What if router speed is higher than network speed???

Steve-O · Post by **Steve-O** » Mon Sep 17, 2012 8:13 pm

Hello All,
It's been literally YEARS since I've visited the forum for anything other than reading and learning from others. Now I have a question... I'm considering the purchase of a Netgear WNDR 3400-100NAS N600 Simulataneous Dual Band 802.11a/b/g/n Wireless Router. The specs show that the LAN ports will run at 10/100 Mbps, yet the wireless data transmission speed of the router is 300 Mbps on each band, the 2.4GHz and 5GHz. So my question is "am I limited to 100 Mbps by the hardwired RJ-45 LAN connection, even though the wireless part of the Router is capable of 300 + 300Mbps? In other words, would I have to use the wireless connection to get the 300 speed? Also, I'm considering this because one of my PCs is in my shop which is just barely on the fringe of the 802.11g range, so if I ever connect at all to my current a/b/g router, it's very unstable and usually dies. Therefore, will I be pretty much certain of a good connection with the n-type router? The distance is approximately 150ft. Thanks in advance for any assistance...

Post by **YeOldeStonecat** » Mon Sep 17, 2012 8:27 pm

Steve-O wrote:Hello All,
It's been literally YEARS since I've visited the forum for anything other than reading and learning from others. Now I have a question... I'm considering the purchase of a Netgear WNDR 3400-100NAS N600 Simulataneous Dual Band 802.11a/b/g/n Wireless Router. The specs show that the LAN ports will run at 10/100 Mbps, yet the wireless data transmission speed of the router is 300 Mbps on each band, the 2.4GHz and 5GHz. So my question is "am I limited to 100 Mbps by the hardwired RJ-45 LAN connection, even though the wireless part of the Router is capable of 300 + 300Mbps? In other words, would I have to use the wireless connection to get the 300 speed? Also, I'm considering this because one of my PCs is in my shop which is just barely on the fringe of the 802.11g range, so if I ever connect at all to my current a/b/g router, it's very unstable and usually dies. Therefore, will I be pretty much certain of a good connection with the n-type router? The distance is approximately 150ft. Thanks in advance for any assistance...

On paper...the wireless seems faster.

But the 300 megs of claimed throughput is nearly fictional. There are a TON of variables that need to line up correctly for wireless to get near that claimed speed. You'll find the actual real world transfer to be a bit below your 100 meg wired.

Post by **Philip** » Mon Sep 17, 2012 9:32 pm

As YOSC points out, there is quite a difference between theoretical maximum speeds and actual real-life performance with wireless, here is a breakdown: http://www.speedguide.net/faq_in_q.php?qid=374

I wouldn't expect much more than ~50 Mbps wireless throughput to a single client.

Steve-O · Post by **Steve-O** » Tue Sep 18, 2012 12:02 pm

Hey Guys,
Thanks to YOSC and Philip for responding so soon. I was aware of "some" overhead in the data stream, but had no idea it was that high. I guess I'll pull the trigger on this router since my other one is old anyway and NewEgg is offering a 20% discount for the next five days. Thanks again for the info...