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Wireless & Mobility · Foundational

Data Rate

The PHY signaling speed at which bits are transmitted over the air, not user throughput.

Definition

Data rate is a function of modulation, coding, channel width, guard interval, and spatial streams. Because of contention, overhead, and acknowledgments, actual throughput is typically 50 to 70 percent of the data rate or less. Data rates change dynamically per frame.

Example

A client connected at 1,201 Mbps typically achieves 600-800 Mbps throughput.

Exam tip

Data rate is not throughput; exams test the difference.

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