What is Fragmentation threshold and when should we tweak Fragmentation Threshold?

The fragmentation threshold limits the size of packets transmitted over the Wireless network. If a packet exceeds the fragmentation threshold, it is sent as multiple 802.11 frames.

The range used for fragmentation threshold is 256-2346. The default value is 2346 which means that it is disabled and will never be used.

Fragmentation is used to divide 802.11 frames into smaller fragments which are sent separately to the destination and seperate acknowledgement is also received from Client for each individual fragments.

Each fragment consists of a MAC Layer header, frame check sequence and a fragment number. The additional headers applied to each fragment increases overhead on the network and can greatly reduce throughput.

Improper tuning of Fragmentation Threshold can result in low throughput. Wedo not recommend lower threshold value unless you suspect some radio interference.