Does a wireless bridge need a gigabit Ethernet port?

The trap is most common in budget gear. TP-Link's CPE210 and CPE510 are the models owners warn about for their 10/100 ports. TP-Link lists the CPE710 with a 10/100/1000 port and an 867 Mbps radio rate, so it is the only one of the three that can pass more than 100 Mbps.

At the top end the limit flips. Every 60 GHz radio on this shortlist has a single gigabit RJ45 port, so manufacturer figures such as 2 Gbps total throughput describe both directions added together, not what one computer at the far end will see. Expect a wire-like gigabit at best.

When a link that should be fast tests at about 100 Mbps, check the negotiated Ethernet rate in the radio's interface before blaming the radio. A cable or connector fault that drops the port to 100 Mbps looks identical to a slow radio.