[GRLUG] NOT LINUX - router performance

[Michael Mol]

There's a disconnect from reality going on here. Unless you've got an
internet connection with a transfer rate reliably higher than about
5-11Mb/s, going 802.11g-only isn't going to have an Internet-related
impact. It's connection-throughput-dependent, not ISP-dependent.

However, going g-only does have advantages, as long as all the devices
in question support it.  Data sent on a lower-bitrate wifi connection
will occupy an 802.11 cell's airtime longer than a higher-bitrate one.

Think of it like attaching 10base-T and 100base-T devices to the same
hub. (Hub, not switch, not router.) The 10base-T transmitting device
will occupy the hub's bus longer for the same packet size--and there's
still a minimum packet size: the packet header.

Different devices, even if they support both 802.11b and 802.11g will
default to eithers' available connection rates based on a number of
factors such as signal strength and quality, but each device will have
its own algorithm for making that decision. A single device choosing a
lower bitrate will cause a reduction in cell bandwidth. How much a
reduction will depend on the mix of packet counts and sizes for the
network's workload.

There will be trade-offs, of course. With 802.11g and an elimination
of the lower available bitrates, you'll see a reduction in your wifi
network range based on the layout of the structure it sits in.

Your mileage will vary. Test it yourself.

On Fri, Oct 8, 2010 at 4:18 PM, Adam Erickson <adam at openfad.com> wrote:
> Has anyone tested this on home modems for verizon/comcast/at&t?
>
> On Thu, Oct 7, 2010 at 11:56 PM, Bob Kline <bob.kline at gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>> A friend read something in some Intel
>> literature which mentioned that router
>> performance could be improved by
>> selection just, say, G, rather than B/G.
>>
>> I tried this on my Linksys wireless route,
>> selecting G only.
>>
>> The results were astounding.  A 35%
>> increase in uploading speed, and a
>> 25% increase in the download speed,
>> as measured by http://www.speakeasy.net/speedtest/
>> late at night.  In fact, I get the faster
>> upload speed doing the test any time
>> of the day.
>>
>> Why?  i.e., what might be behind this?
>> I have no wireless devices that use B
>> anyway, and no real reason to have
>> the B/G option, which is the default.
>>
>> So the router spends that much effort
>> trying to decide whether to use B or G?
>>
>> The bottom line is that I've apparently
>> lost a lot of performance for a long time......
>>
>>
>>    -- Bob
>>
>>
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