5GHz 802.11ac Performance
5GHz is a more recent addition to the consumer WiFi specification and on this frequency we find both 802.11n and AC standards on offer. We note that 802.11n is the only standard to run at both 2.4GHz and 5GHz frequencies and this is the most common standard for ISP routers to feature. Unlike the 2.4GHz band, 5GHz radio waves and solid brick walls do not go that well hand in hand, so whilst it does support a much faster throughput speed, its range can be severely crippled in a dense operating environment.
Fixed Block Size
To test the maximum throughput speed that a wireless connection can handle, a fixed block size of 16384 Bytes is sent from the client to the server over a period of five minutes. The higher block size will allow the transfer rate to stay as high as possible – in the same way that large files transfer from one drive to another quicker than lots of small files of the same total size.
Variable Packet Size
In a real world situation, the blocks of data that pass through a wireless adaptor are not of the same size each time, so to give a more realistic impression of how an adaptor performs, the adaptor is once again tested at each range for a period of five minutes. This time however, the block size will vary from 32 Bytes up to 16384 Bytes in increasing steps of 148.7 Bytes each time.
Like the 2.4GHz band, the 5GHz band shows a similar data trend. What we do see though is that the RT-AC68U when paired with a similarly strong wireless adaptor is capable of transferring data at over 200Mbps – even at distances of over 30ft (no line of sight). This speed is by far the fastest that we have seen on the 5GHz band and this router is easily the fastest wireless-AC router that we have seen to date.
Networking kit isn’t the most or glamorous or exiting products to deal with but where would we be without them?… Which brings me to the thought, I don’t even know what make of router I use at my home/office.