi-Fi in the 5 GHz range and checked the connection speed. Let me remind you that at first I tested near the router (the first device layout I showed above).

It turned out to be even better than via cable. Almost always the download and upload speed was around 80-90 Mbps. Sometimes the speed dropped. But despite this, the speed in the 5 GHz range is noticeably higher compared to 2.4 GHz.

2
I moved with my laptop away from the router (scheme number 2) and started testing the speed. Despite the fact that the signal level in the 5 GHz range has dropped very much (often there was one division of the network left, compared to the network at 2.4 GHz), the speed was still higher.

50 Mbps at such a distance, with obstacles and such a signal strength is a good result.

Conclusions

I am once again convinced that:

1. Internet speeds are significantly faster when connected via Wi-Fi in the 5 GHz band.
2. The range of the wireless network at 5 GHz is much shorter.

I think this result will be with any equipment. Therefore, if you choose a router, I recommend you to look for models with support for two bands. Even if you don’t plan to use 5 GHz now and move to 802.11ac standard.

Especially if you have a tariff speed above 100 Mbps and a lot of neighboring Wi-Fi networks. In that case, only a dual-band router will be able to unlock the full potential of such a connection and speed (for which you pay the provider). Just be sure to take a router with gigabit ports (WAN and LAN speed – 1 Gbps). There are many inexpensive dual-band routers with ports limited to 100 Mbps.

I’ve already told you why the router cuts the speed on wi-fi. You can always try to increase the speed of connection via Wi-Fi network with the help of wireless network settings (especially relevant for the 2.4 GHz range). Also you may be interested in the article: router that does not cut the speed on Wi-Fi and gives 100 Mbit / s and more. There I told about all these inscriptions N150, N300, N450, etc., on the boxes with routers. And why the real speed is very different from what router manufacturers promise.

The speed of a wireless connection depends on a huge number of different factors. If, for example, take my router and laptop, set them up in another house, there, perhaps, the speed would be quite different. A lot depends on the router and the device we connect to it. Also do not forget that the provider does not always give the declared speed.

In this article I wanted to show you approximately what is the difference between a dual-band router and a regular router. What the real speed of the Internet can be in both bands. Perhaps this article will help you decide on the choice of router. Whether or not to buy a router that supports 5 GHz 802.11ac.

Write in the comments what you think about it. You can measure the speed through your router and share the results (screenshots) in the comments. I think it will be interesting and useful. Just write the model of the router, the device on which you checked the speed, and what is the speed at the tariff provider. All the best!

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Ramón

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