How to make more than 500 users in one time on WiFi network

The name of the pictureThe name of the pictureThe name of the pictureClash Royale CLAN TAG#URR8PPP











up vote
1
down vote

favorite












What I want to achieve is to serve an HTTL server in LAN network. Let's call it a server and give it 192.168.0.2 address. I would like to let people access this server via browser on their mobile devices but only if they are connected to LAN via WiFi (they can not connect from outside LAN area like WAN or something).



Normally it would not be a problem unless I want many people to connect in the same time. I've heard that maximum ammount of users that may connect via WiFi is 256 (including a server, and router) with subnet mask 255.255.255.0. Changing subnet mask may increase ammount of users (is that true?) but in reality more than 20-30 would halt the router.



Here come questions:



  • Are there routers that let simultaneous connection of more than 200
    users?

  • Is changing subnt mask give me the opportunity to have more than 255 clients in network?

  • Does WiFi radio bandwidth allow so many users in the same time?

  • Can it be solved via multiple access points? I mean one router and 3-5 or more access points?

  • Is that possible to have DHCP server to give users IP addresses from 192.168.0.1 to for example 192.168.3.255?

Additional info:



  • Security issues doesnt concern me, there may be no encrypting for
    logging in the network if that may problem more easy to solve

  • If there are more expensive but better solutions — feel free to give it to me, I guess ammount of acess points or better router is
    not a problem to buy.









share|improve this question









New contributor




Kalreg is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.















  • 1




    One might say if you own a home large enough for 500 guests with WiFi devices all needing to be used simultaneously, then you could likely afford to hire an individual with the expertise and purchase the equipment necessary to make it happen without asking here.... My real comment here is a more direct summation of the answers below, this isn't possible with home/SOHO networking equipment, you will need enterprise grade WiFi AP's, a more robust router (few home models allow for increasing the subnet over 255 IP's), and likely some technical expertise in placement and configuration.
    – acejavelin
    6 mins ago










  • And if you are really expecting 500 users on your network, maybe look at professional gear, not home routers. That will also give you the tools and firmware to set up something like this with multiple APs with manageable effort.
    – dirkt
    5 mins ago














up vote
1
down vote

favorite












What I want to achieve is to serve an HTTL server in LAN network. Let's call it a server and give it 192.168.0.2 address. I would like to let people access this server via browser on their mobile devices but only if they are connected to LAN via WiFi (they can not connect from outside LAN area like WAN or something).



Normally it would not be a problem unless I want many people to connect in the same time. I've heard that maximum ammount of users that may connect via WiFi is 256 (including a server, and router) with subnet mask 255.255.255.0. Changing subnet mask may increase ammount of users (is that true?) but in reality more than 20-30 would halt the router.



Here come questions:



  • Are there routers that let simultaneous connection of more than 200
    users?

  • Is changing subnt mask give me the opportunity to have more than 255 clients in network?

  • Does WiFi radio bandwidth allow so many users in the same time?

  • Can it be solved via multiple access points? I mean one router and 3-5 or more access points?

  • Is that possible to have DHCP server to give users IP addresses from 192.168.0.1 to for example 192.168.3.255?

Additional info:



  • Security issues doesnt concern me, there may be no encrypting for
    logging in the network if that may problem more easy to solve

  • If there are more expensive but better solutions — feel free to give it to me, I guess ammount of acess points or better router is
    not a problem to buy.









share|improve this question









New contributor




Kalreg is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.















  • 1




    One might say if you own a home large enough for 500 guests with WiFi devices all needing to be used simultaneously, then you could likely afford to hire an individual with the expertise and purchase the equipment necessary to make it happen without asking here.... My real comment here is a more direct summation of the answers below, this isn't possible with home/SOHO networking equipment, you will need enterprise grade WiFi AP's, a more robust router (few home models allow for increasing the subnet over 255 IP's), and likely some technical expertise in placement and configuration.
    – acejavelin
    6 mins ago










  • And if you are really expecting 500 users on your network, maybe look at professional gear, not home routers. That will also give you the tools and firmware to set up something like this with multiple APs with manageable effort.
    – dirkt
    5 mins ago












up vote
1
down vote

favorite









up vote
1
down vote

favorite











What I want to achieve is to serve an HTTL server in LAN network. Let's call it a server and give it 192.168.0.2 address. I would like to let people access this server via browser on their mobile devices but only if they are connected to LAN via WiFi (they can not connect from outside LAN area like WAN or something).



Normally it would not be a problem unless I want many people to connect in the same time. I've heard that maximum ammount of users that may connect via WiFi is 256 (including a server, and router) with subnet mask 255.255.255.0. Changing subnet mask may increase ammount of users (is that true?) but in reality more than 20-30 would halt the router.



Here come questions:



  • Are there routers that let simultaneous connection of more than 200
    users?

  • Is changing subnt mask give me the opportunity to have more than 255 clients in network?

  • Does WiFi radio bandwidth allow so many users in the same time?

  • Can it be solved via multiple access points? I mean one router and 3-5 or more access points?

  • Is that possible to have DHCP server to give users IP addresses from 192.168.0.1 to for example 192.168.3.255?

Additional info:



  • Security issues doesnt concern me, there may be no encrypting for
    logging in the network if that may problem more easy to solve

  • If there are more expensive but better solutions — feel free to give it to me, I guess ammount of acess points or better router is
    not a problem to buy.









share|improve this question









New contributor




Kalreg is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.











What I want to achieve is to serve an HTTL server in LAN network. Let's call it a server and give it 192.168.0.2 address. I would like to let people access this server via browser on their mobile devices but only if they are connected to LAN via WiFi (they can not connect from outside LAN area like WAN or something).



Normally it would not be a problem unless I want many people to connect in the same time. I've heard that maximum ammount of users that may connect via WiFi is 256 (including a server, and router) with subnet mask 255.255.255.0. Changing subnet mask may increase ammount of users (is that true?) but in reality more than 20-30 would halt the router.



Here come questions:



  • Are there routers that let simultaneous connection of more than 200
    users?

  • Is changing subnt mask give me the opportunity to have more than 255 clients in network?

  • Does WiFi radio bandwidth allow so many users in the same time?

  • Can it be solved via multiple access points? I mean one router and 3-5 or more access points?

  • Is that possible to have DHCP server to give users IP addresses from 192.168.0.1 to for example 192.168.3.255?

Additional info:



  • Security issues doesnt concern me, there may be no encrypting for
    logging in the network if that may problem more easy to solve

  • If there are more expensive but better solutions — feel free to give it to me, I guess ammount of acess points or better router is
    not a problem to buy.






networking wireless-networking router wireless-router lan






share|improve this question









New contributor




Kalreg is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.











share|improve this question









New contributor




Kalreg is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.









share|improve this question




share|improve this question








edited 1 hour ago









Uwe Keim

1,27852245




1,27852245






New contributor




Kalreg is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.









asked 2 hours ago









Kalreg

1062




1062




New contributor




Kalreg is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.





New contributor





Kalreg is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.






Kalreg is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.







  • 1




    One might say if you own a home large enough for 500 guests with WiFi devices all needing to be used simultaneously, then you could likely afford to hire an individual with the expertise and purchase the equipment necessary to make it happen without asking here.... My real comment here is a more direct summation of the answers below, this isn't possible with home/SOHO networking equipment, you will need enterprise grade WiFi AP's, a more robust router (few home models allow for increasing the subnet over 255 IP's), and likely some technical expertise in placement and configuration.
    – acejavelin
    6 mins ago










  • And if you are really expecting 500 users on your network, maybe look at professional gear, not home routers. That will also give you the tools and firmware to set up something like this with multiple APs with manageable effort.
    – dirkt
    5 mins ago












  • 1




    One might say if you own a home large enough for 500 guests with WiFi devices all needing to be used simultaneously, then you could likely afford to hire an individual with the expertise and purchase the equipment necessary to make it happen without asking here.... My real comment here is a more direct summation of the answers below, this isn't possible with home/SOHO networking equipment, you will need enterprise grade WiFi AP's, a more robust router (few home models allow for increasing the subnet over 255 IP's), and likely some technical expertise in placement and configuration.
    – acejavelin
    6 mins ago










  • And if you are really expecting 500 users on your network, maybe look at professional gear, not home routers. That will also give you the tools and firmware to set up something like this with multiple APs with manageable effort.
    – dirkt
    5 mins ago







1




1




One might say if you own a home large enough for 500 guests with WiFi devices all needing to be used simultaneously, then you could likely afford to hire an individual with the expertise and purchase the equipment necessary to make it happen without asking here.... My real comment here is a more direct summation of the answers below, this isn't possible with home/SOHO networking equipment, you will need enterprise grade WiFi AP's, a more robust router (few home models allow for increasing the subnet over 255 IP's), and likely some technical expertise in placement and configuration.
– acejavelin
6 mins ago




One might say if you own a home large enough for 500 guests with WiFi devices all needing to be used simultaneously, then you could likely afford to hire an individual with the expertise and purchase the equipment necessary to make it happen without asking here.... My real comment here is a more direct summation of the answers below, this isn't possible with home/SOHO networking equipment, you will need enterprise grade WiFi AP's, a more robust router (few home models allow for increasing the subnet over 255 IP's), and likely some technical expertise in placement and configuration.
– acejavelin
6 mins ago












And if you are really expecting 500 users on your network, maybe look at professional gear, not home routers. That will also give you the tools and firmware to set up something like this with multiple APs with manageable effort.
– dirkt
5 mins ago




And if you are really expecting 500 users on your network, maybe look at professional gear, not home routers. That will also give you the tools and firmware to set up something like this with multiple APs with manageable effort.
– dirkt
5 mins ago










4 Answers
4






active

oldest

votes

















up vote
2
down vote













I've heard that maximum amount of users that may connect via WiFi is 256



That number is close, however, they will be limited as to the connection speed they are are able to obtain. The rule of thumb is 45 devices.



For example, a WiFi router rated at 300 Mbps with 250 devices connected will be limited to an average of average 0.8 Mbps.



There are a number of practical limitations:




Practical Limits of Wi-Fi Network Scaling



Connecting 250 devices to a single WiFi access point, while theoretically possible, is not feasible in practice for a few reasons:



  • On home networks, all devices normally share a single internet connection. The performance of clients' access will start to degrade
    as more devices join the network and start using it simultaneously.
    Even just a handful of active devices streaming video or downloading
    files can quickly max out a shared internet link.

  • Access points overheat and stop working when operating at extreme loads for extended periods, even if handling only local
    traffic and not accessing the internet.

  • Having a large number of WiFi clients concentrated in close physical proximity, like a home or office building, generates
    significant wireless signal interference. Radio interference among
    WiFi clients degrades network performance (due to frequent
    re-broadcasting of messages that fail to reach their destination) and
    eventually causes connection drops.



You can get around these limitations by adding adding additional routers or access points:




How to Maximize Your Network's Potential



Installing a second router or access point on a home network can
greatly help distribute the network load. By adding more access points
to the network, effectively any number of devices can be supported.
However, this will make the network progressively more difficult to
manage.




Source Wireless Network Capacity…How Many Devices Can Connect to my WiFi Network? - Actiontec.com



And:




A general rule of thumb is to limit the number of simultaneous
connections on your home network to 45. However, the specific number
is going to vary widely depending on what each of those devices is
doing. For example, downloading MP3s, ISOs or other large files
requires much more bandwidth than checking email or simple Web
browsing. Likewise, if the network is hosting Web, FTP, or Gaming
servers, the recommended limit for the number of network connections
may be much lower.




Source How Many Devices Can One Wireless Router Handle?






share|improve this answer



























    up vote
    1
    down vote













    Theoretically, you could even use a class-A network (10.0.0.0 netmask 255.0.0.0) for your WiFi. That would give you enough ip-addresses for your users. But that will not be practical.



    In practice though, you will need to use an enterprise-grade solution. Most home-routers stop at round 30 users (dual band Netgears at 64, etc..) and you will have to make a routed network with more that 16 access points to make your server available.



    Enterprise-grade solutions come with a price-tag. For example, an Aruba Wireless LAN controller with a few access point is easily round 10k EURO (convert to your local currency) and requires quite a bit of knowledge to set-up. Cisco is even more expensive.



    Meraki is (just a bit) less expensive and offers a "Cloud" solution that is relatively easy to use, but it may not match your requirements.



    The number of access points that you need also depends on the protocol that you use:



    Protocol Bandwidth #clients per AP
    802.11b 600 kbps 13
    802.11g 600 kbps 43
    802.11n (2 Spatial Streams) 600 kbps 273


    (that is Cisco, but other vendors should be comparable)



    If you are going to use a stack of home-routers, than you also have to look at interference. Your 16 routers will have a limited number of bands and they will slow down the connection with other routers. Not also, that a stack of 16 home-routers is also not very cheap.



    If you're going to use an enterprise-grade solution, DHCP will be incorporated in that. But get some expert help before deciding on the architecture for these size of networks.






    share|improve this answer






















    • Why would i need 64 home routers? If home router lets me connect 30 users and i want to do it for 500 users - 500/30 is about 17 home routers.
      – Kalreg
      1 hour ago










    • It was perhaps a bit of an exaggeration. The point is that the home-routers will come at a price-tag and will produce a lot of interference. (changed 64->16 in the answer)
      – Ljm Dullaart
      1 hour ago

















    up vote
    0
    down vote













    There are a few different limitations at play here. The access point may indeed be able to only accommodate so many users at the same time before the signal degradation is so big that it randomly starts dropping users. This can be solved by using multiple access points, where each can server different users. Also, cheaper access points or routers may not be able to handle many users at the same time, where more expensive routers/access points can hold up to 255 users.



    The second is going to be handing out IP Addresses. In order for devices to communicate over the wifi network/lan network, each device must receive an IP Address. This means that the DHCP server must set a network big enough to hand out more than 255 ip addresses. That automatically means, that you have to either create a network with a larger subnet (class B or higher), or divide each segment into vlan's so that they can have their own inner network, which means that people from group A cannot see and communicate with people from group B, etc, but all could access your webserver if you set it up that way. The 2nd option mentioned here is going to be trickier to setup and cannot be done unless you have capable hardware. That can be as simple as multiple routers with wifi capability, each serving up to 255 users, and their wan port linked to a network behind where your server resides.



    Also, better enterprise hardware can do this on just one device, but is harder to setup.



    Therefor the easiest method is going to be one router with a bigger subnetmask to create a Class B network with more than one Wifi point.






    share|improve this answer




















    • If i understand correctly, one router which serves different subnet mask than 255.255.255.0, serves more than 256 ip addressess. Now i connect APs to router via wifi/ethernet and each AP serves 255 ip addresses for users 255 users. Does each AP have different SSID? Or all have the same and if limit of users on AP is achieved it doesnt allow connecting anymore, leting other APs to work?
      – Kalreg
      2 hours ago

















    up vote
    0
    down vote













    Your questions answered 1 by 1



    are there routers that let simultaneous connection of more than 200 users?


    YES - I'm not making product recommendations so simply search using your favorite search engine. Common brands are Ruckus, Cisco, Aruba, Zyxel etc. etc.



    is changing subnt mask give me the opportunity to have more than 255 clients in network?


    YES - see more below.



    does wifi radio bandwidth allow so many users in the same time?


    YES and most decent APs have features to manage bandwidth.



    can it be solved via multiple access points? i mean one router and 3-5 or more access points?


    YES, that would be the normal way to do it. AP's are limited to a maximum number of clients due to wireless protocol limits, however routers scale much higher, so 1 decent router will be sufficient for 500 users. Number of AP's depends on the actual AP(s) you buy.



    is that possible to have dhcp server to give users ip addresses from 192.168.0.1 to for example 192.168.3.255?


    YES - very simple - a subnet mask of 255.255.255.0 (means the last part of the mask can give 0 to 255 numbers, for a total of 256). Out of that the .0 and the .255 are not used because of how IP routing works, so you have 254 usable. Then one gets used by the gateway leaving you 253 available client addresses.
    When the subnet mask is 255.255.0.0, that means a total of (256 x 256) = 65535 IP addresses are possible and after removing the .0.0 and .255.255 and one more for gateway you have 65532 available.



    Since you are in a subnet behind a firewall the only limitation I can think of will be placed by the router or AP (home ones can be typically limiting to the last part at 0, but even in the home market not all devices impose the limit). Keep in mind, the subnet mask is simply an IP addressing related "limit" and in private networks, it is essentially an arbitrary limit.






    share|improve this answer






















      Your Answer







      StackExchange.ready(function()
      var channelOptions =
      tags: "".split(" "),
      id: "3"
      ;
      initTagRenderer("".split(" "), "".split(" "), channelOptions);

      StackExchange.using("externalEditor", function()
      // Have to fire editor after snippets, if snippets enabled
      if (StackExchange.settings.snippets.snippetsEnabled)
      StackExchange.using("snippets", function()
      createEditor();
      );

      else
      createEditor();

      );

      function createEditor()
      StackExchange.prepareEditor(
      heartbeatType: 'answer',
      convertImagesToLinks: true,
      noModals: false,
      showLowRepImageUploadWarning: true,
      reputationToPostImages: 10,
      bindNavPrevention: true,
      postfix: "",
      onDemand: true,
      discardSelector: ".discard-answer"
      ,immediatelyShowMarkdownHelp:true
      );



      );






      Kalreg is a new contributor. Be nice, and check out our Code of Conduct.









       

      draft saved


      draft discarded


















      StackExchange.ready(
      function ()
      StackExchange.openid.initPostLogin('.new-post-login', 'https%3a%2f%2fsuperuser.com%2fquestions%2f1360649%2fhow-to-make-more-than-500-users-in-one-time-on-wifi-network%23new-answer', 'question_page');

      );

      Post as a guest






























      4 Answers
      4






      active

      oldest

      votes








      4 Answers
      4






      active

      oldest

      votes









      active

      oldest

      votes






      active

      oldest

      votes








      up vote
      2
      down vote













      I've heard that maximum amount of users that may connect via WiFi is 256



      That number is close, however, they will be limited as to the connection speed they are are able to obtain. The rule of thumb is 45 devices.



      For example, a WiFi router rated at 300 Mbps with 250 devices connected will be limited to an average of average 0.8 Mbps.



      There are a number of practical limitations:




      Practical Limits of Wi-Fi Network Scaling



      Connecting 250 devices to a single WiFi access point, while theoretically possible, is not feasible in practice for a few reasons:



      • On home networks, all devices normally share a single internet connection. The performance of clients' access will start to degrade
        as more devices join the network and start using it simultaneously.
        Even just a handful of active devices streaming video or downloading
        files can quickly max out a shared internet link.

      • Access points overheat and stop working when operating at extreme loads for extended periods, even if handling only local
        traffic and not accessing the internet.

      • Having a large number of WiFi clients concentrated in close physical proximity, like a home or office building, generates
        significant wireless signal interference. Radio interference among
        WiFi clients degrades network performance (due to frequent
        re-broadcasting of messages that fail to reach their destination) and
        eventually causes connection drops.



      You can get around these limitations by adding adding additional routers or access points:




      How to Maximize Your Network's Potential



      Installing a second router or access point on a home network can
      greatly help distribute the network load. By adding more access points
      to the network, effectively any number of devices can be supported.
      However, this will make the network progressively more difficult to
      manage.




      Source Wireless Network Capacity…How Many Devices Can Connect to my WiFi Network? - Actiontec.com



      And:




      A general rule of thumb is to limit the number of simultaneous
      connections on your home network to 45. However, the specific number
      is going to vary widely depending on what each of those devices is
      doing. For example, downloading MP3s, ISOs or other large files
      requires much more bandwidth than checking email or simple Web
      browsing. Likewise, if the network is hosting Web, FTP, or Gaming
      servers, the recommended limit for the number of network connections
      may be much lower.




      Source How Many Devices Can One Wireless Router Handle?






      share|improve this answer
























        up vote
        2
        down vote













        I've heard that maximum amount of users that may connect via WiFi is 256



        That number is close, however, they will be limited as to the connection speed they are are able to obtain. The rule of thumb is 45 devices.



        For example, a WiFi router rated at 300 Mbps with 250 devices connected will be limited to an average of average 0.8 Mbps.



        There are a number of practical limitations:




        Practical Limits of Wi-Fi Network Scaling



        Connecting 250 devices to a single WiFi access point, while theoretically possible, is not feasible in practice for a few reasons:



        • On home networks, all devices normally share a single internet connection. The performance of clients' access will start to degrade
          as more devices join the network and start using it simultaneously.
          Even just a handful of active devices streaming video or downloading
          files can quickly max out a shared internet link.

        • Access points overheat and stop working when operating at extreme loads for extended periods, even if handling only local
          traffic and not accessing the internet.

        • Having a large number of WiFi clients concentrated in close physical proximity, like a home or office building, generates
          significant wireless signal interference. Radio interference among
          WiFi clients degrades network performance (due to frequent
          re-broadcasting of messages that fail to reach their destination) and
          eventually causes connection drops.



        You can get around these limitations by adding adding additional routers or access points:




        How to Maximize Your Network's Potential



        Installing a second router or access point on a home network can
        greatly help distribute the network load. By adding more access points
        to the network, effectively any number of devices can be supported.
        However, this will make the network progressively more difficult to
        manage.




        Source Wireless Network Capacity…How Many Devices Can Connect to my WiFi Network? - Actiontec.com



        And:




        A general rule of thumb is to limit the number of simultaneous
        connections on your home network to 45. However, the specific number
        is going to vary widely depending on what each of those devices is
        doing. For example, downloading MP3s, ISOs or other large files
        requires much more bandwidth than checking email or simple Web
        browsing. Likewise, if the network is hosting Web, FTP, or Gaming
        servers, the recommended limit for the number of network connections
        may be much lower.




        Source How Many Devices Can One Wireless Router Handle?






        share|improve this answer






















          up vote
          2
          down vote










          up vote
          2
          down vote









          I've heard that maximum amount of users that may connect via WiFi is 256



          That number is close, however, they will be limited as to the connection speed they are are able to obtain. The rule of thumb is 45 devices.



          For example, a WiFi router rated at 300 Mbps with 250 devices connected will be limited to an average of average 0.8 Mbps.



          There are a number of practical limitations:




          Practical Limits of Wi-Fi Network Scaling



          Connecting 250 devices to a single WiFi access point, while theoretically possible, is not feasible in practice for a few reasons:



          • On home networks, all devices normally share a single internet connection. The performance of clients' access will start to degrade
            as more devices join the network and start using it simultaneously.
            Even just a handful of active devices streaming video or downloading
            files can quickly max out a shared internet link.

          • Access points overheat and stop working when operating at extreme loads for extended periods, even if handling only local
            traffic and not accessing the internet.

          • Having a large number of WiFi clients concentrated in close physical proximity, like a home or office building, generates
            significant wireless signal interference. Radio interference among
            WiFi clients degrades network performance (due to frequent
            re-broadcasting of messages that fail to reach their destination) and
            eventually causes connection drops.



          You can get around these limitations by adding adding additional routers or access points:




          How to Maximize Your Network's Potential



          Installing a second router or access point on a home network can
          greatly help distribute the network load. By adding more access points
          to the network, effectively any number of devices can be supported.
          However, this will make the network progressively more difficult to
          manage.




          Source Wireless Network Capacity…How Many Devices Can Connect to my WiFi Network? - Actiontec.com



          And:




          A general rule of thumb is to limit the number of simultaneous
          connections on your home network to 45. However, the specific number
          is going to vary widely depending on what each of those devices is
          doing. For example, downloading MP3s, ISOs or other large files
          requires much more bandwidth than checking email or simple Web
          browsing. Likewise, if the network is hosting Web, FTP, or Gaming
          servers, the recommended limit for the number of network connections
          may be much lower.




          Source How Many Devices Can One Wireless Router Handle?






          share|improve this answer












          I've heard that maximum amount of users that may connect via WiFi is 256



          That number is close, however, they will be limited as to the connection speed they are are able to obtain. The rule of thumb is 45 devices.



          For example, a WiFi router rated at 300 Mbps with 250 devices connected will be limited to an average of average 0.8 Mbps.



          There are a number of practical limitations:




          Practical Limits of Wi-Fi Network Scaling



          Connecting 250 devices to a single WiFi access point, while theoretically possible, is not feasible in practice for a few reasons:



          • On home networks, all devices normally share a single internet connection. The performance of clients' access will start to degrade
            as more devices join the network and start using it simultaneously.
            Even just a handful of active devices streaming video or downloading
            files can quickly max out a shared internet link.

          • Access points overheat and stop working when operating at extreme loads for extended periods, even if handling only local
            traffic and not accessing the internet.

          • Having a large number of WiFi clients concentrated in close physical proximity, like a home or office building, generates
            significant wireless signal interference. Radio interference among
            WiFi clients degrades network performance (due to frequent
            re-broadcasting of messages that fail to reach their destination) and
            eventually causes connection drops.



          You can get around these limitations by adding adding additional routers or access points:




          How to Maximize Your Network's Potential



          Installing a second router or access point on a home network can
          greatly help distribute the network load. By adding more access points
          to the network, effectively any number of devices can be supported.
          However, this will make the network progressively more difficult to
          manage.




          Source Wireless Network Capacity…How Many Devices Can Connect to my WiFi Network? - Actiontec.com



          And:




          A general rule of thumb is to limit the number of simultaneous
          connections on your home network to 45. However, the specific number
          is going to vary widely depending on what each of those devices is
          doing. For example, downloading MP3s, ISOs or other large files
          requires much more bandwidth than checking email or simple Web
          browsing. Likewise, if the network is hosting Web, FTP, or Gaming
          servers, the recommended limit for the number of network connections
          may be much lower.




          Source How Many Devices Can One Wireless Router Handle?







          share|improve this answer












          share|improve this answer



          share|improve this answer










          answered 2 hours ago









          DavidPostill♦

          99.3k25210243




          99.3k25210243






















              up vote
              1
              down vote













              Theoretically, you could even use a class-A network (10.0.0.0 netmask 255.0.0.0) for your WiFi. That would give you enough ip-addresses for your users. But that will not be practical.



              In practice though, you will need to use an enterprise-grade solution. Most home-routers stop at round 30 users (dual band Netgears at 64, etc..) and you will have to make a routed network with more that 16 access points to make your server available.



              Enterprise-grade solutions come with a price-tag. For example, an Aruba Wireless LAN controller with a few access point is easily round 10k EURO (convert to your local currency) and requires quite a bit of knowledge to set-up. Cisco is even more expensive.



              Meraki is (just a bit) less expensive and offers a "Cloud" solution that is relatively easy to use, but it may not match your requirements.



              The number of access points that you need also depends on the protocol that you use:



              Protocol Bandwidth #clients per AP
              802.11b 600 kbps 13
              802.11g 600 kbps 43
              802.11n (2 Spatial Streams) 600 kbps 273


              (that is Cisco, but other vendors should be comparable)



              If you are going to use a stack of home-routers, than you also have to look at interference. Your 16 routers will have a limited number of bands and they will slow down the connection with other routers. Not also, that a stack of 16 home-routers is also not very cheap.



              If you're going to use an enterprise-grade solution, DHCP will be incorporated in that. But get some expert help before deciding on the architecture for these size of networks.






              share|improve this answer






















              • Why would i need 64 home routers? If home router lets me connect 30 users and i want to do it for 500 users - 500/30 is about 17 home routers.
                – Kalreg
                1 hour ago










              • It was perhaps a bit of an exaggeration. The point is that the home-routers will come at a price-tag and will produce a lot of interference. (changed 64->16 in the answer)
                – Ljm Dullaart
                1 hour ago














              up vote
              1
              down vote













              Theoretically, you could even use a class-A network (10.0.0.0 netmask 255.0.0.0) for your WiFi. That would give you enough ip-addresses for your users. But that will not be practical.



              In practice though, you will need to use an enterprise-grade solution. Most home-routers stop at round 30 users (dual band Netgears at 64, etc..) and you will have to make a routed network with more that 16 access points to make your server available.



              Enterprise-grade solutions come with a price-tag. For example, an Aruba Wireless LAN controller with a few access point is easily round 10k EURO (convert to your local currency) and requires quite a bit of knowledge to set-up. Cisco is even more expensive.



              Meraki is (just a bit) less expensive and offers a "Cloud" solution that is relatively easy to use, but it may not match your requirements.



              The number of access points that you need also depends on the protocol that you use:



              Protocol Bandwidth #clients per AP
              802.11b 600 kbps 13
              802.11g 600 kbps 43
              802.11n (2 Spatial Streams) 600 kbps 273


              (that is Cisco, but other vendors should be comparable)



              If you are going to use a stack of home-routers, than you also have to look at interference. Your 16 routers will have a limited number of bands and they will slow down the connection with other routers. Not also, that a stack of 16 home-routers is also not very cheap.



              If you're going to use an enterprise-grade solution, DHCP will be incorporated in that. But get some expert help before deciding on the architecture for these size of networks.






              share|improve this answer






















              • Why would i need 64 home routers? If home router lets me connect 30 users and i want to do it for 500 users - 500/30 is about 17 home routers.
                – Kalreg
                1 hour ago










              • It was perhaps a bit of an exaggeration. The point is that the home-routers will come at a price-tag and will produce a lot of interference. (changed 64->16 in the answer)
                – Ljm Dullaart
                1 hour ago












              up vote
              1
              down vote










              up vote
              1
              down vote









              Theoretically, you could even use a class-A network (10.0.0.0 netmask 255.0.0.0) for your WiFi. That would give you enough ip-addresses for your users. But that will not be practical.



              In practice though, you will need to use an enterprise-grade solution. Most home-routers stop at round 30 users (dual band Netgears at 64, etc..) and you will have to make a routed network with more that 16 access points to make your server available.



              Enterprise-grade solutions come with a price-tag. For example, an Aruba Wireless LAN controller with a few access point is easily round 10k EURO (convert to your local currency) and requires quite a bit of knowledge to set-up. Cisco is even more expensive.



              Meraki is (just a bit) less expensive and offers a "Cloud" solution that is relatively easy to use, but it may not match your requirements.



              The number of access points that you need also depends on the protocol that you use:



              Protocol Bandwidth #clients per AP
              802.11b 600 kbps 13
              802.11g 600 kbps 43
              802.11n (2 Spatial Streams) 600 kbps 273


              (that is Cisco, but other vendors should be comparable)



              If you are going to use a stack of home-routers, than you also have to look at interference. Your 16 routers will have a limited number of bands and they will slow down the connection with other routers. Not also, that a stack of 16 home-routers is also not very cheap.



              If you're going to use an enterprise-grade solution, DHCP will be incorporated in that. But get some expert help before deciding on the architecture for these size of networks.






              share|improve this answer














              Theoretically, you could even use a class-A network (10.0.0.0 netmask 255.0.0.0) for your WiFi. That would give you enough ip-addresses for your users. But that will not be practical.



              In practice though, you will need to use an enterprise-grade solution. Most home-routers stop at round 30 users (dual band Netgears at 64, etc..) and you will have to make a routed network with more that 16 access points to make your server available.



              Enterprise-grade solutions come with a price-tag. For example, an Aruba Wireless LAN controller with a few access point is easily round 10k EURO (convert to your local currency) and requires quite a bit of knowledge to set-up. Cisco is even more expensive.



              Meraki is (just a bit) less expensive and offers a "Cloud" solution that is relatively easy to use, but it may not match your requirements.



              The number of access points that you need also depends on the protocol that you use:



              Protocol Bandwidth #clients per AP
              802.11b 600 kbps 13
              802.11g 600 kbps 43
              802.11n (2 Spatial Streams) 600 kbps 273


              (that is Cisco, but other vendors should be comparable)



              If you are going to use a stack of home-routers, than you also have to look at interference. Your 16 routers will have a limited number of bands and they will slow down the connection with other routers. Not also, that a stack of 16 home-routers is also not very cheap.



              If you're going to use an enterprise-grade solution, DHCP will be incorporated in that. But get some expert help before deciding on the architecture for these size of networks.







              share|improve this answer














              share|improve this answer



              share|improve this answer








              edited 1 hour ago

























              answered 1 hour ago









              Ljm Dullaart

              37915




              37915











              • Why would i need 64 home routers? If home router lets me connect 30 users and i want to do it for 500 users - 500/30 is about 17 home routers.
                – Kalreg
                1 hour ago










              • It was perhaps a bit of an exaggeration. The point is that the home-routers will come at a price-tag and will produce a lot of interference. (changed 64->16 in the answer)
                – Ljm Dullaart
                1 hour ago
















              • Why would i need 64 home routers? If home router lets me connect 30 users and i want to do it for 500 users - 500/30 is about 17 home routers.
                – Kalreg
                1 hour ago










              • It was perhaps a bit of an exaggeration. The point is that the home-routers will come at a price-tag and will produce a lot of interference. (changed 64->16 in the answer)
                – Ljm Dullaart
                1 hour ago















              Why would i need 64 home routers? If home router lets me connect 30 users and i want to do it for 500 users - 500/30 is about 17 home routers.
              – Kalreg
              1 hour ago




              Why would i need 64 home routers? If home router lets me connect 30 users and i want to do it for 500 users - 500/30 is about 17 home routers.
              – Kalreg
              1 hour ago












              It was perhaps a bit of an exaggeration. The point is that the home-routers will come at a price-tag and will produce a lot of interference. (changed 64->16 in the answer)
              – Ljm Dullaart
              1 hour ago




              It was perhaps a bit of an exaggeration. The point is that the home-routers will come at a price-tag and will produce a lot of interference. (changed 64->16 in the answer)
              – Ljm Dullaart
              1 hour ago










              up vote
              0
              down vote













              There are a few different limitations at play here. The access point may indeed be able to only accommodate so many users at the same time before the signal degradation is so big that it randomly starts dropping users. This can be solved by using multiple access points, where each can server different users. Also, cheaper access points or routers may not be able to handle many users at the same time, where more expensive routers/access points can hold up to 255 users.



              The second is going to be handing out IP Addresses. In order for devices to communicate over the wifi network/lan network, each device must receive an IP Address. This means that the DHCP server must set a network big enough to hand out more than 255 ip addresses. That automatically means, that you have to either create a network with a larger subnet (class B or higher), or divide each segment into vlan's so that they can have their own inner network, which means that people from group A cannot see and communicate with people from group B, etc, but all could access your webserver if you set it up that way. The 2nd option mentioned here is going to be trickier to setup and cannot be done unless you have capable hardware. That can be as simple as multiple routers with wifi capability, each serving up to 255 users, and their wan port linked to a network behind where your server resides.



              Also, better enterprise hardware can do this on just one device, but is harder to setup.



              Therefor the easiest method is going to be one router with a bigger subnetmask to create a Class B network with more than one Wifi point.






              share|improve this answer




















              • If i understand correctly, one router which serves different subnet mask than 255.255.255.0, serves more than 256 ip addressess. Now i connect APs to router via wifi/ethernet and each AP serves 255 ip addresses for users 255 users. Does each AP have different SSID? Or all have the same and if limit of users on AP is achieved it doesnt allow connecting anymore, leting other APs to work?
                – Kalreg
                2 hours ago














              up vote
              0
              down vote













              There are a few different limitations at play here. The access point may indeed be able to only accommodate so many users at the same time before the signal degradation is so big that it randomly starts dropping users. This can be solved by using multiple access points, where each can server different users. Also, cheaper access points or routers may not be able to handle many users at the same time, where more expensive routers/access points can hold up to 255 users.



              The second is going to be handing out IP Addresses. In order for devices to communicate over the wifi network/lan network, each device must receive an IP Address. This means that the DHCP server must set a network big enough to hand out more than 255 ip addresses. That automatically means, that you have to either create a network with a larger subnet (class B or higher), or divide each segment into vlan's so that they can have their own inner network, which means that people from group A cannot see and communicate with people from group B, etc, but all could access your webserver if you set it up that way. The 2nd option mentioned here is going to be trickier to setup and cannot be done unless you have capable hardware. That can be as simple as multiple routers with wifi capability, each serving up to 255 users, and their wan port linked to a network behind where your server resides.



              Also, better enterprise hardware can do this on just one device, but is harder to setup.



              Therefor the easiest method is going to be one router with a bigger subnetmask to create a Class B network with more than one Wifi point.






              share|improve this answer




















              • If i understand correctly, one router which serves different subnet mask than 255.255.255.0, serves more than 256 ip addressess. Now i connect APs to router via wifi/ethernet and each AP serves 255 ip addresses for users 255 users. Does each AP have different SSID? Or all have the same and if limit of users on AP is achieved it doesnt allow connecting anymore, leting other APs to work?
                – Kalreg
                2 hours ago












              up vote
              0
              down vote










              up vote
              0
              down vote









              There are a few different limitations at play here. The access point may indeed be able to only accommodate so many users at the same time before the signal degradation is so big that it randomly starts dropping users. This can be solved by using multiple access points, where each can server different users. Also, cheaper access points or routers may not be able to handle many users at the same time, where more expensive routers/access points can hold up to 255 users.



              The second is going to be handing out IP Addresses. In order for devices to communicate over the wifi network/lan network, each device must receive an IP Address. This means that the DHCP server must set a network big enough to hand out more than 255 ip addresses. That automatically means, that you have to either create a network with a larger subnet (class B or higher), or divide each segment into vlan's so that they can have their own inner network, which means that people from group A cannot see and communicate with people from group B, etc, but all could access your webserver if you set it up that way. The 2nd option mentioned here is going to be trickier to setup and cannot be done unless you have capable hardware. That can be as simple as multiple routers with wifi capability, each serving up to 255 users, and their wan port linked to a network behind where your server resides.



              Also, better enterprise hardware can do this on just one device, but is harder to setup.



              Therefor the easiest method is going to be one router with a bigger subnetmask to create a Class B network with more than one Wifi point.






              share|improve this answer












              There are a few different limitations at play here. The access point may indeed be able to only accommodate so many users at the same time before the signal degradation is so big that it randomly starts dropping users. This can be solved by using multiple access points, where each can server different users. Also, cheaper access points or routers may not be able to handle many users at the same time, where more expensive routers/access points can hold up to 255 users.



              The second is going to be handing out IP Addresses. In order for devices to communicate over the wifi network/lan network, each device must receive an IP Address. This means that the DHCP server must set a network big enough to hand out more than 255 ip addresses. That automatically means, that you have to either create a network with a larger subnet (class B or higher), or divide each segment into vlan's so that they can have their own inner network, which means that people from group A cannot see and communicate with people from group B, etc, but all could access your webserver if you set it up that way. The 2nd option mentioned here is going to be trickier to setup and cannot be done unless you have capable hardware. That can be as simple as multiple routers with wifi capability, each serving up to 255 users, and their wan port linked to a network behind where your server resides.



              Also, better enterprise hardware can do this on just one device, but is harder to setup.



              Therefor the easiest method is going to be one router with a bigger subnetmask to create a Class B network with more than one Wifi point.







              share|improve this answer












              share|improve this answer



              share|improve this answer










              answered 2 hours ago









              LPChip

              33.6k44479




              33.6k44479











              • If i understand correctly, one router which serves different subnet mask than 255.255.255.0, serves more than 256 ip addressess. Now i connect APs to router via wifi/ethernet and each AP serves 255 ip addresses for users 255 users. Does each AP have different SSID? Or all have the same and if limit of users on AP is achieved it doesnt allow connecting anymore, leting other APs to work?
                – Kalreg
                2 hours ago
















              • If i understand correctly, one router which serves different subnet mask than 255.255.255.0, serves more than 256 ip addressess. Now i connect APs to router via wifi/ethernet and each AP serves 255 ip addresses for users 255 users. Does each AP have different SSID? Or all have the same and if limit of users on AP is achieved it doesnt allow connecting anymore, leting other APs to work?
                – Kalreg
                2 hours ago















              If i understand correctly, one router which serves different subnet mask than 255.255.255.0, serves more than 256 ip addressess. Now i connect APs to router via wifi/ethernet and each AP serves 255 ip addresses for users 255 users. Does each AP have different SSID? Or all have the same and if limit of users on AP is achieved it doesnt allow connecting anymore, leting other APs to work?
              – Kalreg
              2 hours ago




              If i understand correctly, one router which serves different subnet mask than 255.255.255.0, serves more than 256 ip addressess. Now i connect APs to router via wifi/ethernet and each AP serves 255 ip addresses for users 255 users. Does each AP have different SSID? Or all have the same and if limit of users on AP is achieved it doesnt allow connecting anymore, leting other APs to work?
              – Kalreg
              2 hours ago










              up vote
              0
              down vote













              Your questions answered 1 by 1



              are there routers that let simultaneous connection of more than 200 users?


              YES - I'm not making product recommendations so simply search using your favorite search engine. Common brands are Ruckus, Cisco, Aruba, Zyxel etc. etc.



              is changing subnt mask give me the opportunity to have more than 255 clients in network?


              YES - see more below.



              does wifi radio bandwidth allow so many users in the same time?


              YES and most decent APs have features to manage bandwidth.



              can it be solved via multiple access points? i mean one router and 3-5 or more access points?


              YES, that would be the normal way to do it. AP's are limited to a maximum number of clients due to wireless protocol limits, however routers scale much higher, so 1 decent router will be sufficient for 500 users. Number of AP's depends on the actual AP(s) you buy.



              is that possible to have dhcp server to give users ip addresses from 192.168.0.1 to for example 192.168.3.255?


              YES - very simple - a subnet mask of 255.255.255.0 (means the last part of the mask can give 0 to 255 numbers, for a total of 256). Out of that the .0 and the .255 are not used because of how IP routing works, so you have 254 usable. Then one gets used by the gateway leaving you 253 available client addresses.
              When the subnet mask is 255.255.0.0, that means a total of (256 x 256) = 65535 IP addresses are possible and after removing the .0.0 and .255.255 and one more for gateway you have 65532 available.



              Since you are in a subnet behind a firewall the only limitation I can think of will be placed by the router or AP (home ones can be typically limiting to the last part at 0, but even in the home market not all devices impose the limit). Keep in mind, the subnet mask is simply an IP addressing related "limit" and in private networks, it is essentially an arbitrary limit.






              share|improve this answer


























                up vote
                0
                down vote













                Your questions answered 1 by 1



                are there routers that let simultaneous connection of more than 200 users?


                YES - I'm not making product recommendations so simply search using your favorite search engine. Common brands are Ruckus, Cisco, Aruba, Zyxel etc. etc.



                is changing subnt mask give me the opportunity to have more than 255 clients in network?


                YES - see more below.



                does wifi radio bandwidth allow so many users in the same time?


                YES and most decent APs have features to manage bandwidth.



                can it be solved via multiple access points? i mean one router and 3-5 or more access points?


                YES, that would be the normal way to do it. AP's are limited to a maximum number of clients due to wireless protocol limits, however routers scale much higher, so 1 decent router will be sufficient for 500 users. Number of AP's depends on the actual AP(s) you buy.



                is that possible to have dhcp server to give users ip addresses from 192.168.0.1 to for example 192.168.3.255?


                YES - very simple - a subnet mask of 255.255.255.0 (means the last part of the mask can give 0 to 255 numbers, for a total of 256). Out of that the .0 and the .255 are not used because of how IP routing works, so you have 254 usable. Then one gets used by the gateway leaving you 253 available client addresses.
                When the subnet mask is 255.255.0.0, that means a total of (256 x 256) = 65535 IP addresses are possible and after removing the .0.0 and .255.255 and one more for gateway you have 65532 available.



                Since you are in a subnet behind a firewall the only limitation I can think of will be placed by the router or AP (home ones can be typically limiting to the last part at 0, but even in the home market not all devices impose the limit). Keep in mind, the subnet mask is simply an IP addressing related "limit" and in private networks, it is essentially an arbitrary limit.






                share|improve this answer
























                  up vote
                  0
                  down vote










                  up vote
                  0
                  down vote









                  Your questions answered 1 by 1



                  are there routers that let simultaneous connection of more than 200 users?


                  YES - I'm not making product recommendations so simply search using your favorite search engine. Common brands are Ruckus, Cisco, Aruba, Zyxel etc. etc.



                  is changing subnt mask give me the opportunity to have more than 255 clients in network?


                  YES - see more below.



                  does wifi radio bandwidth allow so many users in the same time?


                  YES and most decent APs have features to manage bandwidth.



                  can it be solved via multiple access points? i mean one router and 3-5 or more access points?


                  YES, that would be the normal way to do it. AP's are limited to a maximum number of clients due to wireless protocol limits, however routers scale much higher, so 1 decent router will be sufficient for 500 users. Number of AP's depends on the actual AP(s) you buy.



                  is that possible to have dhcp server to give users ip addresses from 192.168.0.1 to for example 192.168.3.255?


                  YES - very simple - a subnet mask of 255.255.255.0 (means the last part of the mask can give 0 to 255 numbers, for a total of 256). Out of that the .0 and the .255 are not used because of how IP routing works, so you have 254 usable. Then one gets used by the gateway leaving you 253 available client addresses.
                  When the subnet mask is 255.255.0.0, that means a total of (256 x 256) = 65535 IP addresses are possible and after removing the .0.0 and .255.255 and one more for gateway you have 65532 available.



                  Since you are in a subnet behind a firewall the only limitation I can think of will be placed by the router or AP (home ones can be typically limiting to the last part at 0, but even in the home market not all devices impose the limit). Keep in mind, the subnet mask is simply an IP addressing related "limit" and in private networks, it is essentially an arbitrary limit.






                  share|improve this answer














                  Your questions answered 1 by 1



                  are there routers that let simultaneous connection of more than 200 users?


                  YES - I'm not making product recommendations so simply search using your favorite search engine. Common brands are Ruckus, Cisco, Aruba, Zyxel etc. etc.



                  is changing subnt mask give me the opportunity to have more than 255 clients in network?


                  YES - see more below.



                  does wifi radio bandwidth allow so many users in the same time?


                  YES and most decent APs have features to manage bandwidth.



                  can it be solved via multiple access points? i mean one router and 3-5 or more access points?


                  YES, that would be the normal way to do it. AP's are limited to a maximum number of clients due to wireless protocol limits, however routers scale much higher, so 1 decent router will be sufficient for 500 users. Number of AP's depends on the actual AP(s) you buy.



                  is that possible to have dhcp server to give users ip addresses from 192.168.0.1 to for example 192.168.3.255?


                  YES - very simple - a subnet mask of 255.255.255.0 (means the last part of the mask can give 0 to 255 numbers, for a total of 256). Out of that the .0 and the .255 are not used because of how IP routing works, so you have 254 usable. Then one gets used by the gateway leaving you 253 available client addresses.
                  When the subnet mask is 255.255.0.0, that means a total of (256 x 256) = 65535 IP addresses are possible and after removing the .0.0 and .255.255 and one more for gateway you have 65532 available.



                  Since you are in a subnet behind a firewall the only limitation I can think of will be placed by the router or AP (home ones can be typically limiting to the last part at 0, but even in the home market not all devices impose the limit). Keep in mind, the subnet mask is simply an IP addressing related "limit" and in private networks, it is essentially an arbitrary limit.







                  share|improve this answer














                  share|improve this answer



                  share|improve this answer








                  edited 33 mins ago

























                  answered 1 hour ago









                  LMSingh

                  512212




                  512212




















                      Kalreg is a new contributor. Be nice, and check out our Code of Conduct.









                       

                      draft saved


                      draft discarded


















                      Kalreg is a new contributor. Be nice, and check out our Code of Conduct.












                      Kalreg is a new contributor. Be nice, and check out our Code of Conduct.











                      Kalreg is a new contributor. Be nice, and check out our Code of Conduct.













                       


                      draft saved


                      draft discarded














                      StackExchange.ready(
                      function ()
                      StackExchange.openid.initPostLogin('.new-post-login', 'https%3a%2f%2fsuperuser.com%2fquestions%2f1360649%2fhow-to-make-more-than-500-users-in-one-time-on-wifi-network%23new-answer', 'question_page');

                      );

                      Post as a guest













































































                      Comments

                      Popular posts from this blog

                      Long meetings (6-7 hours a day): Being “babysat” by supervisor

                      What does second last employer means? [closed]

                      One-line joke