{"id":430982,"date":"2022-04-13T14:00:07","date_gmt":"2022-04-13T11:00:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/heres-how-to-decode-the-numbers-in-wi-fi-router-names\/"},"modified":"2022-04-13T14:00:07","modified_gmt":"2022-04-13T11:00:07","slug":"heres-how-to-decode-the-numbers-in-wi-fi-router-names","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/heres-how-to-decode-the-numbers-in-wi-fi-router-names\/","title":{"rendered":"#Here\u2019s How to Decode the Numbers in Wi-Fi Router Names"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_85 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a389bcc8354f\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a389bcc8354f\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/heres-how-to-decode-the-numbers-in-wi-fi-router-names\/#%E2%80%9CHeres_How_to_Decode_the_Numbers_in_Wi-Fi_Router_Names%E2%80%9D\" >&#8220;Here\u2019s How to Decode the Numbers in Wi-Fi Router Names&#8221;<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-2' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/heres-how-to-decode-the-numbers-in-wi-fi-router-names\/#Why_Are_Router_Names_So_Confusing\" >Why Are Router Names So Confusing?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/heres-how-to-decode-the-numbers-in-wi-fi-router-names\/#The_Letters_Indicate_Wi-Fi_Generation\" >The Letters Indicate Wi-Fi Generation<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/heres-how-to-decode-the-numbers-in-wi-fi-router-names\/#The_Numbers_Indicate_Theoretical_Maximum_Speed\" >The Numbers Indicate Theoretical Maximum Speed<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/heres-how-to-decode-the-numbers-in-wi-fi-router-names\/#Breaking_Down_the_Theoretical_Maximum_Speed\" >Breaking Down the Theoretical Maximum Speed<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/heres-how-to-decode-the-numbers-in-wi-fi-router-names\/#Is_a_Higher_Maximum_Speed_Number_Always_Better\" >Is a Higher Maximum Speed Number Always Better?<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h1><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"%E2%80%9CHeres_How_to_Decode_the_Numbers_in_Wi-Fi_Router_Names%E2%80%9D\"><\/span>&#8220;Here\u2019s How to Decode the Numbers in Wi-Fi Router Names&#8221;<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h1>\n<div>\n<figure style=\"width: 1200px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"type:primaryImage wp-image-796136 size-full\" data-pagespeed-lazy-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/WiFiNamesHeader1.jpg?width=398&amp;trim=1,1&amp;bg-color=000&amp;pad=1,1 400w, https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/WiFiNamesHeader1.jpg?width=1198&amp;trim=1,1&amp;bg-color=000&amp;pad=1,1 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, 400w, 1200w\" data-pagespeed-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/WiFiNamesHeader1.jpg?width=1198&amp;trim=1,1&amp;bg-color=000&amp;pad=1,1\" alt=\"A Wi-Fi router sitting on a piece of furniture in an apartment.\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\" data-crediturl=\"https:\/\/www.shutterstock.com\/image-photo\/modern-wifi-router-on-light-commode-1299587899\" data-credittext=\"Aquarius Studio\/Shutterstock.com\" src=\"\/pagespeed_static\/1.JiBnMqyl6S.gif\" onload=\"pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\" onerror=\"this.onerror=null;pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><span class=\"type:primaryImage imagecredit\"><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.shutterstock.com\/image-photo\/modern-wifi-router-on-light-commode-1299587899\">Aquarius Studio\/Shutterstock.com<\/a><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>When you\u2019re shopping for a new Wi-Fi router you\u2019ll certainly notice they have elaborate number-packed names. Here\u2019s how to decode what those numbers mean.<\/p>\n<h2 role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Why_Are_Router_Names_So_Confusing\"><\/span><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" name=\"autotoc_anchor_0\">Why Are Router Names So Confusing?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>A lot of tech products tend to have complicated names as manufacturers try to pack in as much information about the product as possible to both entice shoppers and make it easier to search for products. Router naming conventions, in particular, are quite prone to this.<\/p>\n<div class=\"product-box \">\n<div class=\"product-img product-img-noaward\">\n<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" aria-hidden=\"true\" tabindex=\"-1\" role=\"presentation\" href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/dp\/B08ZK2BHP2?tag=hotoge-20&amp;linkCode=ogi&amp;th=1&amp;psc=1\" onclick=\"fbq('track', 'Buy Button'); if (fb_t_convert){fb_t_convert();}\"><br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" data-pagespeed-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/m.media-amazon.com\/images\/I\/21EafaeyIKL._SL160_.jpg\" height=\"147px\" alt=\"\" role=\"presentation\" src=\"\/pagespeed_static\/1.JiBnMqyl6S.gif\" onload=\"pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\" onerror=\"this.onerror=null;pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\"\/><br \/>\n<\/a>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Let\u2019s take a quick peek at Best Buy\u2019s most popular routers at the time of this writing, for example. That\u2019s a good representation of products you\u2019d see on the shelf and it yields products with names like:<\/p>\n<p>While we understand that the manufacturers are trying to get as much information in front of people as possible to help their products stand out from the competition (and even the cheaper and older versions of their own hardware,) it\u2019s not exactly an intuitive system if you don\u2019t know how to decode it.<\/p>\n<p>Although the number designations likely aren\u2019t going away anytime soon, the confusion over them, along with confusion over designations like 802.11ac and 802.11ax is exactly why there has been a push towards designations like Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 7 to make it easier on the average consumer.<\/p>\n<p>If you\u2019re not a person that loves crunching numbers and poring over tech stats, the breakdown of what the various router designations mean can get pretty fiddly. So let\u2019s start with the basics of what the letters and numbers mean, then break it down with some examples.<\/p>\n<h2 role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_Letters_Indicate_Wi-Fi_Generation\"><\/span>The Letters Indicate Wi-Fi Generation<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>The letters you find in Wi-Fi router advertisements, on the box, and packed into the names of the products indicate the highest generation of the Wi-Fi standard the product supports.<\/p>\n<p>Formally, the full name of a given Wi-Fi generation is IEEE 802.11[x] wherein the IEEE part indicates it\u2019s an Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), it\u2019s in the 802 family (which governs computer networks), in the subcategory .11 (reserved for Wi-Fi), with the generation indicated by the [x] letter designation.<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s quite a mouthful and while manufacturers might not exactly be turning out router names with super compact and elegant names, they do try to trim it down to just the final letters.<\/p>\n<p>Here\u2019s what the letters mean:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>AC<\/strong> \u2013 Wi-Fi 5<\/li>\n<li><strong>AX<\/strong> \u2013 <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/368332\/wi-fi-6-what%E2%80%99s-different-and-why-it-matters\/\">Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 6E<\/li>\n<li><strong>AXE<\/strong> \u2013 Unofficial.\u00a0Used by some companies to indicate Wi-Fi 6E.<\/li>\n<li><strong>BE<\/strong> \u2013 Candidate for Wi-Fi 7. You won\u2019t see this on product boxes just yet.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>There are other letter designations, like 802.11n and 802.11g, but these versions of the Wi-Fi standard are quite outdated at this point (introduced in 2008 and 2003, respectively) so you won\u2019t see companies actively promoting them front and center.<\/p>\n<h2 role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_Numbers_Indicate_Theoretical_Maximum_Speed\"><\/span><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" name=\"autotoc_anchor_2\">The Numbers Indicate Theoretical Maximum Speed<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Now that we know what the letters stand for, it\u2019s time to unpack what the numbers stand for. And if you thought the whole letters thing was unnecessarily opaque, you\u2019re going to love unpacking what the numbers mean.<\/p>\n<p>First and foremost:\u00a0The clearest part. The number after the letter designation is the maximum theoretical speed of the router, or Maximum Linkrate, expressed in megabits per second (Mbps).<\/p>\n<p>For example, if a router is labeled AC1900, that tells you the router is using the Wi-Fi 5 standard and has a theoretical maximum speed of 1900 Mbps. If the router is labeled as AX3000, it is using the Wi-Fi 6 standard and has a theoretical maximum speed of 3000 Mbps.<\/p>\n<p>Now, the less clear part: This is not the maximum speed you could experience using a single device. This is the theoretical maximum speed the router can achieve under ideal laboratory conditions when all the radios in the router are active and paired with equally good or better hardware devices.<\/p>\n<p>There are no real-world conditions under which your smartphone, computer, or game console will be able to achieve, individually, the theoretical maximum speed.<\/p>\n<h2 role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Breaking_Down_the_Theoretical_Maximum_Speed\"><\/span><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" name=\"autotoc_anchor_3\">Breaking Down the Theoretical Maximum Speed<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<figure style=\"width: 1200px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-796178 size-full\" data-pagespeed-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/WiFiNamesBody1.jpg?trim=1,1&amp;bg-color=000&amp;pad=1,1\" alt=\"A man using his laptop in the kitchen.\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\" data-crediturl=\"https:\/\/www.shutterstock.com\/image-photo\/smiling-bearded-african-man-using-laptop-573112123\" data-credittext=\"SFIO CRACHO\/Shutterstock.com\" src=\"\/pagespeed_static\/1.JiBnMqyl6S.gif\" onload=\"pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\" onerror=\"this.onerror=null;pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">You\u2019ll never saturate your Wi-Fi router\u2019s connection with a single device. <span class=\"imagecredit\"><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.shutterstock.com\/image-photo\/smiling-bearded-african-man-using-laptop-573112123\">SFIO CRACHO\/Shutterstock.com<\/a><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>If a company advertises that their router is AC3200 but no individual device on the network can ever reach that speed then where does the 3200 part come from, exactly?<\/p>\n<p>Modern routers use multiple radios across multiple bands to provide more bandwidth and a better user experience. Designations like \u201cdual-band\u201d and \u201ctri-band\u201d indicate this feature and increasing the number of antennas allows for increased bandwidth and overall increased speed.<\/p>\n<p>The key to understanding the number is the \u201coverall\u201d speed part. That AC3200 router isn\u2019t blasting out all 3000 Mpbs across a single connection but breaking it up between a single 2.4GHz band and two 5GHz bands. That\u2019s not a bad thing, of course. You\u2019re much better off with multiple devices getting a fast-enough connection to the router than one single device getting the full blast anyway.<\/p>\n<p>The size of the number then\u2014AC600 versus AC3200 for example\u2014simply indicates how much more hardware is being thrown at the problem. An AC600 router has a single 2.4GHz radio and a single 5Ghz radio running on older hardware with less advanced frequency modulation.<\/p>\n<p>Conversely, an AC3200 router will typically have 4 2.4GHz radios and 4 5GHz radios, with significantly improved hardware and frequency modulation. The end result is both a higher theoretical maximum speed as well as a better overall user experience (especially in homes with a lot of people and devices.)<\/p>\n<h2 role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Is_a_Higher_Maximum_Speed_Number_Always_Better\"><\/span>Is a Higher Maximum Speed Number Always Better?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>A higher AC or AX number doesn\u2019t automatically translate to a better experience. There are other variables at play.<\/p>\n<p>For instance, if you replace a mesh system with multiple APs with a stand-alone router that has a higher AC value you might not get the performance you expect. Perhaps your old <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/290418\/what-are-mesh-wi-fi-systems-and-how-do-they-work\/\">mesh system was only AC1200 and your new stand-alone router is an AC3000 system, but the old mesh system covered your sprawling ranch-style home better which gave you a better user experience. At that point, something being theoretically faster pales in the face of it being practically better.<\/p>\n<p>But in general, when comparing apples to apples (in this case stand-alone routers to stand-alone routers or mesh systems to mesh systems) it\u2019s safe to lean on the AC\/AX number to\u00a0get a better router. Why? Because all things equal, a manufacturer has to use increasingly better hardware to push towards bigger and bigger theoretical maximum speeds.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><script>\n setTimeout(function(){\n  !function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s)\n  {if(f.fbq)return;n=f.fbq=function(){n.callMethod?\n  n.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments)};\n  if(!f._fbq)f._fbq=n;n.push=n;n.loaded=!0;n.version='2.0';\n  n.queue=[];t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0;\n  t.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0];\n  s.parentNode.insertBefore(t,s) } (window, document,'script',\n  'https:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/fbevents.js');\n   fbq('init', '335401813750447');\n   fbq('track', 'PageView');\n  },3000);\n<\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMLG0nwswvr63Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">For forums sites go to <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/forum.buradabiliyorum.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Forum.BuradaBiliyorum.Com<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more like this article, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/technology\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Technology category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/795976\/heres-how-to-decode-the-numbers-in-wi-fi-router-names\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;Here\u2019s How to Decode the Numbers in Wi-Fi Router Names&#8221; Aquarius Studio\/Shutterstock.com When you\u2019re shopping for a new Wi-Fi router you\u2019ll certainly notice they have elaborate number-packed names. Here\u2019s how to decode what those numbers mean. Why Are Router Names So Confusing? A lot of tech products tend to have complicated names as manufacturers try&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":430983,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/WiFiNamesHeader1.jpg?height=200p&trim=2,2,2,2","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-430982","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/430982","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=430982"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/430982\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/430983"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=430982"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=430982"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=430982"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}