What are typical wireless-n file transfer speeds?

[WelshBloke]

I'm getting 8 to 8.5 MB/sec over wireless-n for large file transfers, I was just wondering if it was worth tweaking my network to try and get any more speed or if this is as good as its going to get.

Windows task manager shows my connection as being 250-270Mbps most of the time with about 50% usage when transferring files, any way of getting the % usage up?


Cheers all

 

[YBS1]

You're about on target. I usually get speeds of anywhere between 6 to 13MBps. I think about 18MBps is theoretical peak for single direction transfer speed, and you have to account for overhead, etc. Someone can (probably will) correct me if I'm wrong.

 

[WelshBloke]

Ah cheers, I'll stop fiddling then!

 

[VirtualLarry]

You're lucky. I only get 3MB/sec over wireless N, with a 65Mbit/sec connection rate.
I have a WNR834Bv2 (actually, a pair of them in WDS), and that's as high as the router will sync at, due to either lousy firmware (early DD-WRT versions), or just general wireless interference.

It won't work in 40Mhz channel mode either, which is how you get above 150Mbit/sec.

Cannot stream HD video (Planet Earth HD-DVD rip MKV files).

 

[spidey07]

You have a really noisy environment then or are too far away or poor antenna placement or positioning.

The only thing that really matters to wireless is signal to noise ratio. That you can't use 40 means it's pretty bad.

 

[YBS1]

You're lucky. I only get 3MB/sec over wireless N, with a 65Mbit/sec connection rate.
I have a WNR834Bv2 (actually, a pair of them in WDS), and that's as high as the router will sync at, due to either lousy firmware (early DD-WRT versions), or just general wireless interference.

It won't work in 40Mhz channel mode either, which is how you get above 150Mbit/sec.

Cannot stream HD video (Planet Earth HD-DVD rip MKV files).

If distance from the router is not your issue, you really may benefit from a dual band router. It may just be that your location is saturated in the 2.4GHz band.

 

[Emulex]

what good is streaming if you can not sustain the minimum bitrate for the duration of the entire movie. that is really the problem.

 

[YBS1]

what good is streaming if you can not sustain the minimum bitrate for the duration of the entire movie. that is really the problem.

That's just it though, you can easily stream a Blu Ray rip as long as you have a solid N connection. For instance, as I stated above I don't always see 13MBps, but I never really see much below ~6MBps for large file transfers. At just 6MB per second, that's 32.4GB of data in an hour and a half. Your average hour and a half blu ray movie file will fall somewhere in the 18-28GB range. That's not to say other traffic on the network couldn't interfere if it were demanding enough, but it's not usually the case on mine.

 

[Rubycon]

It's really sensitive to noise/distance as Spidey mentioned...

I've seen 15MB/S with the PC next to the access point with everything connected to a procurve managed gigabit switch.

30 feet away the speed is down to 8MB/S.

If your host is wired with a 100Mbit adapter/switch remember it will be impossible to see anything higher than approx 12MB/S.