Skip to content
FileSaveAs logo

FileSaveAs UK

Mobile Technology, Smartphones and Connectivity

  • Home
  • Mobile Phones
  • Smartphones
  • Home Internet
  • Mobile Internet
  • News
  • Toggle search form

Testing Wireless-N speeds on BT Home Hub v2.0

This page was originally part of the Jarviser Home Hubs Files. They are now housed here at FileSaveAs to help users of the BT Home Hub.

The new Version 2.0 Home Hub comes with draft-n capability. I wanted to see how good the performance was.

It has now been established that there are just two antennae in the V2.0 Home Hub, which means that 130Mbps is the highest speed likely to be attained. To get 300Mbps would need the full 3 antenna MIMO implementation. The spec for the broadcom card (mini-PCI format) inside the Home Hub 2.0 are here

The following results were obtained with a Home Hub 2.0 which failed 2 days later. (see conclusions at the end)

The test consists of a Dell 1520 laptop retro-fitted with an Intel 4965AGN card, with all three antenna connected. There is also an IBM T22 connected to the Hub by Ethernet and the two machines in WORKGROUP in a Windows network. The test load was to copy my photo library from the Dell to the IBM across the wireless connection.

I had already observed that when idling the speed displayed on the Windows Task Manager was usually around 13Mbps, but the speed on the hub varied from 1Mbps to 104Mbps depending on the effort required by the hub
to actually display the advanced settings screen.

All results below are with the file transfer in progress .

wifi test results
The measurements of speed were from two places.
1. The advanced settings/wireless page of the home hub (refreshed each test)
2. The Vista Task Manager Network monitor output.

This first test is at the end of the garden, 30 metres from the hub through a cavity wall and two internal stud walls. The results are:
Hub – 1Mbps
Windows – 13 Mbps (though was 6 at one point)

wifi test results

This next test is from halfway down the garden, 20 metres from the hub through a cavity wall and two internal stud walls. The results are:
Hub – 2Mbps
Windows – 13 Mbps

wifi test results

The third test is from just outside the kitchen door, 12 metres from the hub through
a cavity wall and obliquely through the floor. The results are:
Hub – 13Mbps
Windows – 13 Mbps

wifi test results
The fourth test is from just inside the kitchen door, 10 metres from the hub and obliquely through the floor. The results just inside the back door are three times better than just outside it, suggesting that the MIMO effect using internal reflected multiple signals are now contributing to the available speeds.
The results are:
Hub – 39Mbps
Windows – 39 Mbps

wifi test results
Finally the laptop was moved to the lounge which is underneath the hub 4 metres through the study floor.
The results are:
Hub – 130Mbps
Windows – 130 Mbps

Conclusions

I would conclude that this implementation of draft-n compared to wireless-g
in the same domestic situation with the same laptop (different wifi cards)
gives a vastly improved speed in the middle of the house (130Mbps compared to
approx 48 Mbps), but that the range of use outside the house is about the
same on both. I also conclude that the displayed speeds are actuals and not
potential speeds, and unless a file transfer is being made in the LAN, the full
speed is not utilised or displayed when simply surfing or idling. (However
see update below).

Update August 20th 2008

A replacement hub (affectionately known by me as “hub number three”)
gave very similar results but I could not
be @rsed to repeat the experiment in full.

Most significantly the replacement displayed full wifi speeds when idle as well as when
under load. That suggests a faulty hub radio on the first hub as the
firmwares were the same – possibly why it died.

I think the most interesting point of the experiment (also shown on the
replacement) was that the speed shown on the hub and the speed reported by
Windows were often quite different.
How can that be? Which one spoke with forked tongue?

Funnily enough I trusted Windows Task Manager over Hub Manager. Give me
a graph and I’m anybody’s.

QED. Don’t ask me – experiment!

 

Page created by "Jarviser" & hosted by FileSaveAs. See the Jarviser Home Hub Index Page

If you’ve found the content of this page of use, and want to say thanks, Jarviser’s charity of choice is Great Ormond Street Hospital. Please visit their site to make a donation

Got a question about the BT Home Hub? Please ask in the FileSaveAs Home Hub Forum

Disclaimer: Content on this page was not originated by FileSaveAs, and is hosted ‘as-is’ as a service to Home Hub users. FileSaveAs accepts no responsibility for the content on this page. Visitors use information on this page at their own risk. Contents may not be reproduced without permission. Original copyright for content on this page rests with Jarviser unless otherwise stated. FileSaveAs Site Terms apply.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

  

About FileSaveAs

Our team has been serving the online community since 2002. We offer a mix of tech information & answers to common questions.

Recent Comments

  • Neil John Aplin on Forum – Not Available
  • Shrimp on iTunes Library Updater killed by iTunes 11
  • adr on iTunes Library Updater killed by iTunes 11
  • Sinead MacCaughey on Tip for Faster Mobile Broadband
  • Jon on Disabling the mobile version of a website on an iPhone

Home | Site Info | Terms & Privacy Policy | Glossary | Contact FileSaveAs | Copyright © 2024 FileSaveAs >>

Powered by PressBook WordPress theme

This site uses cookies to enhance your browsing experience, serve personalised ads or content, and analyze our traffic. By clicking “Accept All”, you consent to our use of cookies, however you can select "Cookie Settings" to control your consent. View Terms & Privacy Policy
Cookie SettingsAccept All
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checkbox-advertisement1 yearSet by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin, this cookie is used to record the user consent for the cookies in the "Advertisement" category .
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
CookieLawInfoConsent1 yearRecords the default button state of the corresponding category & the status of CCPA. It works only in coordination with the primary cookie.
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
CookieDurationDescription
_gasessionThe _ga cookie, installed by Google Analytics, calculates visitor, session and campaign data and also keeps track of site usage for the site's analytics report. The cookie stores information anonymously and assigns a randomly generated number to recognize unique visitors. For details of this cookie, go to <a href="https://policies.google.com/technologies/partner-sites">Google's Privacy & Terms site</a>
_gat_gtag_UA_*1 minuteSet by Google to distinguish users. For details of this cookie, go to <a href="https://policies.google.com/technologies/partner-sites">Google's Privacy & Terms site</a>
_gat_gtag_UA_226762_36sessionSet by Google to distinguish users. For details of this cookie, go to <a href="https://policies.google.com/technologies/partner-sites">Google's Privacy & Terms site</a>
_gidsessionInstalled by Google Analytics, _gid cookie stores information on how visitors use a website, while also creating an analytics report of the website's performance. Some of the data that are collected include the number of visitors, their source, and the pages they visit anonymously. For details of this cookie, go to <a href="https://policies.google.com/technologies/partner-sites">Google's Privacy & Terms site</a>
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT
Powered by CookieYes Logo
Go to mobile version