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How to Get 300 Mbps on an 802.11n Network
Channel bonding can push your network speed to its theoretical limit
By Bradley Mitchell Bradley Mitchell Writer Massachusetts Institute of Technology University of Illinois An MIT graduate who brings years of technical experience to articles on SEO, computers, and wireless networking. lifewire's editorial guidelines Updated on June 30, 2021 Reviewed by Jessica Kormos Reviewed by Jessica Kormos Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College Jessica Kormos is a writer and editor with 15 years' experience writing articles, copy, and UX content for Tecca.com, Rosenfeld Media, and many others. lifewire's editorial guidelines Tweet Share Email Tweet Share Email Home Networking The Wireless Connection Routers & Firewalls Network Hubs ISP Broadband Ethernet Installing & Upgrading Wi-Fi & Wireless What to Know
Wireless-N broadband routers and network adapters must be linked and running in channel bonding mode to run at max speed.Some 802.11n gear cannot support channel bonding. This article explains the requirements for an 802.11n connection to run at its maximum speed. John Lamb / Getty Images 802 11n and Channel Bonding
An 802.11n Wi-Fi network connection supports up to 300 Mbps of rated theoretical bandwidth under best-case conditions. However, an 802.11n link sometimes operates at slower speeds like 150 Mbps and below. For an 802.11n connection to run at its maximum speed, Wireless-N broadband routers and network adapters must be linked and running in what's called channel bonding mode. In 802.11n, bonding uses two adjacent Wi-Fi channels simultaneously to double the wireless link bandwidth compared to 802.11b/g. The 802.11n standard specifies 300 Mbps theoretical bandwidth is available when using channel bonding. Without it, about 50 percent of this bandwidth is lost (actually slightly more due to protocol overhead considerations), and in those cases, 802.11n equipment generally reports connections in the 130 to 150 Mbps rated range. Channel bonding increases the risk of interfering with nearby Wi-Fi networks due to the increased spectrum and power it consumes. Set Up 802 11n Channel Bonding
802.11n products normally do not enable channel bonding by default. Instead, these products run in conventional single-channel mode to keep the risk of interference low. Both the router and Wireless-N clients must be configured to run in a channel bonding mode together to achieve any performance benefit. The steps to configure channel bonding vary depending on the product. The software sometimes refers to single-channel mode as 20 MHz operations (20 MHz being the width of a Wi-Fi channel) and channel bonding mode as 40 MHz operations. Consult your router's documentation for instructions about activating channel bonding mode. Limitations of 802 11n Channel Bonding
802.11n equipment can ultimately fail to run in the maximum (300 Mbps) performance range for these reasons: Some 802.11n gear cannot support channel bonding. For example, this mode of wireless signaling is government-regulated in certain countries like the UK. If the 802.11n network includes any 802.11b/g clients, network performance might be negatively affected, depending on the router's capabilities. Because 802.11b/g clients do not support channel bonding, these must be set up properly with a mixed-mode Wireless-N router to minimize performance impact. Interference from other 802.11n networks nearby can prevent a Wireless-N router from sustaining channel bonded connections. Some Wireless-N routers automatically fall back to single-channel operation when they detect wireless interference on the channels. Even if a connection can run at 300 Mbps, it doesn't mean that devices can download and upload data that fast. One major reason for this is that the ISP subscription doesn't allow high speeds (like if you're only paying for 100 Mbps). As with other networking standards, applications running on an 802.11n network typically see less actual bandwidth than the rated maximums imply, even with channel bonding in place. A 300 Mbps rated 802.11n connection often yields 200 Mbps or less of user data throughput. Single Band vs Dual Band 802 11n
Some Wireless-N routers (so-called N600 products) advertise support for 600 Mbps speeds. These routers do not provide 600 Mbps of bandwidth on a single connection but 300 Mbps channel bonded connections on each of the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz frequency bands. Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day Subscribe Tell us why! Other Not enough details Hard to understand Submit More from Lifewire 5 Things to Consider Before Buying a Wireless Router How to Connect Two Routers on a Home Network How to Fix Wi-Fi Connection Drops Wireless Standards Explained: 802.11ax, 802.11ac, 802.11b/g/n How to Fix Wi-Fi Authentication Problems on Android How Fast Is a Wi-Fi Network? Can't Connect to the Internet? Try These 10 Tips Upgrade Your Home Network to Wireless N or Better The Ultimate Router Buying Guide The 9 Best Linksys Routers of 2022 How Many Devices Can One Wireless Router Handle? When and How to Turn Off Wi-Fi on Your Devices Wireless FAQ - What Is 802.11? How Fast Is DSL Internet Service? How to Improve the Wi-Fi Range of a Laptop The 9 Best 802.11ac Wi-Fi Wireless Routers of 2022 Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. Cookies Settings Accept All Cookies