Max users sharing a wifi network before degrading it?

[Foxhound5366]

So I've gotten myself an uncapped (no FUP) wifi connection using one of these bad boys:


The service quality ain't fibre standard, but I'm happy enough with the ping and stability of the connection:


Now one of my close neighbours is asking if he can't just jump onto my wifi network and share the cost with me.

What should I say? With data not a consideration, the only two factors are network capacity and legality (e.g. if he uses the network to upload kiddie porn I might get the police knocking on my door).

How can I determine network capacity? How many devices can a standard router serve with reasonably demanding simultaneous activities before the internet experience starts dipping for everybody?

 

[TheMightyQuin]

So I've gotten myself an uncapped (no FUP) wifi connection using one of these bad boys:
View attachment 541715

The service quality ain't fibre standard, but I'm happy enough with the ping and stability of the connection:
View attachment 541717

Now one of my close neighbours is asking if he can't just jump onto my wifi network and share the cost with me.

What should I say? With data not a consideration, the only two factors are network capacity and legality (e.g. if he uses the network to upload kiddie porn I might get the police knocking on my door).

How can I determine network capacity? How many devices can a standard router serve with reasonably demanding simultaneous activities before the internet experience starts dipping for everybody?

I would suggest saying "No". You will be opening a huge can of worms. 10Mb is just about enough for one "household" anyway.

Tell him to get his own connection.

 

[Foxhound5366]

I would suggest saying "No". You will be opening a huge can of worms. 10Mb is just about enough for one "household" anyway.

Tell him to get his own connection.

Is that so, though? A router's job is to switch between multiple simultaneous requests and satisfy them all without affecting quality of service. Maybe the bottleneck isn't the speed, but the router? Or do two people streaming content on a 10Mbps line automatically only get a 5Mbps effective streaming speed? I just have no clue how this works in reality x.x

 

[TheMightyQuin]

Is that so, though? A router's job is to switch between multiple simultaneous requests and satisfy them all without affecting quality of service. Maybe the bottleneck isn't the speed, but the router? Or do two people streaming content on a 10Mbps line automatically only get a 5Mbps effective streaming speed? I just have no clue how this works in reality x.x

Exactly HOW will you be sharing your bandwidth with your neighbor?

 

[supersunbird]

Max users sharing a wifi network before degrading it?

2.

Not that what you have is a wifi network I'd think, but some other wireless technology offered by a WISP. So rather just say wireless.

 

[Foxhound5366]

2.

Not that what you have is a wifi network I'd think, but some other wireless technology offered by a WISP. So rather just say wireless.

It's both. So it's a wireless network on the front, connected to a standard wifi router on the back. The neighbour is just keen on getting access to the wifi network, but I don't know how to determine how/if that would determine my quality of service.

 

[Thor]

Is that so, though? A router's job is to switch between multiple simultaneous requests and satisfy them all without affecting quality of service. Maybe the bottleneck isn't the speed, but the router? Or do two people streaming content on a 10Mbps line automatically only get a 5Mbps effective streaming speed? I just have no clue how this works in reality x.x

10Mbps is not enough, bottom line.

 

[The_Ogre]

Do you want to share Internet access or does he want to access your LAN?

 

[irBosOtter]

If you allow your neighbor to use your 10Mb internet, no matter if it's ADSL, Wifi or Fibre, and he decides to watch a 1080P video on youtube your 10Mb line would be maxed out leaving you with nothing.

If you want to go that route, upgrade your line speed to at least 20Mb, and get something to limit him to 10Mb only and you have 10Mb for yourself.

But sharing internet with anyone just becomes a headache in the long term

 

[Foxhound5366]

If you allow your neighbor to use your 10Mb internet, no matter if it's ADSL, Wifi or Fibre, and he decides to watch a 1080P video on youtube your 10Mb line would be maxed out leaving you with nothing.

If you want to go that route, upgrade your line speed to at least 20Mb, and get something to limit him to 10Mb only and you have 10Mb for yourself.

But sharing internet with anyone just becomes a headache in the long term

Is that the rule or just a gut feel? A single user streaming 1080p will max a 10Mbps line?

I'd love some way to get a live view into my router's bandwidth, but all I know is my individual devices' usage. There must be router-level monitoring software ... anything good that somebody can recommend?

 

[longboy]

Not worth it.

 

[Mephisto_Helix]

I have an 8mb, when someone watches anything in 1080 I see it and feel it. Don't do it, it's not enough.

 

[Nerfherder]

Is that so, though? A router's job is to switch between multiple simultaneous requests and satisfy them all without affecting quality of service. Maybe the bottleneck isn't the speed, but the router? Or do two people streaming content on a 10Mbps line automatically only get a 5Mbps effective streaming speed? I just have no clue how this works in reality x.x

I doubt your router would be doing proper Qos.


Wifi works like this... every user that joins the network will cut the speed in half. So if you have a 300 meg WIFI connection and someone else connects their cellphone its going to split the speed and give 150 meg to each user. So the less people on the network the better. in addition to that the entire WiFI connection shares your 10 meg internet with the rest of the devices connected on the LAN ports.
If you have 10 WIFI devices you will get max 3 meg on each device regardless if anyone is actually using the connection.

Also.. that dish is your link to the wireless internet provider. The WIFI you are connecting to is going to be a small router inside your house.

 

[Suspect99]

I doubt your router would be doing proper Qos.


Wifi works like this... every user that joins the network will cut the speed in half. So if you have a 300 meg WIFI connection and someone else connects their cellphone its going to split the speed and give 150 meg to each user. So the less people on the network the better. in addition to that the entire WiFI connection shares your 10 meg internet with the rest of the devices connected on the LAN ports.
If you have 10 WIFI devices you will get max 3 meg on each device regardless if anyone is actually using the connection.

Also.. that dish is your link to the wireless internet provider. The WIFI you are connecting to is going to be a small router inside your house.

That can't be right. I have multiple phones ans tablets running connected to my home WiFi. And If I do a Speedtest on my pc also connected to WiFi I get full speed

 

[Thor]

That can't be right. I have multiple phones ans tablets running connected to my home WiFi. And If I do a Speedtest on my pc also connected to WiFi I get full speed

Good QoS on your router.

 

[irBosOtter]

That can't be right. I have multiple phones ans tablets running connected to my home WiFi. And If I do a Speedtest on my pc also connected to WiFi I get full speed

Yes but what is "full speed" for you when you are doing a speedtest, probably your internet speed and not wifi speed

 

[Suspect99]

Yes but what is "full speed" for you when you are doing a speedtest, probably your internet speed and not wifi speed

Ah wait yes I misunderstood. He was talking about WiFi speed. I get a full 20mpbs line speed. Got confused when he started talking about 3mb from 10 users from a 300mbs WiFi modem

 

[wetkit]

Get yourself a Microtik RB750G router.
Put your WISP connection on port 1 on the router.
Your home on another port and same for your neighbor.
Now you can start playing around with bandwidth and all sorts of other things.

 

[LazyLion]

It depends, how many of them are torrenting?

 

[Nerfherder]

That can't be right. I have multiple phones ans tablets running connected to my home WiFi. And If I do a Speedtest on my pc also connected to WiFi I get full speed

What speed is your line speed ?

If you have a 4 meg ADSL line and 300 meg WIFI you can have quite a few devices on WIFI before you start seeing each device getting bellow 4 meg.


Its more of an issue when you have 100 meg line speed.