WiFi Routers & Access Points

Differences between wireless routers standards - 802.11n and 802.11ac

802.11n

• The 802.11n standard operates at 2.4 GHz, with the usual bit rate of the device at 300 Mbit / s.

• The operating speed and signal range of 802.11n are several times higher than those of older devices according to 802.11g.

• Some routers have a USB port which enables connecting an external printer or an external drive. Those devices can then be shared over a local network.

802.11ac

• The latest 802.11ac standard uses two bands, namely 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz.

• The 5 GHz band offers a greater number of channels and is less congested than 2.4 GHz, therefore the interferences are low. The support for the 2.4 GHz band ensures backward compatibility with older devices that use the standards 802.11b / g / n.

• The less congested 5 GHz band is better for intense data transmissions and high-volume data transfers that are needed for online gaming or streaming video in HD quality. For simpler tasks, such as sending e-mail or web browsing, the 2.4 GHz band is fully sufficient.

• Basic 802.11ac mid-range routers offer a combined speed of up to 1.2 Gbit / s, whereas the top-of-the-line models can achieve incredible speeds of up to 3 Gbit / s.

• Using omnidirectional antennas with high performance signal amplifiers and beamforming technologies will significantly increase your signal strenght.

• Powerful encryption standards (WPA-PSK / WPA2-PSK) provide a high level of security.

Most devices enable sharing a connected printer or an external drive over your network. The difference may be whether the router already supports the faster USB 3.0 or works only with the older USB 2.0 standard.