This is the band for speed. It is not meant to roam around the house, so stay in the room when connected to this frequency band. Within this band there are 45 channels in which your wireless devices send and receive data, meaning you could have up to 45 devices on this one band.
Wifi 5 uses 256-QAM modulation, which is much lower than Wifi 6. In addition, Wifi 5 MU-MIMO technology comfortably allows just four devices to connect simultaneously. More devices mean congestion and bandwidth sharing leading to lesser speed for each device.
Ideally, you should use the 2.4GHz band to connect devices for low bandwidth activities like browsing the Internet. On the other hand, 5GHz is the best suited for high-bandwidth devices or activities like gaming and streaming HDTV.
5GHz WiFi can pass through walls. That being said, 5GHz networks are more susceptible to interference from physical objects and may not be the best solution in a large home or office with many walls, floors, and other obstacles.
A 5 GHz router can only emit signals on the 5 GHz band. The basic difference between these two bands is speed. Under ideal conditions, a 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi router can support speeds up to 450 Mbps, some up to 600 Mbps. Under ideal conditions, a 5 GHz Wi-Fi router can support speeds up to 1300 Mbps.
On the 5 GHz band, set the channel width to 40 MHz and see if that improves reliability. Keep in mind that 80 MHz and 160 MHz channel widths may carry the promise of extra speed, but will also interfere with, and receive interference from, many more sources than 40 MHz.
Your network adapter may not even support 5 GHz. It's also more sensitive to household obstacles like concrete walls or metal duct work. Windows or driver updates are also known to sometimes cause problems with accessing 5 GHz Wi-Fi networks.
The 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi frequency band gives you more range and passes better through walls and other physical obstructions. The 5 GHz Wi-Fi frequency band provides more speed—a lot more. Using the latest Wi-Fi standard and the best router, 2.4 GHZ Wi-Fi can reach up to 600 Mbps under absolutely ideal conditions.
The primary difference between 2.4 and 5GHz bands is the range (coverage) and the bandwidth (speed) that these bands provide. For instance, the 2.4GHz band offers coverage at a longer range; however, it transmits data at slower speeds. Instead, the 5GHz band gives less coverage but sends data at faster speeds.
5 GHz networks do not penetrate solid objects such as walls nearly as well as do 2.4 GHz signals. This can limit an access points reach inside buildings like homes and offices where many walls may come between a wireless antenna and the user.
5Ghz WiFi Range
The 5 GHz frequency has a shorter effective range. It's best for locations with no physical obstructions and that span around one-third of the distances mentioned above.
Using a 5Ghz frequency, you will get about 50 feet or about 15 meters of reach. The reach of your signal will be impacted by the manufacturer of the equipment that you are using, the location your router is installed, and the obstructions that might block the signal in your home or business.
When multiple devices use the same network, overcrowding occurs as they all compete with each other to connect to the same router. This means low quality or buffering during streaming, latency during gaming, and frustratingly slow browsing speeds.
Generally, the lower the frequency the farther a wireless signal can travel. Therefore, devices on a 5 GHz network will tend to have a shorter range than those using 2.4 GHz.
For example, the primary benefit of using the 2.4 GHz band is that it has better range. So, if you tend to use devices that require better range, turning off 5 GHz Wi-Fi may deliver better overall experiences by eliminating the possibility of automatically connecting to it.
The difference between the two is pretty simple: it all comes down to range and speed. 2.4 GHz has a longer range, meaning it reaches a lot further than 5 GHz Wi-Fi. 1 However, even though you can connect to 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi from your basement, it will have a slower speed. 5 GHz Wi-Fi is faster.
It's worth pointing out, though, that the microwave interference only affects the 2.4GHz wireless band, so it can be avoided if your router supports the 5GHz band.
If your WiFi router supports dual-frequency, here are 2 solutions to switch to the 2.4G: 1) Turn off the 5G physical button on the wifi router. 2) Log into the wifi router.net, set different SSID for your dual bands, and then connect this device to the 2.4G WiFi name.
On the 5 GHz network, set your radio on the 5GHz to A/AC/N. This will allow all devices to connect to this network. If you want to optimize your home network, choose just AC and it will not allow older slower N wireless devices to take up bandwidth on this radio.
Ideally, you are looking to fall in the -60 dBm to -50 dBm range (since -30 dBm is unlikely). A signal strength at -67 dBm will work for a while, but this is the minimum strength you will want before your connection starts to suffer.