Wireless Network Bandwidth Question

[Okie405]

I am being told that the device that connects the slowest to a wireless router controls the speed for every other device that connects wirelessly to the router.

EXAMPLE:
Tablet A is old and crusty and has old hardware and cannot download at a rate of more than 10 megs.
Tablet B is brand new with lightning fast hardware and can download at 50 megs.

Tablet B will only be able to pull 10 megs because of tablet A connecting to the router. I've never heard of such a thing but a coworker swears it is true. is this true?

 

[bill001g]

Mostly outdated information. That was very true with 802.11b which maybe you could get 11m with. 802.11g is not as big a deal mixed with the newer 802.11n or 802.11ac but it does cause a little overhead because the router must allow for support.
Almost all 802.11b equipment has been in trash cans for years.

If both devices run 802.11n/ac then the speed makes no difference the router can quickly change between the different encodings. Even running at the same exact speed they are using difference unique encryption keys the router must change between.

 

[Okie405]

Thanks for the quick reply !

 

[kanewolf]

A wireless G device will limit other devices because there is only so much time. To transfer a X number of bytes to a 54Mbit device takes up to 8 times as long as a three stream N or AC device. While the router is transferring those bytes (slowly) it can't service any other 2.4Ghz devices. So a very active G device can limit your 2.4Ghz performance. If you have very active G devices you may benefit by adding a wireless access point strictly for them.