why am i getting 11mbps on a wireless-n network?

I have a "Linksys AC1200" router which supports 802.11ac and I have a Dell Latitude (with Win7) with a "Dell Wireless 1504 802.11b/g/n (2.4GHz)" network adapter. Since 802.11ac is backwards compatible with 802.11n, as I understand it, it seems like I should be getting wireless-n speeds. But I'm not.

When I right click on the network connection and select Properties I see that my speed is 11.0 Mbps. It seems to me that my network speed should be a lot faster. Any idea as to why it isn't?

neubert

Posted 2014-09-14T17:30:43.787

Reputation: 3 991

Answers

Your AP may be set to 'b' mode, limiting it to 11mbps. A mixed b/g can get you up to 54mpbs, but if you attach a 'b' device, it may drop down to 11mbps. Make sure that you have the router set to 'n' mode. Some AP's may even be configurable to not connect to 'b' devices.

David Paige

Posted 2014-09-14T17:30:43.787

Reputation: 309

The speed reflected in Task Manager only shows the negotiated speed of the connection (the speed at which the AP and your computer agreed to transmit/receive at). There may be too much interference or not enough signal to communicate at higher speeds. This can happen if there are a lot of wireless APs in your area, or if you are too far away from the base station.

Wes Sayeed

Posted 2014-09-14T17:30:43.787

Reputation: 12 024

There are several utilities you can use in Windows to see what wireless networks are available. If a channel is congested, you can change the AP to a better channel. You can also see what the signal strength is for the wireless networks. Try WifiInfoView (http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/wifi_information_view.html), Acrylic wifi Free (https://www.acrylicwifi.com/en/wlan-software/wlan-scanner-acrylic-wifi-free/), or inSSIDer (http://inssider.en.lo4d.com/).

– David Paige – 2014-09-14T23:35:23.990