two routers, as used in Netgear’s top-end Orbi
RBK852 mesh system.
Instead, when it comes to client devices, the
idea with the latest Wi-Fi standards is that not
only can routers deliver these admittedly still
impressive speeds to individual devices, but
they can also maintain good performance for
multiple devices at once. Indeed, one of the
key technologies of Wi-Fi 6 is a fundamentally
better way of splitting up data packets
(called OFDMA), so that certain client devices
can’t clog up the network, improving the
responsiveness for all clients.
However, not only is most client hardware
not rated to achieve these theoretical top
speeds, but real-world performance also
simply doesn’t match those numbers. Even
with the latest client hardware connected
to the fastest Wi-Fi 6 routers available, real-
world throughput will struggle to surpass
Gigabit speeds.
It’s for this reason that we didn’t
concentrate on maximum throughput speed
for our Wi-Fi tests, but instead focused on the
performance of standard hardware at realistic
locations, as outlined in our test setup.
For comparison, we chose two routers.
The first was the Asus RT-68U, which
delivered the most consistent overall Wi-Fi
performance in our Labs test (despite having
among the slowest theoretical Wi-Fi speed
rating of just AX2700). The second was a
typical example of an ISP-provided router
here in the UK, the Plusnet Hub One. It
supports up to Wi-Fi 5 (AC), with a 2x2 2.4GHz
band and 3x3 5GHz band, for a maximum
total throughput of 2,332Mb/sec (600Mb/
sec + 1,732Mb/sec).
The Plusnet router delivered just the sort
of modest maximum speeds we’d expect
from an older, ISP-provided router in our close
range tests. However, its results in the region
of 200Mb/sec are still more than ample for
several 4K video streams (approximately
50Mb/sec each).
What’s more, the ping results were
perfectly respectable. You’re still looking at
nearly double that of Ethernet, but its average
ping of 20ms is more than good enough for
online gaming.
However, with the maximum pings starting
to hit over 50ms, there are signs of the added
delay that Wi-Fi can introduce.
Those figures were obtained using the
faster 5GHz band, and switching to 2.4GHz,
saw the maximum speed drop to just 65Mb/
sec and the average ping hit 36ms. This was
a trend we saw in our router Labs too, with
the slower 2.4GHz band not just offering
slower maximum bandwidth but consistently
delivering higher pings. If you’re looking to get
the most from you Wi-Fi connection for any
task where ping counts, be sure to connect
over a 5GHz channel.
As we moved to our second test location,
the Hub One’s speeds plummeted to a level
where it wouldn’t be able to deliver even asingle 4K video stream. Pings also shot up to
an average of 45ms on the 5GHz band and
70ms on the 2.4GHz band, with maximums
hitting over 500ms. Gaming in this scenario- having a more powerful PC Wi-Fi card
notwithstanding – would be a struggle.
When it came to test location 3, the Hub
One simply wasn’t even visible to our laptop,
let alone able to maintain a consistent
connection. The picture was considerably
rosier for the Asus RT-68U though. At short
range on its 5GHz band, it delivered nearly
500Mb/sec and its average ping was just
13ms, with a maximum of 15ms. Its 2.4GHz
performance was solid too.
More importantly, it still largely provided
adequate performance at medium range. Its
maximum throughput at 5GHz was nearly
200Mb/sec, with an average ping of 21ms
and a maximum of 125ms (some of the
routers in our Labs test hit as maximum ping
as low as 33ms in this test). The 2.4GHz bandwas still usable too, both in terms of ping
and throughput.
At our longest-range test, though, we really
see the limitations of a single, albeit powerful,
router. The AX68U still delivered usable
signals at this range, with the speed maxing
out at 46Mb/sec and pings even being just
about manageable, at least on the 5GHz
band. However, the signal wasn’t entirely
reliable, with occasional significant pauses
and interruptions. We wouldn’t consider thisTop-end mesh systems such as the Netgear Orbi RBK852 offer blistering speeds but are very expensiveETHERNET’S PERFORMANCE NUMBERS MIGHT BE
BRILLIANT, BUT THERE’S NO GETTING AROUND ITS
SHEER INCONVENIENCE FOR MOST HOMES