Network performance

3. Number of users

Even the most impressive network can be slowed down if too many people are using it at the same time because the bandwidth has to be shared between all users.

The more bandwidth each person uses, the less is available for everyone else.

So while theoretically a network with 100 Mbps of bandwidth should be sufficient for 50 people, if one of those users hogs the network by streaming video files, the network will seem to slow down for everyone else.

In a wired network the maximum number of people that can connect is simply the number of workstations connected to the network. However, this does not mean that bandwidth is shared equally amongst them.

In a Wi-Fi network the same thing applies - the more people or devices connecting to the network the slower the performance becomes.

There is also a limit in how many connections a Wi-Fi WAP accepts at any given time.