Інструкція користувача

Maximum data rate and connection speed (channel rate) are different things

To begin with, many users incorrectly focus on the connection speed (in megabits per second), which is displayed in the connection information. For example, in the Windows operating system, it is shown in the 'Speed' field on the 'General' tab of the 'Status' window of the wireless connection.

The wireless adapter driver displays this number. It shows what connection speed at the physical layer is currently used within the selected standard, i.e. the operating system only reports the current (instantaneous) physical connection rate (called channel rate).

The actual bandwidth of the connection may be significantly lower during data transmission. The real data transfer rate depends on many factors, such as 802.11n access point settings, the distance between the client and access point, the number of wireless client adapters simultaneously connected to it, etc. The difference between the connection speed that Windows shows and actual data rates are primarily due to the amount of service data, wireless packet loss, and retransmission costs.

For information on checking wireless network transmission rates, see the following article Actual connection speed in Wi-Fi technology.

802.11n standard's benefits work only for 802.11n adapters

The 802.11n standard uses various technologies, including MIMO, to achieve higher bandwidth. Still, these are only effective for clients that support 802.11n specifications (for information on this, see the article 'What you need to know about Wi-Fi 4'). Keep in mind that using an 802.11n wireless access point does not increase the performance of existing 802.11b/g clients.

If possible, do not use outdated Wi-Fi devices on your network

With an 802.11n access point-based wireless network, you can use devices from previous standards. An 802.11n access point can work simultaneously with 802.11n adapters and older 802.11g or even 802.11b devices. The 802.11n standard provides mechanisms to support legacy standards. 802.11n client speed is reduced (by 50-80%) only when slower devices actively transmit or receive data. For maximum performance (or at least verification) on an 802.11n wireless network, it is recommended that only clients of this standard be used on the network.

Why is the connection speed only 54 Mbps or lower when connecting an 802.11n adapter?

Another possible reason to connect only on 802.11g is that Autodetect mode (802.11b/g/n) is selected in the access point settings. If you want to establish a connection on the 802.11n standard, do not use the 802.11b/g/n autodetect mode, but manually set the connection to use only 802.11n. But remember, in that case, 802.11b/g clients will not connect to a wireless network, only clients that support 802.11n.

Use the 5 GHz band

Some routers support dual-band Wi-Fi, a dual-band 2.4 and 5 GHz access point. Almost all Wi-Fi networks now operate on the 2.4 GHz frequency. The more devices are working on the same band, the more they interfere with each other, which significantly reduces the quality of the connection. This statement is especially true in apartment buildings, where Wi-Fi devices are available in almost every apartment. The advantage of the 5 GHz frequency is free radio broadcasting, as this frequency is rarely used so far, and as a result, there is minimal interference and maximum connection quality. Your smartphone, tablet, laptop or USB adapter must support this frequency to use the 5 GHz network.

When using the 5 GHz band, we recommend selecting channels 36, 40, 44 and 48 as they do not use Radar Coexistence mode (DFS).

In some cases, it is recommended to reduce the Wi-Fi signal power at the access point to 50 - 75%

Make sure that the access point and adapter support and enable WMM mode

WMM (Wi-Fi Multimedia) mode must be enabled for speeds above 54 Mbps.

The 802.11n specification requires devices to support the 802.11e standard (QoS for improved wireless performance) to use the High Throughput mode, i.e. speeds above 54 Mbps.

WMM mode support is required for devices that are certified to use the 802.11n standard. We recommend enabling WMM mode by default in all certified Wi-Fi devices (access points, wireless routers, adapters).

Please note that WMM mode should be enabled on both the access point and wireless adapter.

WMM mode in the settings of different adapters can be called differently: WMM, Multimedia environment, WMM Capable, etc.

Disable 40 MHz and 80 MHz channel usage

The 802.11n standard provides for the use of 40 MHz broadband channels to increase bandwidth (802.11ac can use a channel width up to 160 MHz).

40 MHz channels are more susceptible to interference and may interfere with other devices, causing performance and reliability problems, especially with other Wi-Fi networks and other devices operating in the 2.4 GHz band. 40 MHz channels may also interfere with other devices using this range (Bluetooth devices, cordless phones, neighbouring Wi-Fi networks).

In reality, changing the channel width from 20 MHz to 40 MHz (or using 'Auto 20/40' channel width selection mode in some devices) can even result in a reduction rather than an increase in bandwidth. Reduced bandwidth and unstable connections may occur despite the channel rate figures, which are twice as high when using 40 MHz channel width. As the signal level drops, using a 40 MHz channel becomes much less efficient and does not increase bandwidth. With 40 MHz channel width and weak signal strength, the bandwidth can be reduced to 80% and does not lead to the desired increase in bandwidth.

Sometimes it is better to use a stable channel rate of 135 Mbps than an unstable 270 Mbps.

The real benefits of using a 40 MHz channel (in particular, an increase in bandwidth from 10 to 20 Mbit/s) can usually only be achieved with stable signal conditions and a small number of transmitters in the frequency band. The use of a 40 MHz channel width is justified in the 5 GHz frequency band.

If you have decided to use a 40 MHz channel and have noticed a slowdown (not the channel connection speed that is displayed in the web interface in the 'System dashboard' menu, but the rate of loading web pages or receiving/transmitting files), we recommend using a 20 MHz channel. This way, you can increase the bandwidth of the connection.

Also, it is possible to establish a connection with some devices when using a 20 MHz channel (no connection is established with a 40 MHz channel).

What for the operation of mobile devices in the 5 GHz range, the default channel width of the router is 20/40/80 MHz. If you notice a speed drop when working on a 5 GHz network, we recommend you set the channel width to 20/40 MHz.

Use the latest wireless adapter driver

Low connection speed can be a result of the poor compatibility of drivers from different Wi-Fi equipment manufacturers. It is not uncommon to get a significant speed boost by installing another version of a wireless adapter driver from its manufacturer or the chipset manufacturer used in it. Visit the manufacturer's websites for your wireless devices and laptops to check for new drivers and other updates. Install the latest version of your wireless adapter drivers.

For Apple devices

Turn off power-saving mode

Low Wi-Fi connection speed can be observed in some mobile devices with power-saving mode activated (sleep mode). It can affect the operation of the Wi-Fi client's wireless adapter. Manually turn off this mode to verify the connection. On some devices, the power-saving mode is automatically activated when the battery charge level is set to a specific limit (for example, when the charge is below 20% or 15%). If you do not know how to turn off the power-saving mode in the operating system settings, we recommend that you make sure that the battery level does not fall below a certain level (in some systems, the battery indicator in the status bar changes its colour to yellow).

On a Windows laptop, in the wireless adapter properties on the 'Power Management' tab, try disabling the 'Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power' option. For example:

You may also experience low Wi-Fi speeds after your device leaves sleep mode. In this case, try to turn the device off (shut down the system) and turn it back on again.

Remove service class

A service class may have been set for the home network device in the router settings. If a service class is used, the network hardware accelerator (ppe hardware; hwnat) is disabled for this device, as the accelerator is not able to handle traffic prioritisation. With the accelerator switched off, the speed may be reduced. Try removing the value in the 'Service class' field on the 'Device Lists' page (set it to 'Not set').