More wireless devices are used today than ever before, and this is making companies rethink how they manage their devices. With a growing number of devices used to meet the demands of advancing technology, Wi-Fi seems more limited. All devices require a certain amount of resources, whether it is wired, or through Wi-Fi. When too many devices are connected to the same network, this begins the slow done the rate by which data is communicated to each device. This translates to slower video processing, web browsing, or downloading, to name a few.
For a device to perform an operation wirelessly, such as downloading a video, it must connect to an access point known as a router. Every router has a theoretical maximum bandwidth. Under optimum conditions, meaning no interference, the maximum bandwidth will determine how many devices can connect to a router. For example, a router that is rated 500 Mbps can offer 500 Mbps of speed to only one device, which is relatively fast, assuming ideal conditions. Suppose there are 100 devices connected this time. To accommodate all those devices, the speed must be shared among each device. Now the speed is 5 Mbps per device, which is comparably slow. It’s worth mentioning that different operations have different demands in terms of speed. Streaming a movie or a video game will take up more bandwidth than casual web browsing.
When the number of devices sharing a common network is higher than what the bandwidth is capable of, connection speeds begin to slow down drastically. This yields unexpected problems for companies that do not monitor their servers. The most apparent problem is that productivity will slow down with device operations coming to a crawl. This could increase the risk of device failure or network crashing.
Majority of wireless routers can support up to approximately 250 devices. However, this is more of a theoretical limit than a practical one. Most people would notice a drastic slowdown in their online activity with a lesser number of connected devices. There are several reasons for this. Too many shared devices could lead to overheating the router. The router must operate under excessive strain. If this goes on for too long, the connection drops.
Interference is another factor that affects Wi-Fi speed. When there are more devices connected to a common access point, there is more interference. This interference disrupts the incoming signals from the router, which will lead to lower network performance.
There are solutions for increasing network performance. The first is to set a limit on the number of devices that can be shared in a network. This is set by the administrator. Monitoring network activity is essential as well. Since not all wireless operations require the same amount of bandwidth, it is important to know how the bandwidth space is allocated among devices. Adding another router will also increase the number of devices that can be shared without issues. There are only a few solutions for running a more reliable network.
