Why Wi-Fi Engineers Don’t Let Access Points Whisper
A simple explanation about minimum data rates, transmit power, and better roaming
As usual, Peter McKenzie delivered a strong presentation at WLPC. One principle he—and Keith Parsons—have been reinforcing for years is: “Increase your minimum AP power.” We’ve talked about this internally, and while I knew it was a sound guideline, I’ve always had trouble clearly explaining the rationale behind it. After this session, that finally clicked for me. Below is a much clearer explanation of why this principal matters.
Picture from Meta AI
A Quick Summary of Peter’s Main Points:
Place access points as close to the users as possible
Disable 2.4Ghz on business and mission critical networks
Disable lower data rates but (6, 12, 24) are standard (drop 6 if can)
Increase AP Minimum TX power
Here’s a link to Peter’s WLPC 2-26 Arizona presentation.
How to Fix Your Wi-Fi | Peter Mackenzie | WLPC Phoenix 2026 - YouTube
Yes- I will ensure my min transmit rate at a higher level. Here’s why:
If you want to understand some of the most common Wi-Fi design advice from engineers like Keith Parsons and Peter Mackenzie, here’s a simple story.
Imagine a classroom.
The teacher asks students to read sentences out loud, one at a time.
But there’s an important rule:
Only one student can talk at a time.
Everyone else has to wait their turn.
That rule is very similar to how Wi-Fi works.
Only one device can transmit on the channel at a time.
The Problem: Whispering Students
At first, the teacher allows students to whisper if they want.
Some students whisper very slowly so everyone can hear them.
But whispering causes two problems.
First, the student takes a long time to finish the sentence.
Second, students far away struggle to hear and must speak even slower.
While this whispering happens:
nobody else can talk
the classroom slows down
everyone waits
Wi-Fi works exactly the same way.
A device transmitting very slowly occupies the wireless channel for longer, preventing everyone else from communicating.
What Whispering Looks Like in Wi-Fi
In Wi-Fi, whispering means using very low data rates.
Older Wi-Fi standards supported speeds like:
1 Mbps
2 Mbps
5.5 Mbps
11 Mbps
These were designed decades ago when wireless devices were much simpler.
Today, they are incredibly inefficient.
Sending a frame at 1 Mbps takes dramatically longer than sending the same frame at 24 Mbps or higher.
That means one slow device can consume a huge amount of airtime, slowing down the entire network.
The Teacher Changes the Rule
Now imagine the teacher introduces a new rule:
“You must speak clearly. No whispering.”
Suddenly the classroom becomes more efficient.
Students speak clearly and finish faster.
Everyone gets their turn sooner.
Wi-Fi engineers accomplish the same thing by raising the minimum data rate.
This removes the slowest legacy speeds so devices cannot transmit too slowly.
This Also Removes Ancient Devices
There’s another side effect.
Some very old devices only know how to whisper.
If whispering is no longer allowed, those devices cannot participate.
In practice, this removes devices using extremely old protocols.
Those might include hardware that only supports early generations of Wi-Fi like IEEE 802.11b.
These devices are usually:
extremely old handheld scanners
legacy IoT equipment
outdated wireless adapters
Modern devices already support higher data rates, so they are unaffected.
In fact, removing these legacy speeds often improves performance for everyone else.
Now Let’s Talk About Distance
Imagine a student sitting at the very back of the classroom.
If whispering is allowed, that student might stay seated far away and whisper slowly.
The teacher can barely hear them, and the entire class waits while they struggle through their sentence.
But if whispering isn’t allowed, the student has two choices:
Option 1
Speak clearly so the teacher can hear.
Option 2
Move closer to the teacher.
Wi-Fi clients behave the same way.
When minimum data rates are raised, devices must maintain a signal strong enough to communicate efficiently.
If the signal becomes too weak, the device naturally connects to a closer access point.
This Improves Roaming
Roaming is when a device moves from one access point to another.
Without minimum data rates, devices sometimes stay connected to an access point even when the signal becomes very weak.
This creates what wireless engineers call sticky clients.
The device clings to the original access point, whispering slowly at extremely low speeds.
That harms the entire network.
When slow data rates are removed, the device reaches a point where it can no longer communicate efficiently.
At that moment it searches for a better access point nearby.
That leads to better roaming behavior.
How Transmit Power Fits Into the Picture
Wi-Fi signal strength is measured in dBm.
Typical signal strengths might look like this:
Signal Strength Quality
-40 dBm Extremely strong
-60 dBm Excellent
-67 dBm Good for voice
-70 dBm Usable
-80 dBm Weak
Engineers sometimes raise the minimum transmit power of access points to prevent extremely weak coverage areas.
This helps ensure that devices remain in signal ranges where they can use faster data rates.
The result is a healthy chain of improvements:
Strong signal
→ Higher modulation
→ Faster data rate
→ Shorter airtime usage
→ Better performance
The Edge of the Wi-Fi Cell
The edge of a Wi-Fi cell is where signal strength begins to drop.
If whispering speeds are allowed, devices may stay connected at signal levels like:
-80 dBm or worse.
At those levels, communication becomes extremely slow.
When slow data rates are disabled, devices cannot communicate efficiently at those weak signals.
Instead they naturally look for a closer access point with stronger signal strength.
This keeps devices connected to access points that can support faster communication.
The Big Idea
Raising minimum data rates and transmit power isn’t about making Wi-Fi louder.
It’s about preventing inefficient communication.
In the classroom analogy, the rule is simple:
Speak clearly, or move closer.
When every student follows that rule:
nobody whispers
nobody takes forever to finish
everyone gets a turn
And the entire classroom runs smoothly.
Wi-Fi networks work best when devices behave the same way. 📶
So clear and such an appropriate analogy. Thank you