Internet Speed Reference Summary

This document provides a quick reference for understanding your router's speed limitations, differences between advertised and real-world speeds, and how wired connections compare to Wi-Fi.

Speed Comparison Table

Category	Advertised Speed	Actual Real-World Speed	Wired Ethernet Capability	Notes / Bottlenecks
802.11g Wi-Fi Router (54 Mbps)	54 Mbps	~20–25 Mbps	Typically 100 Mbps	Wi-Fi is the bottleneck; wired is much faster.
802.11g Wi-Fi Standard	54 Mbps	~20–25 Mbps	100 Mbps	Standard limits Wi-Fi only, not wired ports.
"100 Meg" Internet from ISP	100 Mbps	~90–100 Mbps	100 Mbps supported	Wi-Fi cuts this to ~20 Mbps on 802.11g routers.
100 Mbps Ethernet (Fast Ethernet)	100 Mbps	~94 Mbps	N/A	Wired avoids Wi-Fi limitations.
Gigabit Ethernet (if available)	1000 Mbps	~940 Mbps	N/A	Requires a router with gigabit ports.

🚀 Key Takeaways

1. Your 54 Mbps router is only slow on Wi-Fi

· 54 Mbps (802.11g) never reaches 54 Mbps in real use.

· Real usable Wi-Fi: 20–25 Mbps max.

2. BUT your wired Ethernet ports are probably 100 Mbps

Most older 802.11g routers have:

· Wi-Fi: 54 Mbps advertised (20–25 Mbps real)

· Wired ports: 100 Mbps full duplex

➡ That means if you use wired, your router can handle up to 100 Mbps internet with no issue.

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⭐ Where Your Bottleneck Actually Is

✔ Using Wi-Fi

Your bottleneck is the Wi-Fi itself:
➡ ~20 Mbps max

✔ Using Wired Ethernet

Your bottleneck is the router’s 100 Mbps ports:
➡ Up to ~94 Mbps real speed
This matches exactly what a “100 Meg” ISP plan delivers.

✔ Using a faster ISP plan (200, 300, 500 Mbps, etc.)

Your bottleneck becomes the router's 100 Mbps ports.
You would not see speeds above ~94 Mbps without a gigabit router.

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🔍 Bottom Line (Your Situation)

Since you said you almost always use wired:

· Your 54 Mbps Wi-Fi rating does NOT limit you.

· Your actual wired limit is 100 Mbps.

· A 100 Mbps internet plan will run at full speed on your wired setup.