If you have ever take care at the back of your router , you might have noticed both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz WiFi band . This can often get puzzling . Should I habituate 2.4 Gc or 5 GHz ? Which one offer more speed on Netflix ? Which one is well for gaming ?
Now , before we decide what to choose , we demand to empathize the difference between 2.4 gigacycle per second and 5 gigacycle . And well , there are two major conflict in these WiFi band , speeding it can travelandrange it can hatch .
Speed : Under ideal conditions and I quote ‘ under idealistic condition ’ 2.4 gigahertz Wi - Fi can support up to 400 – 600 Mbps , calculate on the router of course . 5 gigacycle per second router , on the other hired hand , can support up to 1300 Mbps . So , even in not so ideal condition , you are get to get more speed on 5 GHz connexion .
Another reason why you get more speed on 5 GHz connexion is the number of TV channel , 5 Gc has 23 channels , while the 2.4 GHz lot has only 11 channel . Since most WiFi - enabled home equipment ( such as microwaves , gaming console table , security Cam , etc ) expend the 2.4 gigacycle ring , they are often crusade over a small number of channels . This results inovercrowding and thus decreasing the pep pill of wireless networks .
Range : On the other hand , since 5 gigahertz ring have eminent frequency compare to 2.4 Hz , it ’ll have a shorter wavelength . Meaning it’slessable to penetrate wall and solid objects . leave in a shorter range than the 2.4 GHz band .
over-crowding : The third diff between 5Ghz wifi vs 2.4 Ghz wireless local area web is the net congestion . 2.4 Ghz is more prostrate to interference ; usually more devices using this relative frequency . It could be your microwaves , security department camera and phones etc . If you have many of these in your household , or if you populate in flat or condos palisade by other people , that 2.4 GHz band is likely to be back up , which can damage speed and signal quality .
Where as 5Ghz is less prone to interference ; usually fewer devices such as laptops and smartphone are using this frequency .
merely put , if you want to last flow Red Dead redemption on your PS4 , assuming that your TV is closed enough to your router – go with 5GHz . On the other hand , if you require to casual WWW browse on your iPad from your lawn or terrace , then go with 2.4 GHz .
I personally , like to broadcast both WiFi bands on my Netgear Nighthawk router by adding the frequency as the prefix . This way , if you have an sometime WiFi - enabled gadget that only supports 2.4 gigacycle per second like microwave oven or service department door , it ’ll automatically connect to 2.4 GHz , and , if you have a gadget that fend for threefold - band ( most forward-looking smartphones and computer do ) then it ’ll automatically connect to the one that has more signal strength . Of course , you may manuallyswitch between 2.4 and 5 GHz band by plainly unplug from the old dance orchestra and connect to the new one .
lastly , if you have a machine that bear out a wired Ethernet connection and it ’s not too awkward getting a cable to the twist , we extremely recommend using a wired connectedness over a wireless one . That ’s what I apply while going live on YouTube .
A general pattern of thumb , I link up to 2.4 GHz WiFi on all my devices unless I need a mellow - speed internet connection for games and video recording streaming , then I go for 5 GHz . But the difference is n’t that drastic , and you could always dospeedtestto find which one is honest .
Read : See What Others Are Browsing on Your WiFi