Hi  @wifipete 

The difference between the **TX/RX rates** shown on your client status page and the **actual speeds** you measure with tools like iPerf or internet speed tests comes down to what each metric represents:

1. **TX/RX Rates on the Status Page (585 Mbps TX / 520 Mbps RX)**
   - These values represent the **PHY (physical layer) link rate** between your device and the Wi-Fi access point (AP).
   - This is the **maximum theoretical data rate** negotiated based on:
     - Wi-Fi standard (e.g., Wi-Fi 5/6/6E)
     - Signal strength (RSSI)
     - Channel width (e.g., 80 MHz, 160 MHz)
     - Modulation (e.g., 256-QAM, 1024-QAM)
     - MIMO streams (e.g., 2x2, 4x4)

   - **This is not the actual throughput you experience**—it’s just the "advertised" speed of the wireless link.

2. **Actual Speeds from iPerf/Speed Tests (~236 Mbps RX / 261 Mbps TX)**
   - These reflect **real-world throughput**, which is always lower than the PHY rate due to:
     - **Wi-Fi overhead**: Protocol headers, acknowledgments (ACKs), retransmissions, and contention for airtime.
     - **Half-duplex nature**: Wi-Fi can't transmit and receive simultaneously at full speed.
     - **Interference**: Other networks, devices, or physical obstacles reducing efficiency.
     - **Device capabilities**: Your client device or AP may have processing limitations.
     - **TCP/IP overhead**: Encryption, packet headers, and other network stack inefficiencies.

With today's wireless environmental conditions, your speed measurement results are more than satisfactory.

Hi  @wifipete 

CPE Status Page (e.g., 585 Mbps TX / 520 Mbps RX)

• This shows the PHY (physical layer) link rate, which is the theoretical maximum speed negotiated between your device and the Wi-Fi access point.
• It depends on:
  • Wi-Fi standard (e.g., 802.11ac/ax/be)
  • Channel width (e.g., 80 MHz, 160 MHz)
  • MIMO streams (e.g., 2x2, 4x4)
  • Modulation scheme (e.g., 256-QAM, 1024-QAM)

This combination of parameters determines the theoretical maximum PHY rate, which the CPE reads from the Wi-Fi chipset and displays on the status page.

Why the significant discrepancy with actual speed tests (iPerf/SpeedTest)? 

Actual measured speeds (e.g., 236 Mbps RX / 261 Mbps TX) are much lower than PHY rates due to:

Rule of thumb: Actual throughput ≈ 50%-70% of PHY rate (in ideal conditions),

but always be lower in interference-heavy environments (as in your test results showing ~40%).

  @wifipete 

Because they are not fixed, especailly the signal strength:

There is no given unchangeable wireless environment, and what's more, it's always changing.

Here are the key factors that can dynamically affect wireless environments :

Physical obstacles (walls, metal cabinets, human bodies), Wi-Fi interference (neighboring routers, co-channel contention), non-Wi-Fi interference (microwaves, Bluetooth devices, wireless cameras, radar signals), electronic device interference (low-quality LED lights, AC motors, smart home gadgets), network load fluctuations (multiple connected devices, high-bandwidth applications), weather effects (heavy rain, high humidity), building materials (concrete, metal structures), protocol behaviors (MCS adaptation, DFS channel switching), device variations (smartphone antenna performance, power-saving modes), moving objects (elevators, opening/closing doors), sudden signal sources (drones, temporary hotspots), and background traffic (system updates, cloud sync) can all dynamically alter wireless environments.