What factors affect throughput test results?

When testing Wi-Fi throughput, there are a number of factors that can affect the test results and cause a difference between the actual throughput and the expected value. Here are the main factors that affect Wi-Fi throughput testing:

1. Signal strength and quality

- Distance : The further the distance between the test device and the router, the weaker the signal and the throughput will decrease.

- Obstacles : walls, furniture, metal objects, etc., weaken or reflect signals, reducing signal quality.

Interference: Surrounding wireless devices, Bluetooth, microwave ovens, etc., can interfere with Wi-Fi signals, resulting in decreased throughput.

2. Network congestion

- Number of devices on the same channel : Multiple devices sharing the same channel can cause congestion and reduce the throughput of a single device.

- Co-frequency interference : Adjacent Wi-Fi networks or devices using the same frequency band (especially 2.4GHz) can increase interference and affect throughput.

3. Channel bandwidth

- Channel width : Wider channels (such as 80 MHz or 160 MHz) provide a higher theoretical maximum rate, but are also more susceptible to interference. If the channel width is not selected properly, the actual throughput will be reduced.

- Channel selection : Channel interference may occur when the router does not automatically or manually select the best channel.

4. Equipment performance

- Wi-Fi Standard : Different Wi-Fi standards (such as Wi-Fi 4, 5, 6, 7) have different maximum speeds. Older devices do not support the latest standards and may limit throughput.

- Device hardware performance : When the CPU, memory, and network card performance of routers and client devices are insufficient, they may become bottlenecks.

- Number of antennas and MU-MIMO : Multi-antenna devices and multi-user MIMO technologies can improve throughput, and single-antenna devices may not be able to take full advantage of the performance of the router.

5. Network configuration

- Band selection : The 2.4GHz band is usually crowded, with high interference and low speed; The 5 GHz and 6 GHz bands typically offer higher throughput.

- Encryption methods : Complex encryption methods, such as WPA3, increase processing overhead and may slightly affect throughput, especially when device performance is low.

- QoS Settings : Quality Service (QoS) may preferentially allocate bandwidth to certain applications or devices, affecting test results.

6. Application layer overhead

- Transport protocol : TCP/IP has a checksum retransmission mechanism, which adds additional overhead and affects throughput. UDP usually has higher throughput, but no reliability guarantee.

- Test tools : Different test tools use different protocols and methods, which may lead to different results. Common throughput testing tools such as iPerf and Speedtest produce different results.

7. Background traffic

- Use of other devices : At the time of the test, other devices may be using the network (such as video streaming, downloading, etc.), which may affect the test results.

- Background Services : The test device itself may have background tasks that consume bandwidth (such as system updates, cloud synchronization), thus affecting throughput.

8. Firmware and driver versions

- Router Firmware : The firmware version of a router affects its performance, and optimized firmware usually improves throughput.

- Device drivers : Different versions of wireless card drivers may cause throughput differences. Keeping drivers up to date helps improve performance.

9. Test Method

- One-way or bidirectional testing : The throughput of one-way testing is usually higher than that of bidirectional (i.e. upload and download at the same time).

- Test duration and multiple tests : Short tests may not reflect network fluctuations, it is recommended to average multiple tests.

By focusing on these factors, you can more accurately understand the throughput test results and take appropriate optimization actions to improve actual performance.

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