Question about Mbps and USB network adapter speeds

[relztrah]

I just ran a speed test on my network and here are the results:




I don't know if that's fast or slow but it works fine for everything I need to do. This is from my work where we have much faster internet than my home.

I bought a USB wireless network adapter for a laptop I'm working on for a coworker, and it boasts "Max. Downstream Data Rate: 150Mbps". This is for the cheapest, slowest adapter this vendor sells. So my adapter can theoretically handle three times that download speed, right? Not that it matters.

This same vendor advertises NEED MORE MBPS/SPEED/LONGER REACH DISTANCE: and has adapters up to 1200 Mbps. If my work internet is running at 51.32 Mbps download, who would need an adapter that will handle 1200 Mbps? Or is there something here I don't understand. There is a possibility that I won't be able to get the internal wireless network card working on this laptop--long story--so this USB adapter may become a permanent fixture. Given my speed test results, should I have purchased a more expensive adapter that will allow faster speeds? I don't see why, but I am not familiar with these matters.

 

[Tekno Venus]

A good question, and I can see your confusion. Lets break things down a bit.

The results shown from SpeedTest show the speed you can achieve from your ISP. This is the speed at which you will be able to send/receive data to and from devices on the Internet - that is, devices not in your local network at home.

The speed rating of your network adapter is the theoretical maximum speed it can transfer data. This is theoretical, and you will never achieve this speed in real life for a number of reasons since WiFi signals are strongly affected by the the distance from your WiFi router and the physical environment such as walls and other wireless/RF devices like microwaves and other WiFi networks. Also manufacturers tend to exaggerate a lot with their maximum theoretical speeds

But why would you need speeds up to, say 1200Mbps? Well, it's quite common to want to transfer data between devices within your home network. Since the data isn't being sent to/from your ISP, it isn't affected by your internet speed (you could for example have a network that wasn't even connected to the internet, but used for transferring files between computers). This means that if all your WiFi equipment supported the faster speeds, you could take advantage of the increased data rate of the adapter.

Also note that faster speeds will be using newer WiFi technologies (such as 802.11AC and 802.11AX, also called WiFi 5 and WiFi 6) and you would need to compatible WiFi router to achieve those maximum speeds. Besides increased speeds though, newer WiFi technologies can achieve increased range and reliability due to various improvements in technology.

If you're interested in more technical details, there's a great document here I suggest reading: Understand Wi-Fi 4/5/6 (802.11 n/ac/ad/ax)

USB WiFi adapters are also limited by USB speeds - so for maximum speeds you'd want to be using a USB 3.0 adapter since USB 2.0 is limited to 480Mbps. I'd always recommend internal wireless cards over external ones - and it's often possible to replace internal wireless cards on many laptops.

 

[Digerati]

Whatever you got going on, your network adapter is NOT creating any bottlenecks.

I don't know if that's fast or slow but it works fine for everything I need to do.

A few years ago, that would have been considered extremely fast. Today, not so quick. But that does NOT mean your network is slow, or slowing down.

Understand that is like saying that 2015 Car A is slow because it "only" has a top speed of 150MPH while the 2020 Car B tops out at 180MPH. What difference does it make if you never drive above 75MPH?

If you had 5 teenagers in the house, all streaming 4K videos at the same time you were trying to buy something on Amazon, your 51Mbps speed may be a problem. But if your requirements have not changed since 50Mbps was considered extremely fast, no worries.

You should probably look at your service agreement with your ISP. What are you paying for? But understand, the agreement likely says "up to" some speed.

Last, look at your router and your modem. As Tekno Venus noted, newer Wifi technologies will support faster speeds between your computer and the WAP (wireless access point - typically integrated in the "wireless router). If your router does not support at least 802.11n (the predecessor to 11AC), I would get a new router. If your new wireless adapter supports the faster speeds of 11ac, but the WAP only supports the old 11g protocols, your router is creating a bottleneck. The router should also support 1Gb (1000Mb) Ethernet (wired) connection.

As for the modem, you did not say how you connect to the Internet (cable or DSL). If cable and not at least DOCSIS 3.0, upgrade that too.

If you have a "residential gateway" device, make sure it is current too. Note a residential gateway is an integrated device that includes the router, 4-port Ethernet switch, WAP, and modem in one box. These technically are 4 discrete network devices that just happen to share a common circuit board, power supply and case. Some include a 5th device, VoIP (voice over IP) Internet phone support.

Residential gateway devices are commonly leased to customers by the ISP. I prefer and recommend buying my own. And I go for a wireless router (router, WAP and switch in one box) and separate modem. But that's me.

 

[relztrah]

Thanks to both of your for your prompt, helpful and informative replies. In appreciation I have made a donation to Sysnative.

 

[Digerati]

Well, your "thanks" was enough for me. But for the site, donations certainly are not required but definitely much appreciated! So thank you!