To upgrade Wi-Fi technology or not? (802.11ac)

[toptobottom]

Our Note 3's can connect to the higher speeds of data transfer but is it feasible to upgrade yet or not?

I jumped on the Pre-N technology many years back and it paid off with some significant speed increase. With others on this forum complaining of mediocre speed this may be a possible option.

Here's a good run down in this ZDNet article. See the Comments section after for some good dialogue too.

http://www.zdnet.com/the-five-things-you-need-to-know-about-gigabit-wi-fi-802-11ac-7000017112/

 

[Rukbat]

As one of the comments points out, phone-to-internet won't see any difference until the ISPs give us gigabit internet. (And even then, ISP-to-server-you're-downloading-from will still be around 1mb/s.) Phone-to-computer via wifi will show improvement, but how many times a day do you move huge files between your phone and your computer?

My wife and I still use 802.11g, and that's far faster than our 20mbps connection to our provider, so increasing the wifi speed isn't going to show as much increase as a humid day raises the ocean.

Until the internet itself runs at 30mb/s or so, the only reason to replace my old Linksys will be failure. And even then, 802.11n will be fast enough.

(Remember, ac raises n's 300mb/s to 433mb/s - hardly a huge increase. Even in most corporate environments it's not enough to justify the expense.)

 

[toptobottom]

@Rukbat

I'm not that great with limitations but that's great clarification. It appears that it's analogous of being asked to run a 1000 horsepower dragster at full speed down a highway during rush hour traffic.

Looks like I'll sticking with my 'n' for a while!

__________________
She said, "Is that a Note 3 in your pocket or are you just excited to see me?"

 

[androidexpat]

Search would have brought up my thread and post.

http://androidforums.com/samsung-galaxy-note-3/781846-note-3-very-impressive-wifi-speeds.html

 

[toptobottom]

Your thread gives no router details - is this it the Asus with 802.11ac?

I was reading through posts on another forum and they were talking about 5GHz signals being weaker and how most devices would wind up defaulting to 2.4 GHz because of other devices/equipment in the house downgrading it.

One poster recommended going into the phones settings and changing it to have a different SSID so it does revert to the 2.4 frequency. Another poster also recommended to this to get better distance on 5 GHz as you said you had difficulty in the next room.

I would go to the router's wireless link then click Professional and look for TX power adjust and change it from the default and set it to 200mW. I've been running mine like this and I can go down the road and still have a 5Ghz connections.

 

[steve31]

I have the new Apple router with 802.11ac and don't see a huge difference in network speed with the Note 3. I say save some bucks and stick with 802.11n.

 

[The_Chief]

I bought a Netgear 1850 ac router and upgraded my cable Internet speed from 15 to 30 MBPS. The difference, even on n devices, is awesome enough... but the Note 3's wifi speeds are off the chart amazing! YMMV, of course, depending all on the bandwidth coming into it. But it's the best thing I've done in awhile, other than buying this phone

 

[Methos1979]

While I'm unsure about the speed issue, I wonder if upgrading to the new standard would help with the intermittent wifi connection issues some are having. You know, latest technology router makes for easier connection and less issues with new latest technology phone...

Has anyone upgraded to the new ac standard (or just gone a newer model n standard) router and found improved wifi connection?

 

[Roymus]

I upgraded my home router from an Asus N56U (wireless n) to the latest Netgear AC router. I took informal speed measurements using the speedtest app with my Note 3 before and after (i.e., wireless n and ac). I have a pretty fast cable modem connection from Charter (I usually get 35 - 45 Mbps download on speedtest). While there did appear to be a speed boost going to ac (maybe 3-5 Mbps) it probably wasn't enough to justify the cost of the upgrade based on speed alone. However, I'd been having problems with the Asus router setting up port forwarding and static IP addressing, and the Netgear blows it out of the water in that regard...their firmware is much better IMO. Plus, the Netgear provides a better connection at a greater distance from the router, so overall I'm happy with the upgrade.

Bottom line, if you're looking for a significant speed boost with ac, you'll spend a bundle (most ac routers are $200) and you probably won't get it over a good wireless n router. However, if you're having problems with signal strength in general with your current home router, the new ac routers are pretty powerful and you should get a stronger, more reliable connection. However, my N3 experienced similar connect speeds and range for both...which is as much a testament to the quality of the wireless radio in the phone as anything else.