What do Tx Rate and Rx Rate mean in the Client List?

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The Tx rate and Rx rate indicate the current wireless PHY (link) rate negotiated between the AP and the wireless client.

  • Tx rate: The PHY rate used when the AP transmits data to the client.
  • Rx rate: The PHY rate used when the AP receives data from the client.
  • Unit: Mbps (Megabits per second).

For example, if a client displays:

Tx rate: 648
Rx rate: 1921

this represents approximately 648 Mbps Tx and 1921 Mbps Rx.

Please note that these values represent the wireless link rate rather than the actual data throughput. Actual throughput is normally lower because of Wi-Fi protocol overhead, airtime contention, interference, retransmissions, client capabilities, and other environmental factors.

It is also normal for the Tx and Rx rates to be different because the AP and client may use different modulation rates, spatial streams, or other transmission parameters in each direction.