MU-MIMO Capacity Calculator
Size the multi-user MIMO gain from AP and client spatial streams, including group size, sounding overhead and stream utilisation.
Inputs
MU-MIMO Cell Throughput
1,006.7Mbps
Gain vs Single-User
3.52×
Clients per MU-MIMO Group
4
Single-User Throughput
286.0Mbps
AP Stream Utilisation
100.0%
Step by step
Values used
Spatial streams on the AP = 8 streams; Spatial streams per client = 2 streams; Clients available to group = 20 clients; PHY rate per spatial stream = 143 Mbps; Sounding and grouping overhead = 12 %
MU-MIMO Capacity
group size = min(AP streams ÷ client streams, clients); MU-MIMO throughput = streams used × per-stream rate × (1 − sounding overhead).
MU-MIMO Cell Throughput
= 1,006.7 Mbps
Gain vs Single-User
= 3.52 ×
Clients per MU-MIMO Group
= 4
Single-User Throughput
= 286.0 Mbps
AP Stream Utilisation
= 100.0
How it works
An AP can separate as many simultaneous clients as it has spatial streams, divided by the streams each client uses. Every stream in the group carries data at the full per-stream rate, so throughput scales with the group, minus the airtime spent sounding the channel to build the beamforming matrix. MU-MIMO gain collapses when clients use more streams than you assumed or refuse to group because they are physically close together, so the theoretical 4× rarely survives contact with a real client mix.
Formula
MU-MIMO Capacity
group size = min(AP streams ÷ client streams, clients); MU-MIMO throughput = streams used × per-stream rate × (1 − sounding overhead).
- usedStreams
- AP spatial streams actually carrying user data
- overhead
- Airtime spent sounding the channel and signalling the group
Frequently Asked Questions
How is MU-MIMO Capacity calculated?
group size = min(AP streams ÷ client streams, clients); MU-MIMO throughput = streams used × per-stream rate × (1 − sounding overhead). An AP can separate as many simultaneous clients as it has spatial streams, divided by the streams each client uses. Every stream in the group carries data at the full per-stream rate, so throughput scales with the group, minus the airtime spent sounding the channel to build the beamforming matrix.
Why does MU-MIMO Capacity matter?
MU-MIMO gain collapses when clients use more streams than you assumed or refuse to group because they are physically close together, so the theoretical 4× rarely survives contact with a real client mix.
What values do I need to enter?
This calculator takes 5 inputs: Spatial streams on the AP, Spatial streams per client, Clients available to group, PHY rate per spatial stream, Sounding and grouping overhead. The pre-filled defaults are a realistic starting point — replace them with figures from your own environment for a result you can act on.