Bill Gadzia

Q: Internet speed required to utilize "ac" protocol...

How fast does my internet connection have to be to utilize the "ac" protocol of my new iPad (Air 2, 128gb)? It will have the latest (official) version of iOS. My current wireless modem supports all protocols except "ac."

iPad Air 2 WiFi, Cellular, iOS 9.3.5, 128gb

Posted on Sep 4, 2016 11:28 PM

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Q: Internet speed required to utilize "ac" protocol...

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  • by ckuan,

    ckuan ckuan Sep 4, 2016 11:36 PM in response to Bill Gadzia
    Level 7 (33,190 points)
    Sep 4, 2016 11:36 PM in response to Bill Gadzia

    First of all you need a Wi-Fi modem that support 802.11ac

    Read here:

    IEEE 802.11ac is a wireless networking standard in the 802.11 family (which is marketed under the brand name Wi-Fi), developed in the IEEE Standards Association process,[1] providing high-throughput wireless local area networks (WLANs) on the 5 GHz band.[1] The standard was developed from 2011 through 2013 and approved in January 2014.[1][2]

    The specification has multi-station throughput of at least 1 gigabit per second and single-link throughput of at least 500 megabits per second (500 Mbit/s). This is accomplished by extending the air-interface concepts embraced by 802.11n: wider RF bandwidth (up to 160 MHz), more MIMO spatial streams (up to eight), downlink multi-user MIMO (up to four clients), and high-density modulation (up to 256-QAM).[3][4]

  • by Bill Gadzia,

    Bill Gadzia Bill Gadzia Sep 5, 2016 9:54 AM in response to ckuan
    Level 1 (4 points)
    iPad
    Sep 5, 2016 9:54 AM in response to ckuan

    If my internet speed is fast enough, I will purchase an 802.11ac wireless modem. However, my internet service provider told me that my current internet speed will not give me a faster connection than the 802.11b, 802.11g, and 802.11n my current wireless modem provides. My current internet connection gives me 1.5gb down and 900kb up.

     

    So, my real question is:

    What internet connection would I have to get to make it worth the expense of getting an 802.11ac wireless modem?

  • by ckuan,

    ckuan ckuan Sep 5, 2016 5:16 PM in response to Bill Gadzia
    Level 7 (33,190 points)
    Sep 5, 2016 5:16 PM in response to Bill Gadzia

    802.11ac modem is not that expensive. Most modem AC modem if not all, supports dual bands:  2.4GHz as well as 5GHz.

    Whether it's worthwhile or not depends on your dwelling and how direct is the line of sight to the modem.

    Read here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IEEE_802.11#History

     

    AC has more band width then A, B, G and N.

  • by Lawrence Finch,Solvedanswer

    Lawrence Finch Lawrence Finch Sep 5, 2016 5:27 PM in response to Bill Gadzia
    Level 8 (37,837 points)
    Mac OS X
    Sep 5, 2016 5:27 PM in response to Bill Gadzia

    If your speed is really 1.5 Gb then AC will make a huge difference. However, if it is actually 1.5 Mb (which the 900 Kb up implies) then you don't need any more bandwidth than 802.11B provides.

     

    EDIT: Actually, AC will make a big difference if you do a lot of file transfers between devices on your local network, like moving HD video from one computer to another.

  • by Bill Gadzia,

    Bill Gadzia Bill Gadzia Sep 5, 2016 6:13 PM in response to Lawrence Finch
    Level 1 (4 points)
    iPad
    Sep 5, 2016 6:13 PM in response to Lawrence Finch

    Good catch, Lawrence... my speed is 1.5 Mb, not Gb. Even though an "ac" modem is not expensive, keeping the one I have is definitely a saving, and since the bandwidth 802.11B provides will meet my needs, I will stick with what I have. I'm on a fixed income, so I'd rather avoid spending more per month for increased bandwith as well as the one time cost for the 802.11AC modem. Thanks so much for your advice!