Uber noob question. Does wireless-N bottleneck standard ethernet?

NeilF

NeilF

NeilF

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If you have a good wireless N network, can it mean that your standard (not gigabit) ethernet network can't cope?
 
From my experience, ive never seen 300Mbits from my wireless n router ever. Even when parked right next to it.

It will cope just fine, it will tansfer at the maximum speed it can given all bottlenecks.
 
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But standard eithernet is 100mbits? So surely there's the risk that you're bottlenecking your wireless network?
 
Yes there is a potential risk that fast ethernet can be a bottleneck in an 802.11n network, but you have to remember that current tests show 802.11n getting up to 130Mb/s in actual throughput in optimal testing conditions, in a real world situation where the distance is greater and there are objects/walls in the way the throughput drops.
 
So a noddy example at a network speed of 100mbits. Take a HD film, say 30GB which lasts for 2hrs...

30*1024*8=245760 mbits of information

How long would it take at 100mbits to transfer that file?
245760
/ 100
/ 60
= about 41mins?

So if the film was about 2hrs long in actual playtime you're transfering well within its required play speed?
 
That does indeed look correct, as long as the speed is consistent. As it's a real-time application, if the speed drops a bit for a few seconds you could end up with a stutter in the video if the buffer runs out...not very likely in wired networks, but could happen over wireless. On a good network that's quite rare, however.
 
If watching a single HD movie is all you want to do then the speed of the fast ethernet connection will not be a problem because you said said a HD movie wont max out a 100Mb fast ethernet connection. But if you want to do file transfers at the maximum possible speed, well in that case the 100Mb fast ethernet connection can potentialy be a bottleneck.
 
I've just got virgin 50mb, with a free 300mb router and dongle. I'm no expert but this is what i've seen:

Wired via the router and a Giga switch Download = 5.95mb/s
Wireless (N-router) 2.8mb/s

Both are quicker then the 100mb ethernet transfer speed.

However, my old network, could stream 1080p mkv. files no problem (10/100mb).

As said above, streaming films no problem, but it will bottleneck files (a little)
 
ssmacc said:
I've just got virgin 50mb, with a free 300mb router and dongle. I'm no expert but this is what i've seen:

Wired via the router and a Giga switch Download = 5.95mb/s
Wireless (N-router) 2.8mb/s

Both are quicker then the 100mb ethernet transfer speed.
Click to expand...

Umm?
 
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