Anna has a Wi-Fi 6 capable device and a Wi-Fi 1-5 AP; She tests speed to the AP and gets Wi-Fi 5 speeds. Why?

Anna has a Wi-Fi 6 capable device and a Wi-Fi 1-5 AP; She tests speed to the AP and gets Wi-Fi 5 speeds. Why?

• A. Anna's device is not forward compatible.
• B. The AP only supports 5 GHz.
• C. The network adapter driver is missing.
• D. The router is configured for 802.11ac only.

Answer: (B)

The main idea here is that wireless speed is limited by the capabilities of the slowest part of the link. Even though Anna’s device can do Wi‑Fi 6, the access point it’s talking to is a Wi‑Fi 5 (802.11ac) AP that operates on the 5 GHz band. The connection negotiates to the highest standard both ends support, which in this case is Wi‑Fi 5, so you don’t get Wi‑Fi 6 speeds. If the AP were capable of Wi‑Fi 6 as well, or offered a compatible 2.4 GHz/802.11ax path, then the faster speeds could be realized.

The main idea here is that wireless speed is limited by the capabilities of the slowest part of the link. Even though Anna’s device can do Wi‑Fi 6, the access point it’s talking to is a Wi‑Fi 5 (802.11ac) AP that operates on the 5 GHz band. The connection negotiates to the highest standard both ends support, which in this case is Wi‑Fi 5, so you don’t get Wi‑Fi 6 speeds. If the AP were capable of Wi‑Fi 6 as well, or offered a compatible 2.4 GHz/802.11ax path, then the faster speeds could be realized.