Why is WiFi performance only 60-70% of what they claim?

BradenHeat

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Well said!

Actually I have seen quite some people who are quite technical yet they do not mind using Singtel ONR and Singtel provided mesh solution, even though I tell them that both are lousy. Reason is simple, it is good enough for their simple use case at home. Their technical interests are not in home networking but rather other aspects.

Then some of them may listen to my advice and change to a different ISP and get a better Asus router. But that is it. They will not tinker much with the Asus router just set and forget. Again, Their technical interests are not in home networking but rather other aspects.
i would still tell folks either dont ask me for ONR singtel related advice, or move to a better provider and then i can put in the work as a friend of family.


half the time how singtel ONR is controlled, is really :s22:
 

Mach3.2

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doesnt help when my lecturers at that time were focused more on whens the next school break rather than actual solid information, when asked or enquired.
I think not many people can say they had an excellent experience in school... 🤣



I actively tell people to avoid this **** for fibre broadband... 🌚
 

BradenHeat

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Well to be honest, we do have the capability to connect to other countries at up to 10Gbps. However, most websites are commercial websites or those websites are own by some businesses or private companies. Most such businesses will want to have maximum profit so they will not spend too much to upgrade to support 10Gbps speed and some files on their website may be quite small and do not need to have 10Gbps download speed at all. Our download speed may be still at 1Gbps most of the time. Then you may wonder why Henry sign up 10Gbps Homehub+. I just like their 4k UHD TV contents like EPL and their bundled Apps and the ability to use wifi that is beyond 1Gbps which is not possible if i am on 1Gbps plan. Now i have the freedom to surf any where within my home with my laptop. I am happy.

again, i wish apart from JP and korea, my foremost priority is Hanoi if possible [ their network coverage is decent but ground up is really abysmal to work into and up ]
 

BradenHeat

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I think not many people can say they had an excellent experience in school... 🤣




I actively tell people to avoid this **** for fibre broadband... 🌚
No leh, my ITE days, 1hr piak dota with the lecture, then 3hrs on focus study and hands-on, it was really fun days being the 2nd pioneer at simei


hmm did you edit your post ? lols :o:s34::crazy::s13:
 

Mach3.2

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No leh, my ITE days, 1hr piak dota with the lecture, then 3hrs on focus study and hands-on, it was really fun days being the 2nd pioneer at simei
It's really the hands on part that made you learn and retain knowledge. but of course you need to roughly know what's going on so you can move along during the lab session. :s13:

hmm did you edit your post ? lols :o:s34::crazy::s13:
I did, don't want to clutter up the thread with 2 back to back posts. :o
 

BradenHeat

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Technology just moves and I will not say it is a waste of resouce and learning time.

10Gbps Fibre and the corresponding 10G capable WiFi 7 router will take some time to be the main stream (say in 2027/2028 in Singapore). At that time maybe there will be no more 1Gbps plan and the minimum will be 2.5Gbps plan.

In the end, we do not need to be in the cutting edge. I am not going to subscribe to 10Gbps plan now. I am not going to buy a 10G capable true WiFi 7 router either. Rather I will wait then both become the main stream.

Still that does not prevent me from learning more about 10G and WiFi 7.


interestingly,


because where im working at , new folks coming in, and i was taught this line to try on my firewalla purple [ coworker]


Code:
ip route | while read p; do ip route change $p initcwnd 15 initrwnd 15; done
sysctl -w net.ipv4.tcp_slow_start_after_idle=0
sysctl -w net.core.default_qdisc=fq
sysctl -w net.ipv4.tcp_congestion_control=bbr

doing some testing via LAN
 

Henry Ng

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my wifi speed test using chrome. If i am on 1Gbps plan, no way to get such speed to Japan la while on wifi.


16124220743.png



16124241086.png
 
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xiaofan

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Why 600Mbps over wireless not good? :s13:

If you need more speed you should be using wired ethernet anyway.

600Mbps Internet Speed over Wireless is good.

However, you can see from Henry's test results that it is quite easy to exceed 1Gbps internet wireless speed with 2x2 WiFi 6 client [PHY Speed of 2402Mbps for 2x2 160MHz channel widh and 1024 QAM] if the WAN Speed is not the limit (2.5Gbps plan or 10Gbps plan).

It should be easy to exceed 2 Gbps wireless speed for 2x2 6GHz client [5764Mbps PHY Speed for 2x2 320MHz channel width and 4096QAM, 4800Mbps with 1024QAM) in close range when WiFi 7 clients becomes more popular. Proper MLO implementation may even boost that to be above 3Gbps or even higher (say 4Gbps or even 5Gbps if using 5GHz+6GHz MLO if the client supports that).

From what I read WiFi 8 will focus on WiFi reliability but they will also want to boost the 2x2 client to approach 10Gbps PHY Speed which may translate to 6Gbps wireless speed.

Then I can also boost the far range speed WiFi speed at home to be above 1Gbps for WiFi 7/8.

I am firmly in the wireless camp. I have a small 2.5G wired network in the ONT area (Asus RT-AX86U, two Intel N100 Mini PC with 2.5G ports, ZTE BE7200 Pro+ with dual 2.5G ports, and an 2.5G capable smart switch on order). In the future, this small networkmay be upgraded to a 10G capable network. However, I have no plan to wire up the rooms. I foresee that I will use wireless mainly (say WiFi 6 now, WiFi 7 in 2026 and WiFi 8 in 2030) for my Windows/Mac computers.

There may be exceptions if FTTR becomes more flexible and the cost comes down, then maybe I will get the room "wired" with Fibre. Singtel just starts the FTTR 10Gbps plan (aggregated, each room is up to 2.5Gbps) but it is both expensive and inflexible. Not so sure if FTTR will become the main stream in 2030 or not.
 
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buttertrade69

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Well to be honest, we do have the capability to connect to other countries at up to 10Gbps. However, most websites are commercial websites or those websites are own by some businesses or private companies. Most such businesses will want to have maximum profit so they will not spend too much to upgrade to support 10Gbps speed and some files on their website may be quite small and do not need to have 10Gbps download speed at all. Our download speed may be still at 1Gbps most of the time. Then you may wonder why Henry sign up 10Gbps Homehub+. I just like their 4k UHD TV contents like EPL and their bundled Apps and the ability to use wifi that is beyond 1Gbps which is not possible if i am on 1Gbps plan. Now i have the freedom to surf any where within my home with my laptop. I am happy.
Actually I keep see people said we have 10G but oversea don't have so no point to get 10G. I think the person have the mindset that only single user at home and only 1 pc is connected to internet.

If at home family of 6 (3 Generation) Grandparents who will watch facebook streaming or youtube or Starhub TV, and the parents need to work or entertainment and the kids might be content creator need to upload video or watch video and etc....

each users don't use 10G but if all these activities when aggregate up, it will definitely has the potential to utilize the 10G capacity.

So what i think the most important thing is at our end we need to make sure we can achieve 10G locally first.
 

Henry Ng

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600Mbps Internet Speed over Wireless is good.

However, you can see from Henry's test results that it is quite easy to exceed 1Gbps internet wireless speed with 2x2 WiFi 6 client [PHY Speed of 2402Mbps for 2x2 160MHz channel widh and 1024 QAM] if the WAN Speed is not the limit (2.5Gbps plan or 10Gbps plan).

It should be easy to exceed 2 Gbps wireless speed for 2x2 6GHz client [5764Mbps PHY Speed for 2x2 320MHz channel width and 4096QAM, 4800Mbps with 1024QAM) in close range when WiFi 7 clients becomes more popular. Proper MLO implementation may even boost that to be above 3Gbps or even higher (say 4Gbps or even 5Gbps if using 5GHz+6GHz MLO if the client supports that).

From what I read WiFi 8 will focus on WiFi reliability but they will also want to boost the 2x2 client to approach 10Gbps PHY Speed which may translate to 6Gbps wireless speed.

Then I can also boost the far range speed WiFi speed at home to be above 1Gbps for WiFi 7/8.

I am firmly in the wireless camp. I have a small 2.5G wired network in the ONT area (Asus RT-AX86U, two Intel N100 Mini PC with 2.5G ports, ZTE BE7200 Pro+ with dual 2.5G ports, and an 2.5G capable smart switch on order). In the future, this small networkmay be upgraded to a 10G capable network. However, I have no plan to wire up the rooms. I foresee that I will use wireless mainly (say WiFi 6 now, WiFi 7 in 2026 and WiFi 8 in 2030) for my Windows/Mac computers.

There may be exceptions if FTTR becomes more flexible and the cost comes down, then maybe I will get the room "wired" with Fibre. Singtel just starts the FTTR 10Gbps plan (aggregated, each room is up to 2.5Gbps) but it is both expensive and inflexible. Not so sure if FTTR will become the main stream in 2030 or not.
yes can easily get beyond 1Gbps even 3 to 6m away if use wifi 6/7 and on 10Gbps plan. Even speed test to japan.
 
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Henry Ng

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Actually I keep see people said we have 10G but oversea don't have so no point to get 10G. I think the person have the mindset that only single user at home and only 1 pc is connected to internet.

If at home family of 6 (3 Generation) Grandparents who will watch facebook streaming or youtube or Starhub TV, and the parents need to work or entertainment and the kids might be content creator need to upload video or watch video and etc....

each users don't use 10G but if all these activities when aggregate up, it will definitely has the potential to utilize the 10G capacity.

So what i think the most important thing is at our end we need to make sure we can achieve 10G locally first.
Agreed, especially for big family and many devices online. Nowadays washer got wifi, aircon got wifi, smart camera and others all wifi or cable connection.
 

xiaofan

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Even though I myself will stick to wireless for the devices in the rooms, however, I do agree it is better to use wired connection if you have LAN ports in the rooms. If you use mesh solutions, try to use Ethernet backhaul whenever possible.

Wireless connection does have quite some limitations, this is especially true for older HDB/Condo units with thick walls. For example, between my service yard area (part of the kitchen area) and the router, there are two walls (one thick wall and the other may not be as thick).

The 5GHz signals drop below -70dBm (around -75 dBm to -72 dBm as per Homedale for my Acer Windows 11 laptop using Intel AX201 WiFi 6 adapter). The latency goes up a lot even though the speed is still usable, especially the upload latency since the laptop may have lower Tx power than the router.

Tested with both RT-AX86U and ZTE BE7200 Pro+ (both have good wireless coverage).

Bash:
PS C:\work\speedtest\ookla-speedtest-1.2.0-win64> .\speedtest.exe -s 13623

   Speedtest by Ookla

      Server: Singtel - Singapore (id: 13623)
         ISP: Singtel Fibre
Idle Latency:     3.09 ms   (jitter: 0.40ms, low: 2.87ms, high: 3.65ms)
    Download:   167.98 Mbps (data used: 275.0 MB)
                 33.26 ms   (jitter: 26.81ms, low: 3.98ms, high: 432.33ms)
      Upload:    89.12 Mbps (data used: 103.5 MB)
                284.58 ms   (jitter: 77.82ms, low: 5.32ms, high: 555.91ms)
 Packet Loss:     0.0%
  Result URL: https://www.speedtest.net/result/c/992f2e49-b469-4df5-826c-0ddeefd5b545
PS C:\work\speedtest\ookla-speedtest-1.2.0-win64> .\speedtest.exe -s 13623

   Speedtest by Ookla

      Server: Singtel - Singapore (id: 13623)
         ISP: Singtel Fibre
Idle Latency:     4.46 ms   (jitter: 2.02ms, low: 3.81ms, high: 7.57ms)
    Download:   144.74 Mbps (data used: 228.1 MB)
                 42.52 ms   (jitter: 25.02ms, low: 4.86ms, high: 197.46ms)
      Upload:    54.54 Mbps (data used: 88.9 MB)
                484.11 ms   (jitter: 93.31ms, low: 13.48ms, high: 1425.15ms)
 Packet Loss:     0.0%
  Result URL: https://www.speedtest.net/result/c/b86ef48d-bb4a-4f73-9ab3-9fdcbb165477
PS C:\work\speedtest\ookla-speedtest-1.2.0-win64> .\speedtest.exe -s 13623

   Speedtest by Ookla

      Server: Singtel - Singapore (id: 13623)
         ISP: Singtel Fibre
Idle Latency:     4.39 ms   (jitter: 15.98ms, low: 3.23ms, high: 63.66ms)
    Download:   170.07 Mbps (data used: 292.3 MB)
                 42.58 ms   (jitter: 30.03ms, low: 6.50ms, high: 267.21ms)
      Upload:    60.68 Mbps (data used: 96.9 MB)
                366.18 ms   (jitter: 82.30ms, low: 6.43ms, high: 928.69ms)
 Packet Loss:     0.0%
  Result URL: https://www.speedtest.net/result/c/f64c054e-5072-4010-a594-7dbb231f2786
PS C:\work\speedtest\ookla-speedtest-1.2.0-win64> .\speedtest.exe -s 13623

   Speedtest by Ookla

      Server: Singtel - Singapore (id: 13623)
         ISP: Singtel Fibre
Idle Latency:     2.60 ms   (jitter: 0.15ms, low: 2.54ms, high: 3.03ms)
    Download:   173.71 Mbps (data used: 306.6 MB)
                 25.43 ms   (jitter: 23.42ms, low: 5.34ms, high: 140.18ms)
      Upload:   108.16 Mbps (data used: 132.7 MB)
                179.24 ms   (jitter: 57.86ms, low: 12.80ms, high: 394.09ms)
 Packet Loss:     0.0%
  Result URL: https://www.speedtest.net/result/c/1ec28f90-10d0-40dc-a139-eb5dc2cd6574

Close range the latency is much better.
Bash:
PS C:\work\speedtest\ookla-speedtest-1.2.0-win64> .\speedtest.exe -s 13623

   Speedtest by Ookla

      Server: Singtel - Singapore (id: 13623)
         ISP: Singtel Fibre
Idle Latency:     3.09 ms   (jitter: 0.40ms, low: 2.87ms, high: 3.65ms)
    Download:   167.98 Mbps (data used: 275.0 MB)
                 33.26 ms   (jitter: 26.81ms, low: 3.98ms, high: 432.33ms)
      Upload:    89.12 Mbps (data used: 103.5 MB)
                284.58 ms   (jitter: 77.82ms, low: 5.32ms, high: 555.91ms)
 Packet Loss:     0.0%
  Result URL: https://www.speedtest.net/result/c/992f2e49-b469-4df5-826c-0ddeefd5b545
PS C:\work\speedtest\ookla-speedtest-1.2.0-win64> .\speedtest.exe -s 13623

   Speedtest by Ookla

      Server: Singtel - Singapore (id: 13623)
         ISP: Singtel Fibre
Idle Latency:     4.46 ms   (jitter: 2.02ms, low: 3.81ms, high: 7.57ms)
    Download:   144.74 Mbps (data used: 228.1 MB)
                 42.52 ms   (jitter: 25.02ms, low: 4.86ms, high: 197.46ms)
      Upload:    54.54 Mbps (data used: 88.9 MB)
                484.11 ms   (jitter: 93.31ms, low: 13.48ms, high: 1425.15ms)
 Packet Loss:     0.0%
  Result URL: https://www.speedtest.net/result/c/b86ef48d-bb4a-4f73-9ab3-9fdcbb165477
PS C:\work\speedtest\ookla-speedtest-1.2.0-win64> .\speedtest.exe -s 13623

   Speedtest by Ookla

      Server: Singtel - Singapore (id: 13623)
         ISP: Singtel Fibre
Idle Latency:     4.39 ms   (jitter: 15.98ms, low: 3.23ms, high: 63.66ms)
    Download:   170.07 Mbps (data used: 292.3 MB)
                 42.58 ms   (jitter: 30.03ms, low: 6.50ms, high: 267.21ms)
      Upload:    60.68 Mbps (data used: 96.9 MB)
                366.18 ms   (jitter: 82.30ms, low: 6.43ms, high: 928.69ms)
 Packet Loss:     0.0%
  Result URL: https://www.speedtest.net/result/c/f64c054e-5072-4010-a594-7dbb231f2786
PS C:\work\speedtest\ookla-speedtest-1.2.0-win64> .\speedtest.exe -s 13623

   Speedtest by Ookla

      Server: Singtel - Singapore (id: 13623)
         ISP: Singtel Fibre
Idle Latency:     2.60 ms   (jitter: 0.15ms, low: 2.54ms, high: 3.03ms)
    Download:   173.71 Mbps (data used: 306.6 MB)
                 25.43 ms   (jitter: 23.42ms, low: 5.34ms, high: 140.18ms)
      Upload:   108.16 Mbps (data used: 132.7 MB)
                179.24 ms   (jitter: 57.86ms, low: 12.80ms, high: 394.09ms)
 Packet Loss:     0.0%
  Result URL: https://www.speedtest.net/result/c/1ec28f90-10d0-40dc-a139-eb5dc2cd6574

Reference:
https://dongknows.com/wi-fi-signal-strength-dbm-explained/
Here are the general dBm readouts for Wi-Fi in the US that might not fully apply to other regions or other wireless communication methods such as cellular:

  • North of -30 dBm: Too good to be true, or signal saturation (not good).
  • -30 dBm: The best possible.
  • -50 dBm: Excellent signals.
  • -60 dBm: Very good signals.
  • -65 dBm: Good, reliable signals. Up to now, you've always had full bars.
  • -70 dBm: This is the threshold where you might have lost one signal bar or even more. But the connection is still solid.
  • -75 dBm: This is where things start getting problematic, but the connection might still be usable.
  • -80 dBm: Borderline useless—you barely have just one bar.
  • -90 dBm: The signal is really weak, and (almost) impossible to connect to.
  • South of -90 dBm: Forget about it.
 
Last edited:

buttertrade69

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Agreed, especially for big family and many devices online. Nowadays washer got wifi, aircon got wifi, smart camera and others all wifi or cable connection.
Yeah, that is what the government referring to when the budget announce about investment on 10g infrastructure. More IoT device, more smart device which always connected to internet and bigger data stream. all this require bigger bandwidth.
 

Henry Ng

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Even though I myself will stick to wireless for the devices in the rooms, however, I do agree it is better to use wired connection if you have LAN ports in the rooms. If you use mesh solutions, try to use Ethernet backhaul whenever possible.

Wireless connection does have quite some limitations, this is especially true for older HDB/Condo units with thick walls. For example, between my service yard area (part of the kitchen area) and the router, there are two walls (one thick wall and the other may not be as thick).

The 5GHz signals drop below -70dBm (around -75 dBm to -72 dBm as per Homedale for my Acer Windows 11 laptop using Intel AX201 WiFi 6 adapter). The latency goes up a lot even though the speed is still usable, especially the upload latency since the laptop may have lower Tx power than the router.

Tested with both RT-AX86U and ZTE BE7200 Pro+ (both have good wireless coverage).

Bash:
PS C:\work\speedtest\ookla-speedtest-1.2.0-win64> .\speedtest.exe -s 13623

   Speedtest by Ookla

      Server: Singtel - Singapore (id: 13623)
         ISP: Singtel Fibre
Idle Latency:     3.09 ms   (jitter: 0.40ms, low: 2.87ms, high: 3.65ms)
    Download:   167.98 Mbps (data used: 275.0 MB)
                 33.26 ms   (jitter: 26.81ms, low: 3.98ms, high: 432.33ms)
      Upload:    89.12 Mbps (data used: 103.5 MB)
                284.58 ms   (jitter: 77.82ms, low: 5.32ms, high: 555.91ms)
 Packet Loss:     0.0%
  Result URL: https://www.speedtest.net/result/c/992f2e49-b469-4df5-826c-0ddeefd5b545
PS C:\work\speedtest\ookla-speedtest-1.2.0-win64> .\speedtest.exe -s 13623

   Speedtest by Ookla

      Server: Singtel - Singapore (id: 13623)
         ISP: Singtel Fibre
Idle Latency:     4.46 ms   (jitter: 2.02ms, low: 3.81ms, high: 7.57ms)
    Download:   144.74 Mbps (data used: 228.1 MB)
                 42.52 ms   (jitter: 25.02ms, low: 4.86ms, high: 197.46ms)
      Upload:    54.54 Mbps (data used: 88.9 MB)
                484.11 ms   (jitter: 93.31ms, low: 13.48ms, high: 1425.15ms)
 Packet Loss:     0.0%
  Result URL: https://www.speedtest.net/result/c/b86ef48d-bb4a-4f73-9ab3-9fdcbb165477
PS C:\work\speedtest\ookla-speedtest-1.2.0-win64> .\speedtest.exe -s 13623

   Speedtest by Ookla

      Server: Singtel - Singapore (id: 13623)
         ISP: Singtel Fibre
Idle Latency:     4.39 ms   (jitter: 15.98ms, low: 3.23ms, high: 63.66ms)
    Download:   170.07 Mbps (data used: 292.3 MB)
                 42.58 ms   (jitter: 30.03ms, low: 6.50ms, high: 267.21ms)
      Upload:    60.68 Mbps (data used: 96.9 MB)
                366.18 ms   (jitter: 82.30ms, low: 6.43ms, high: 928.69ms)
 Packet Loss:     0.0%
  Result URL: https://www.speedtest.net/result/c/f64c054e-5072-4010-a594-7dbb231f2786
PS C:\work\speedtest\ookla-speedtest-1.2.0-win64> .\speedtest.exe -s 13623

   Speedtest by Ookla

      Server: Singtel - Singapore (id: 13623)
         ISP: Singtel Fibre
Idle Latency:     2.60 ms   (jitter: 0.15ms, low: 2.54ms, high: 3.03ms)
    Download:   173.71 Mbps (data used: 306.6 MB)
                 25.43 ms   (jitter: 23.42ms, low: 5.34ms, high: 140.18ms)
      Upload:   108.16 Mbps (data used: 132.7 MB)
                179.24 ms   (jitter: 57.86ms, low: 12.80ms, high: 394.09ms)
 Packet Loss:     0.0%
  Result URL: https://www.speedtest.net/result/c/1ec28f90-10d0-40dc-a139-eb5dc2cd6574

Close range the latency is much better.
Bash:
PS C:\work\speedtest\ookla-speedtest-1.2.0-win64> .\speedtest.exe -s 13623

   Speedtest by Ookla

      Server: Singtel - Singapore (id: 13623)
         ISP: Singtel Fibre
Idle Latency:     3.09 ms   (jitter: 0.40ms, low: 2.87ms, high: 3.65ms)
    Download:   167.98 Mbps (data used: 275.0 MB)
                 33.26 ms   (jitter: 26.81ms, low: 3.98ms, high: 432.33ms)
      Upload:    89.12 Mbps (data used: 103.5 MB)
                284.58 ms   (jitter: 77.82ms, low: 5.32ms, high: 555.91ms)
 Packet Loss:     0.0%
  Result URL: https://www.speedtest.net/result/c/992f2e49-b469-4df5-826c-0ddeefd5b545
PS C:\work\speedtest\ookla-speedtest-1.2.0-win64> .\speedtest.exe -s 13623

   Speedtest by Ookla

      Server: Singtel - Singapore (id: 13623)
         ISP: Singtel Fibre
Idle Latency:     4.46 ms   (jitter: 2.02ms, low: 3.81ms, high: 7.57ms)
    Download:   144.74 Mbps (data used: 228.1 MB)
                 42.52 ms   (jitter: 25.02ms, low: 4.86ms, high: 197.46ms)
      Upload:    54.54 Mbps (data used: 88.9 MB)
                484.11 ms   (jitter: 93.31ms, low: 13.48ms, high: 1425.15ms)
 Packet Loss:     0.0%
  Result URL: https://www.speedtest.net/result/c/b86ef48d-bb4a-4f73-9ab3-9fdcbb165477
PS C:\work\speedtest\ookla-speedtest-1.2.0-win64> .\speedtest.exe -s 13623

   Speedtest by Ookla

      Server: Singtel - Singapore (id: 13623)
         ISP: Singtel Fibre
Idle Latency:     4.39 ms   (jitter: 15.98ms, low: 3.23ms, high: 63.66ms)
    Download:   170.07 Mbps (data used: 292.3 MB)
                 42.58 ms   (jitter: 30.03ms, low: 6.50ms, high: 267.21ms)
      Upload:    60.68 Mbps (data used: 96.9 MB)
                366.18 ms   (jitter: 82.30ms, low: 6.43ms, high: 928.69ms)
 Packet Loss:     0.0%
  Result URL: https://www.speedtest.net/result/c/f64c054e-5072-4010-a594-7dbb231f2786
PS C:\work\speedtest\ookla-speedtest-1.2.0-win64> .\speedtest.exe -s 13623

   Speedtest by Ookla

      Server: Singtel - Singapore (id: 13623)
         ISP: Singtel Fibre
Idle Latency:     2.60 ms   (jitter: 0.15ms, low: 2.54ms, high: 3.03ms)
    Download:   173.71 Mbps (data used: 306.6 MB)
                 25.43 ms   (jitter: 23.42ms, low: 5.34ms, high: 140.18ms)
      Upload:   108.16 Mbps (data used: 132.7 MB)
                179.24 ms   (jitter: 57.86ms, low: 12.80ms, high: 394.09ms)
 Packet Loss:     0.0%
  Result URL: https://www.speedtest.net/result/c/1ec28f90-10d0-40dc-a139-eb5dc2cd6574

Reference:
https://dongknows.com/wi-fi-signal-strength-dbm-explained/
Here are the general dBm readouts for Wi-Fi in the US that might not fully apply to other regions or other wireless communication methods such as cellular:

  • North of -30 dBm: Too good to be true, or signal saturation (not good).
  • -30 dBm: The best possible.
  • -50 dBm: Excellent signals.
  • -60 dBm: Very good signals.
  • -65 dBm: Good, reliable signals. Up to now, you've always had full bars.
  • -70 dBm: This is the threshold where you might have lost one signal bar or even more. But the connection is still solid.
  • -75 dBm: This is where things start getting problematic, but the connection might still be usable.
  • -80 dBm: Borderline useless—you barely have just one bar.
  • -90 dBm: The signal is really weak, and (almost) impossible to connect to.
  • South of -90 dBm: Forget about it.
now new flat all got cable connection from DB box to the rooms. The DB box is near the living room. Can have a second router inside one room. The door of the DB box can change to something that can help the wifi to flow around.
 

hwzlite

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Even though I myself will stick to wireless for the devices in the rooms, however, I do agree it is better to use wired connection if you have LAN ports in the rooms. If you use mesh solutions, try to use Ethernet backhaul whenever possible.

Wireless connection does have quite some limitations, this is especially true for older HDB/Condo units with thick walls. For example, between my service yard area (part of the kitchen area) and the router, there are two walls (one thick wall and the other may not be as thick).

The 5GHz signals drop below -70dBm (around -75 dBm to -72 dBm as per Homedale for my Acer Windows 11 laptop using Intel AX201 WiFi 6 adapter). The latency goes up a lot even though the speed is still usable, especially the upload latency since the laptop may have lower Tx power than the router.

Tested with both RT-AX86U and ZTE BE7200 Pro+ (both have good wireless coverage).

Bash:
PS C:\work\speedtest\ookla-speedtest-1.2.0-win64> .\speedtest.exe -s 13623

   Speedtest by Ookla

      Server: Singtel - Singapore (id: 13623)
         ISP: Singtel Fibre
Idle Latency:     3.09 ms   (jitter: 0.40ms, low: 2.87ms, high: 3.65ms)
    Download:   167.98 Mbps (data used: 275.0 MB)
                 33.26 ms   (jitter: 26.81ms, low: 3.98ms, high: 432.33ms)
      Upload:    89.12 Mbps (data used: 103.5 MB)
                284.58 ms   (jitter: 77.82ms, low: 5.32ms, high: 555.91ms)
 Packet Loss:     0.0%
  Result URL: https://www.speedtest.net/result/c/992f2e49-b469-4df5-826c-0ddeefd5b545
PS C:\work\speedtest\ookla-speedtest-1.2.0-win64> .\speedtest.exe -s 13623

   Speedtest by Ookla

      Server: Singtel - Singapore (id: 13623)
         ISP: Singtel Fibre
Idle Latency:     4.46 ms   (jitter: 2.02ms, low: 3.81ms, high: 7.57ms)
    Download:   144.74 Mbps (data used: 228.1 MB)
                 42.52 ms   (jitter: 25.02ms, low: 4.86ms, high: 197.46ms)
      Upload:    54.54 Mbps (data used: 88.9 MB)
                484.11 ms   (jitter: 93.31ms, low: 13.48ms, high: 1425.15ms)
 Packet Loss:     0.0%
  Result URL: https://www.speedtest.net/result/c/b86ef48d-bb4a-4f73-9ab3-9fdcbb165477
PS C:\work\speedtest\ookla-speedtest-1.2.0-win64> .\speedtest.exe -s 13623

   Speedtest by Ookla

      Server: Singtel - Singapore (id: 13623)
         ISP: Singtel Fibre
Idle Latency:     4.39 ms   (jitter: 15.98ms, low: 3.23ms, high: 63.66ms)
    Download:   170.07 Mbps (data used: 292.3 MB)
                 42.58 ms   (jitter: 30.03ms, low: 6.50ms, high: 267.21ms)
      Upload:    60.68 Mbps (data used: 96.9 MB)
                366.18 ms   (jitter: 82.30ms, low: 6.43ms, high: 928.69ms)
 Packet Loss:     0.0%
  Result URL: https://www.speedtest.net/result/c/f64c054e-5072-4010-a594-7dbb231f2786
PS C:\work\speedtest\ookla-speedtest-1.2.0-win64> .\speedtest.exe -s 13623

   Speedtest by Ookla

      Server: Singtel - Singapore (id: 13623)
         ISP: Singtel Fibre
Idle Latency:     2.60 ms   (jitter: 0.15ms, low: 2.54ms, high: 3.03ms)
    Download:   173.71 Mbps (data used: 306.6 MB)
                 25.43 ms   (jitter: 23.42ms, low: 5.34ms, high: 140.18ms)
      Upload:   108.16 Mbps (data used: 132.7 MB)
                179.24 ms   (jitter: 57.86ms, low: 12.80ms, high: 394.09ms)
 Packet Loss:     0.0%
  Result URL: https://www.speedtest.net/result/c/1ec28f90-10d0-40dc-a139-eb5dc2cd6574

Close range the latency is much better.
Bash:
PS C:\work\speedtest\ookla-speedtest-1.2.0-win64> .\speedtest.exe -s 13623

   Speedtest by Ookla

      Server: Singtel - Singapore (id: 13623)
         ISP: Singtel Fibre
Idle Latency:     3.09 ms   (jitter: 0.40ms, low: 2.87ms, high: 3.65ms)
    Download:   167.98 Mbps (data used: 275.0 MB)
                 33.26 ms   (jitter: 26.81ms, low: 3.98ms, high: 432.33ms)
      Upload:    89.12 Mbps (data used: 103.5 MB)
                284.58 ms   (jitter: 77.82ms, low: 5.32ms, high: 555.91ms)
 Packet Loss:     0.0%
  Result URL: https://www.speedtest.net/result/c/992f2e49-b469-4df5-826c-0ddeefd5b545
PS C:\work\speedtest\ookla-speedtest-1.2.0-win64> .\speedtest.exe -s 13623

   Speedtest by Ookla

      Server: Singtel - Singapore (id: 13623)
         ISP: Singtel Fibre
Idle Latency:     4.46 ms   (jitter: 2.02ms, low: 3.81ms, high: 7.57ms)
    Download:   144.74 Mbps (data used: 228.1 MB)
                 42.52 ms   (jitter: 25.02ms, low: 4.86ms, high: 197.46ms)
      Upload:    54.54 Mbps (data used: 88.9 MB)
                484.11 ms   (jitter: 93.31ms, low: 13.48ms, high: 1425.15ms)
 Packet Loss:     0.0%
  Result URL: https://www.speedtest.net/result/c/b86ef48d-bb4a-4f73-9ab3-9fdcbb165477
PS C:\work\speedtest\ookla-speedtest-1.2.0-win64> .\speedtest.exe -s 13623

   Speedtest by Ookla

      Server: Singtel - Singapore (id: 13623)
         ISP: Singtel Fibre
Idle Latency:     4.39 ms   (jitter: 15.98ms, low: 3.23ms, high: 63.66ms)
    Download:   170.07 Mbps (data used: 292.3 MB)
                 42.58 ms   (jitter: 30.03ms, low: 6.50ms, high: 267.21ms)
      Upload:    60.68 Mbps (data used: 96.9 MB)
                366.18 ms   (jitter: 82.30ms, low: 6.43ms, high: 928.69ms)
 Packet Loss:     0.0%
  Result URL: https://www.speedtest.net/result/c/f64c054e-5072-4010-a594-7dbb231f2786
PS C:\work\speedtest\ookla-speedtest-1.2.0-win64> .\speedtest.exe -s 13623

   Speedtest by Ookla

      Server: Singtel - Singapore (id: 13623)
         ISP: Singtel Fibre
Idle Latency:     2.60 ms   (jitter: 0.15ms, low: 2.54ms, high: 3.03ms)
    Download:   173.71 Mbps (data used: 306.6 MB)
                 25.43 ms   (jitter: 23.42ms, low: 5.34ms, high: 140.18ms)
      Upload:   108.16 Mbps (data used: 132.7 MB)
                179.24 ms   (jitter: 57.86ms, low: 12.80ms, high: 394.09ms)
 Packet Loss:     0.0%
  Result URL: https://www.speedtest.net/result/c/1ec28f90-10d0-40dc-a139-eb5dc2cd6574

Reference:
https://dongknows.com/wi-fi-signal-strength-dbm-explained/
Here are the general dBm readouts for Wi-Fi in the US that might not fully apply to other regions or other wireless communication methods such as cellular:

  • North of -30 dBm: Too good to be true, or signal saturation (not good).
  • -30 dBm: The best possible.
  • -50 dBm: Excellent signals.
  • -60 dBm: Very good signals.
  • -65 dBm: Good, reliable signals. Up to now, you've always had full bars.
  • -70 dBm: This is the threshold where you might have lost one signal bar or even more. But the connection is still solid.
  • -75 dBm: This is where things start getting problematic, but the connection might still be usable.
  • -80 dBm: Borderline useless—you barely have just one bar.
  • -90 dBm: The signal is really weak, and (almost) impossible to connect to.
  • South of -90 dBm: Forget about it.

ShameLessPlug: A case study on the worst -77 dBm Kitchen's Toilet, from "F" to "B" rating : :giggle:

Wifi-Heat-Map-HDB4-A.png


  1. https://forums.hardwarezone.com.sg/threads/fyi-a-bufferbloat-101.6427979/post-151519973
  2. https://forums.hardwarezone.com.sg/threads/fyi-a-bufferbloat-101.6427979/post-151608224
  3. https://forums.hardwarezone.com.sg/threads/fyi-a-bufferbloat-101.6427979/post-151683301
 
Last edited:

xiaofan

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Joined
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Messages
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Even at close range with good wireless speed, wireless connection will still have higher latency and jitter than wired connection.

Wireless testing results for my two wireless router (Asus RT-AX86U and ZTE BE7200 Pro+ with Double NAT) -- Intel AX201 WiFi 6 adapter
Bash:
PS C:\work\speedtest\ookla-speedtest-1.2.0-win64> .\speedtest.exe -s 13623

   Speedtest by Ookla

      Server: Singtel - Singapore (id: 13623)
         ISP: Singtel Fibre
Idle Latency:     3.73 ms   (jitter: 0.52ms, low: 3.50ms, high: 4.60ms)
    Download:   731.49 Mbps (data used: 703.6 MB)
                 11.13 ms   (jitter: 4.67ms, low: 3.59ms, high: 27.45ms)
      Upload:   578.25 Mbps (data used: 448.5 MB)
                 29.68 ms   (jitter: 8.82ms, low: 8.71ms, high: 57.85ms)
 Packet Loss:     0.0%
  Result URL: https://www.speedtest.net/result/c/91ffa61e-a8dc-4c07-8fad-aa7740253b99
PS C:\work\speedtest\ookla-speedtest-1.2.0-win64> .\speedtest.exe -s 13623

   Speedtest by Ookla

      Server: Singtel - Singapore (id: 13623)
         ISP: Singtel Fibre
Idle Latency:     3.13 ms   (jitter: 0.19ms, low: 2.96ms, high: 3.36ms)
    Download:   730.40 Mbps (data used: 882.7 MB)
                 11.91 ms   (jitter: 4.89ms, low: 4.63ms, high: 45.04ms)
      Upload:   489.26 Mbps (data used: 542.4 MB)
                 14.16 ms   (jitter: 7.54ms, low: 5.35ms, high: 226.06ms)
 Packet Loss:     0.0%
  Result URL: https://www.speedtest.net/result/c/8d660ac6-057c-4799-93f9-19ef67377e20

Wire connection testing results with my two router (Asus RT-AX86U and OpenWRT virtual router) -- using LxC container attached to the Proxmox host (Intel N100 mini PC).
Bash:
root@ubuntu2204ct01:~# ./speedtest -s 13623

   Speedtest by Ookla

      Server: Singtel - Singapore (id: 13623)
         ISP: Singtel Fibre
Idle Latency:     2.63 ms   (jitter: 0.13ms, low: 2.53ms, high: 2.81ms)
    Download:   935.76 Mbps (data used: 468.9 MB)
                  3.35 ms   (jitter: 0.38ms, low: 1.84ms, high: 4.03ms)
      Upload:   937.77 Mbps (data used: 1.1 GB)
                  5.61 ms   (jitter: 0.65ms, low: 3.56ms, high: 17.58ms)
 Packet Loss:     0.0%
  Result URL: https://www.speedtest.net/result/c/815a1109-4979-4647-b6ae-a39e67534a98
 
  root@ubuntu2204ct11:~# ./speedtest -s 13623

   Speedtest by Ookla

      Server: Singtel - Singapore (id: 13623)
         ISP: Singtel Fibre
Idle Latency:     0.99 ms   (jitter: 0.20ms, low: 0.83ms, high: 1.11ms)
    Download:   939.98 Mbps (data used: 424.6 MB)
                  2.66 ms   (jitter: 0.22ms, low: 1.13ms, high: 3.15ms)
      Upload:   937.26 Mbps (data used: 1.1 GB)
                  2.55 ms   (jitter: 0.57ms, low: 1.24ms, high: 14.36ms)
 Packet Loss:     0.0%
  Result URL: https://www.speedtest.net/result/c/8b43c37a-a8b0-4a95-abc8-2934dade4108
 

xiaofan

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All in all it depends on your use case, the increased latency does not seem to pose an issue with my family's use cases (Learning from Home, Working from Home, Youtube, Taobao, web browsing, media streaming, kids playing simple online games like bloxd.io, etc).

The main stress to the network is when I am carrying out all kinds of speedtest (OOkla, waveform.com bufferbloat test, iperf3, crusader, etc). :LOL:

The speedtests are probably more stressful than downloading Linux/BSDs ISOs occassionally.
 
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