3BB wifi speed test

[davidst01]

Our 3bb stopped working at home last night and the technician arrived this afternoon to fix. When he restored the connection I did a speed test reminding him that we are on the 200 / 50 package.

 

It returned a score of  76  /  55

 

He said it was bc its wifi and not LAN. Is this B.S?  What is your wifi speed test returning?

 

Also, he said that if we wanted to get the score closer to the 200 level via wifi we would have to upgrade to this router:

http://www.lazada.co.th/catalog/?q=asus ac

 

Why do I need this new router thingy?

 

In my limited Thai language I think he was saying that my laptop and phone would have to be able to cope with 5gb. What is he trying to tell me?

 

thanks

Edited February 7, 2017 by davidst01

[KhunBENQ]

Moved to IT and Computers.

[KhunBENQ]

28 minutes ago, davidst01 said:

He said it was bc its wifi and not LAN. Is this B.S?  What is your wifi speed test returning?

Not necessarily B.S.

WiFi cam be limited to a value about the value that you have (76 Mbit/s).

Can be caused by an "old" router as well as WiFi interface/driver at your device(s).

My simple Android smartphone never establishes more than a 72 Mbit/s connection.

 

28 minutes ago, davidst01 said:

Why do I need this new router thingy?

Getting into hot water

You don't need it because you will never reach 76/50 in real life scenarios (international connections, streaming, IPTV etc.).

A usual youtube HD video needs about 5 Mbit/s.

High quality IPTV is also working with a "handful of megabits".

 

I assume you are a private (single?) user and do not operate an internet cafe.

[Pib]

 

Quote

He said it was bc its wifi and not LAN. Is this B.S?  What is your wifi speed test returning?

 

I really don't understand your statement above.  Did you try a speed test with a hardwire/ethernet connection between the router and your computer?   Assuming your computer has 1000Mb ethernet ports you should get the full 200/50Mb speed....actually a little more.

 

However, if the router they provided you only used the 2.4Ghz band, then the best speed you will achieve via Wifi connection between your computer/device will probably be somewhere below 100Mb.    Now if you had a router which transmits on the 5Ghz band which uses completely different data transmission technology than the 2.4Ghz band "and' you computer/device has 5Ghz band capabiliy then you should be able to achieve the 200/50Mb speed with no obstructions (i.e., walls, floors, furniture, etc) between your computer/device and the 5Ghz band router.     

 

Remember, the weakest link in the chain will determine the max speed.

[davidst01]

8 minutes ago, Pib said:

you computer/device has 5Ghz band capabiliy

How do I check this on apple mac and apple iphone 7?

[KhunBENQ]

17 minutes ago, davidst01 said:

How do I check this on apple mac and apple iphone 7?

By theory (google) the iPhone has 5 GHz Wifi capability.

No idea about a Mac.

 

BTW: what is the model (number) of your current router?

[Pib]

36 minutes ago, davidst01 said:

How do I check this on apple mac and apple iphone 7?

Look up the specifications is one way.   I bet the iphone 7 has 5Ghz, but wouldn't want to guess about an apple max depending on how old it is.  

[RichCor]

Your WiFi connected devices should be able to report their current link speed in settings.

 

Yes, what the tech said is true.  The speeds stated in your contract are always measured from your ROUTER (via a 1000mbps / 1gbps Ethernet wired connection) to the ISP's Network Cabinet. But we will usually accept the speed test result to the ISP's hosted test server (usually located in Bangkok) as an equivalent measure.

 

Because WiFi is shipped in different versions and variations, and subject to many environment limitations that can influence its performance, its connection speed and reliability is subject to conditions.  So WiFi is a convenience connection. It works for the most part and we like having it.  

You're welcome to test its speed, but a WiFi connection can't be used to absolutely say your Internet is problematic or not working. It could just be your WiFi connection, or any one of the environmental limitations that affect radio-based connected links causing an issue. 

 

Take a look at this article if you want a deeper understanding:

 

How Fast Is a Wi-Fi Network?

LifeWire  |  by Bradley Mitchell  |  Updated September 12, 2016

[maxpower]

The standards

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

Real life - reasonable distance low interference small number of simultaneous clients

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 (200+ Mbps) possible over short distances without many obstacles, with newer generation 802.11ac routers, and client adapters capable of multiple streams.