If you’ve ever had a problem with spotty WiFi, you know that simple solutions like moving closer to your router or rebooting it don’t often work. Adjusting your router’s settings will help, and the WiFi channel is the main router configuration that helps determine the intensity of your network’s WiFi signal.
Explanation Of WiFi Channels
A WiFi channel is a subset of a wider frequency band or radio wave frequency spectrum that your router uses to relay wireless signals. Your router will use either 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz (or both if it’s dual-band), but not everything is that simple. There are times when it’s often better to use one of these WiFi frequency bands over the others and one WiFi channel over the others.
Want to know why then keep on reading.
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The WiFi range and speed provided by the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz WiFi frequency bands are two major variations. Since 2.4 GHz WiFi uses a lower bandwidth, it can reach deeper into your house, quickly reaching walls and solid objects. The higher 5 GHz WiFi frequency, on the other hand, supports even quicker speeds, allowing you to upload and update files more easily for improved performance.
WiFi interference is more common on some WiFi networks.
WiFi channels, as we’ve already said, are the smaller bands within each WiFi frequency range. In the 2.4 GHz WiFi frequency band, there are 11 WiFi channels and 45 in the 5 GHz band. It’s worth noting, though, that because some of these networks overlap, they create more WiF interference than others. On the 2.4 GHz range, each channel is 20 MHz wide. The channel centers are 5 MHz apart, and the full spectrum is just 100 MHz in width. As a result, the 11 channels must jam themselves into the 100 MHz open, resulting in the overlap.
Adjacent-Channel Interference is a term used by MetaGeek to describe when adjacent WiFi channels interact with one another. Co-Channel Interference occurs when many client devices compete for a signal on the same channel. Non-WiFi Interference occurs when other common household devices, such as microwaves, compete for a signal on one of the WiFi frequency bands.
Finding Best WiFi Channel
You will now identify the right WiFi channel for your router by considering these WiFi frequency bands and WiFi channel factors. Take the following actions:
1. Choosing a frequency band
Although you could be tempted to prefer 2.4 GHz WiFi because it has greater WiFi coverage, think of the region you want to protect first. If you have many floors and rooms to cover, 2.4 GHz is potentially the best choice. However, if you have a more spacious floor plan and fewer things and walls in the way, 5 GHz would almost certainly give you a better WiFi experience.
Furthermore, most modern routers are dual-band, which ensures they can work in both WiFi frequency bands simultaneously. If you have one of these routers, it is recommended that you divide the devices between the two WiFi bands for better efficiency.
2. Examine the access points in your immediate vicinity.
You will need to use a WiFi network analyzer tool (which Minim offers out-of-the-box). It’s essentially a simple check to see how other routers in your area behave, especially which WiFi band and channels they’re using. This knowledge will help you determine how to set up your router’s WiFi channel settings with the least amount of interruption.
3. Choose a WiFi channel that isn’t crowded.
You can now choose a non-overlapping WiFi channel for your router based on the outcomes of the above steps. This will be channels 1, 6, or 11 on the 2.4 GHz band. This will be one of the 24 non-overlapping channels in the 5 GHz band. Based on the WiFi frequency band you’ve chosen and the information you’ve gathered about your adjacent access points, choose one of these channels. For instance, if you’re trying to select a 2.4 GHz band channel and discover that channel six is congested near you, set your router to channel 1 or 11. Use the same approach for the 5 GHz band.
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While we’re on the subject of choosing the right WiFi channel for your router, it’s worth remembering that many new routers are designed to pick the best WiFi channel for you automatically. Many other issues are faced frequently by users and could be solved easily as per on router login app. Taking the steps above would guarantee that your router uses a WiFi channel that can provide better, if not the greatest, WiFi efficiency without the need for any extra WiFi boosting products.