Displayed internet speed much higher than what is possible

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Conman_123

Conman_123

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Jul 11, 2015
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When I open the Windows 8 Network and Sharing Center and choose my WiFi connection to look at it's stat's, it says I have a speed that ranges from ~29 Mbps sometimes up to ~120 Mbps. But I know this can't be possible as my download speed is on average between 300 KBps and 400 KBps (never above 400). Why does the Network and Sharing Center display the wrong speed? Is it actually the speed for something else?
 
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Those are actually pretty low numbers many times it will say stupid stuff like 150m or 450m. That only represents the encoding method it is using between the router and your pc. You of course will never get that speed ever since it combines up and down load speeds into 1 number and ignores a bunch of overhead. If you were to transfer data to another machine in your house though you would likely get much faster speeds since it appears you have a fairly slow internet connection.

Also be aware file transfer is stated in bytes/sec where network speeds are bits/sec so it will always be 8 times less....ignoring overhead.
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Saga Lout

Saga Lout

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Mar 31, 2010
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Your download speed is also partly determined by the upload speed at the other end of the line. Around where I live, it's useless trying to download anything as soon as the local schools close for the day. Lots of factors contribute to slow speeds.
 
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Conman_123

Conman_123

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Jul 11, 2015
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I'm not complaining about my internet speed being lower than expected, I was just wondering why the Network and Sharing Center was displaying internet speeds way higher than is physically possible for me to be getting.

 
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bill001g

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Aug 9, 2012
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Those are actually pretty low numbers many times it will say stupid stuff like 150m or 450m. That only represents the encoding method it is using between the router and your pc. You of course will never get that speed ever since it combines up and down load speeds into 1 number and ignores a bunch of overhead. If you were to transfer data to another machine in your house though you would likely get much faster speeds since it appears you have a fairly slow internet connection.

Also be aware file transfer is stated in bytes/sec where network speeds are bits/sec so it will always be 8 times less....ignoring overhead.
 
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