wireless speed 1x1 vs 2x2

[lisa99carson]

can someone please explain to me the difference between these 2 in layman's language. While i Know 2x2 is better , what does this actually mean in terms of internet connection. My internet is thru AT&T ( have no choice as I live in apt complex) and I do not have high speed service like fiber.

 

[USAFRet]

In theory, 2x2 is 'better'. More numbers, right?
https://superuser.com/questions/323347/laptop-wireless-networking-options-1x1-vs-2x2

But its a lot more complex than simple numbers.
https://www.networkworld.com/article/3193058/mobile-wireless/why-2x2-wave-2-access-points-make-no-sense.html


Would it make a difference in your personal situation?
That's another story.

What speed are you paying for?
What speed do you actually see at your PC?
What is the environment like? How far away from the router is the PC?


Just like 5GHz is "better" than 2.4GHz, because...higher number, right?
Not nearly that simple.

 

[smorizio]

think a 1x wifi is a one lane road. one car in and one car out at a time. 2x is a two lane road. you can move 2 cars at the same time.

 

[lisa99carson]

I have 5GHz connection. I think the speed im paying for is 50.

speedtest shows 6 ping, download 57.38, upload 5.82. this is on a 2 year old laptop. I will be building a new pc soon and this is why i am asking.

I am on 2 nd floor apt and router is about 20 feet away. this is just a guess.

 

[USAFRet]

I have 5GHz connection. I think the speed im paying for is 50.

speedtest shows 6 ping, download 57.38, upload 5.82. this is on a 2 year old laptop. I will be building a new pc soon and this is why i am asking.

I am on 2 nd floor apt and router is about 20 feet away. this is just a guess.

Then whatever you have right now is working just fine.
Apparently giving you 100% of what it is supposed to be.

 

[lisa99carson]

i have no idea what i have on this laptop - I am asking in regard to a future desktop build.