When I run speed tests the most I get is ~300Mbps down. My upload is on par at 40-45Mbps up.
Does anyone know at what rate the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus connects to the router? What type of wireless ac is used?
iPhone 7 Plus, iOS 10, 256GB
Clint,
One can only stuff 5 pounds of "stuff" into a 5-pound bag. So, have two bags.
Any given radio frequency channel will have its respective bandwidth limitation. Translation: data rate. So, along the line of having two bags, have two RF channels. That's the concept of MIMO. MIMO means multiple input/multiple output.
If a device simply has MIMO, without more, it might mean 1x1 MIMO. This means that the device can use any of several RF input channels and any of several RF output channels (in full duplex) . . . but only one RF channel input at a time and only one RF channel output at a time. What 1x1 MIMO does is pick the channel with the best signal -- the one that is most likely to deliver the best speed. In this sense, 1x1 MIMO does enhance speed. But, the best one can get is the limit of the underlying signal -- whether that be WiFi a, b, g, n, ac, or even a cell signal.
On the other hand, 2x2 MIMO can concurrently operate on two full-duplex connections. That is, the device can use any of several RF input channels, two at a time -- same for output, two at a time. In your WiFi example, 2x2 MIMO can potentially deliver twice the speed of WiFi ac if the router and the device both have 2x2 MIMO. Key point: if your WiFi router is connected to the Internet via a 256K DSL line, the MIMO issue becomes mute.
The spec page for the iPhone 7 on Apple's web site states that its WiFi is MIMO as opposed to 2x2 MIMO. I don't know if this means that the iPhone 7 is only 1x1 MIMO or it was merely an error/oversight or Apple being humble. Alternatively, it might be a conscious choice: not 1GB of storage, 10K songs. Simple is better. However, you will find that certain smartphones expressly indicate that they have 2x2 MIMO for WiFi.
Along the line of MIMO is carrier aggregation or "CA". CA is MIMO for wireless carriers. A "regular" or "conventional" LTE network uses a 10 MHz carrier. Using QAM carrier modulation, you can get 8 bits per cycle (Hertz). That translates to about 80Mb/sec. They say 75Mb/sec.
The original "Advanced" LTE networks have 2x2CA or 2xCA, which uses -- you guessed it -- two 10MHz bags for a total of 20MHz and (they say) 150Mb/sec. (Also called "Cat 4" -- think Ethernet cable being called Cat 5/5e cable.) Then, the providers upped the carrier bandwidth to 20MHz. A 2xCA device would use a total bandwidth of 40MHz and achieve 300Mb/sec. (Cat 6)
Some "Advanced" LTE networks have 3xCA. However, while 3xCA uses three bags, it only aggregates bandwidth totaling 40MHz and thus 300Mb/sec. Still Cat 6. Other 3xCA networks allow 3 x full 20MHz per channel and you get 450Mb/sec. Cat 9. Key point: in all of this, you need a network that does it and a device that does it. Low common denominator prevails.
Qualcomm's latest LTE modems can do 8xCA and 16xCA. With 8xCA, I have seen sustained 1Gb/sec speed.
Back to the iPhone 7, I scratch my head. Although not advertised as such, it has a maximum speed of 450Mb/sec. It should be labelled as Cat 9 but it the web site doesn't state it. It should be labelled as full 3xCA but the web site doesn't state it. As with the MIMO, I'm not certain why it is not fully listed on the web site spec sheet.
Hopefully this gives you an idea of the things in play . . . if I didn't put you to sleep.
The amazing thing with all of this is that it's being done on a 4G network . . . today. Hang on for 5G, baby!
Clint,
One can only stuff 5 pounds of "stuff" into a 5-pound bag. So, have two bags.
Any given radio frequency channel will have its respective bandwidth limitation. Translation: data rate. So, along the line of having two bags, have two RF channels. That's the concept of MIMO. MIMO means multiple input/multiple output.
If a device simply has MIMO, without more, it might mean 1x1 MIMO. This means that the device can use any of several RF input channels and any of several RF output channels (in full duplex) . . . but only one RF channel input at a time and only one RF channel output at a time. What 1x1 MIMO does is pick the channel with the best signal -- the one that is most likely to deliver the best speed. In this sense, 1x1 MIMO does enhance speed. But, the best one can get is the limit of the underlying signal -- whether that be WiFi a, b, g, n, ac, or even a cell signal.
On the other hand, 2x2 MIMO can concurrently operate on two full-duplex connections. That is, the device can use any of several RF input channels, two at a time -- same for output, two at a time. In your WiFi example, 2x2 MIMO can potentially deliver twice the speed of WiFi ac if the router and the device both have 2x2 MIMO. Key point: if your WiFi router is connected to the Internet via a 256K DSL line, the MIMO issue becomes mute.
The spec page for the iPhone 7 on Apple's web site states that its WiFi is MIMO as opposed to 2x2 MIMO. I don't know if this means that the iPhone 7 is only 1x1 MIMO or it was merely an error/oversight or Apple being humble. Alternatively, it might be a conscious choice: not 1GB of storage, 10K songs. Simple is better. However, you will find that certain smartphones expressly indicate that they have 2x2 MIMO for WiFi.
Along the line of MIMO is carrier aggregation or "CA". CA is MIMO for wireless carriers. A "regular" or "conventional" LTE network uses a 10 MHz carrier. Using QAM carrier modulation, you can get 8 bits per cycle (Hertz). That translates to about 80Mb/sec. They say 75Mb/sec.
The original "Advanced" LTE networks have 2x2CA or 2xCA, which uses -- you guessed it -- two 10MHz bags for a total of 20MHz and (they say) 150Mb/sec. (Also called "Cat 4" -- think Ethernet cable being called Cat 5/5e cable.) Then, the providers upped the carrier bandwidth to 20MHz. A 2xCA device would use a total bandwidth of 40MHz and achieve 300Mb/sec. (Cat 6)
Some "Advanced" LTE networks have 3xCA. However, while 3xCA uses three bags, it only aggregates bandwidth totaling 40MHz and thus 300Mb/sec. Still Cat 6. Other 3xCA networks allow 3 x full 20MHz per channel and you get 450Mb/sec. Cat 9. Key point: in all of this, you need a network that does it and a device that does it. Low common denominator prevails.
Qualcomm's latest LTE modems can do 8xCA and 16xCA. With 8xCA, I have seen sustained 1Gb/sec speed.
Back to the iPhone 7, I scratch my head. Although not advertised as such, it has a maximum speed of 450Mb/sec. It should be labelled as Cat 9 but it the web site doesn't state it. It should be labelled as full 3xCA but the web site doesn't state it. As with the MIMO, I'm not certain why it is not fully listed on the web site spec sheet.
Hopefully this gives you an idea of the things in play . . . if I didn't put you to sleep.
The amazing thing with all of this is that it's being done on a 4G network . . . today. Hang on for 5G, baby!
I wonder if your speed is being capped by the router, or by the phone. I just recently got ATT Gigafiber, and can get 999mbps / 999mbps when directly wired. But while using an Airport Time Capsule, it caps at 350mbps. I got something similar with the modem's built in wifi that ATT provided, but I constantly wonder if a better router would output higher.
Not that I need higher speeds on an iPhone, I'm just curious I guess lol.
also, its interesting to note that upload goes up to like 538.15 or higher most times. I consistently see that my upload is maybe 200mbps higher than the download.
PS
To be fair . . .
Google's Nexus 5X and Nexus 6X are both 2x2 MIMO and 2xCA/Cat 6 phones.
However, while Google indicates the phones are 2x2 MIMO and Cat 6, it leaves the reader to figure out the 2xCA part.
I had AT&T gigabit fiber installed today and the fastest I get on my 7 Plus is just under 400 on the 5 GHZ antenna off standard AT&T supplied BGW210 modem/router.
Hey there, clingfromcolumbus!
That's a great question I haven't seen asked in Communities before. I'll do my best to provide the answer and help you get the best speeds you can.
iPhone 7 Technical Specifications
Cellular and Wireless
All models -- 802.11a/b/g/n/ac Wi‑Fi with MIMO
Recommended settings for Wi-Fi routers and access points -- This article provides the settings Apple recommends for your routers and access points.
Thanks for using Apple Support Communities! Have a great day!
Thank you for the response, but MIMO just means the phone can send and receive multiple data streams at once.
I'm curious to know the maximum connection speed.
This is true, but "802.11a/b/g/n/ac" does define the maximum connection speeds. You can find details about the fastest of those standards (ac) here: https://www.extremetech.com/computing/160837-what-is-802-11ac-and-how-much-faste r-than-802-11n-is-it
However, the maximum connection speed you see is going to be determined by the following:
Your speed is driven down by the lowest factor in all of these. The bottom line is that your iPhone is capable of speeds much faster than you are ever likely to see available to it on a WiFi network.
I hope this helps.
Eventough AC is the standard there has been a progression of chipsets that support different theoretical speeds from single MCS9 stream @433Mbps up to multiple 1024 QAMs @2167Mbps for AC5300. Because the iPhone supports AC standard doesn't mean the chipset can connect at the highest speed. I have a 3x3 AC1750 access point that supports 1300Mbps, but the 7plus appears to connect at a single stream rate of 433Mbps. I have tested from right on top of the AP to a few feet away with no change. Murata, the manufacturer of the wireless chipset in the 7 shows a max of a 2x2 on their website. I could not find the exact specs of the chipset in the 7 but this would only afford a theoretical max connection of 867Mbps.
So it looks like this may be the chipset that the Murata unit is made from...possibly it just does not like my atheros AP to get max connection rate.
As a combo chip, the BCM4359 combines 2x2 MIMO 5G Wi-Fi with Bluetooth 4.1 and FM radio, and its key features include the following:
Almost 500 Mbps upload and download on 1000 Mbps internet connection, on an iPhone 7 Plus a few feet away from the Google Fiber wireless router running in 5 GHz mode
I find the speed test app results are also highly variable depending on the test site chosen (and not in a simple distance relationship).
Just wanted to say thanks to @~nightcrawler~ for actually knowing what he is talking about while people are posting links to a useless Apple specs page. Props on the good info.
That's roughly what I see too on my ASUS ac3200
What is the maximum wifi connection speed of the iPhone 7 Plus?
