The mistake everyone makes when connecting to home WiFi: which frequency band to use

wireless internet connection technologyWifi) has evolved considerably in recent years, managing to adapt to the needs of increasingly demanding users, and has done so in an agile way, focusing on offering functionality for multiple IoT (Internet of Things) devices or simply for surf the Internet.

One of its major innovations, which many may not be aware of, is the ability to offer more than one WiFi network: These act at different frequencies and naturally have quite different characteristics.

Before connecting your devices – mobile phone, tablet, SmarTV, notebook or smart light – you should note that currently WiFi 5 and 6 routers offer two frequency bands (SSID) which appear in their network list: 2.4GHz and 5GHz. If you have a WiFi 6E router, which is an improvement over the WiFi 6 standard, it will allow you to add the 6.0GHz band.

The 2.4GHz band was developed in 1999 for wireless Internet in the home. Currently all routers continue to offer this connection band, as there are still many devices compatible only with this frequency.

Until the advent of WiFi 5, the 5 GHz band was little used in the home. Many routers, despite their power, did not offer support for this band before the arrival of WiFi 5. This only materialized in 2014.

The latest Wi-Fi wireless connectivity standards, including the latest Wi-Fi 6 and 6e, released between 2019 and 2020, are specifically focused on improving network capacity, making them ideal for a home where multiple devices they are connected.

WiFi at home: which band to use and why

The 5GHz band offers faster connections than the 2.4GHz band. This results in lower load times, especially important in games where latency or ping matters a lot.

But not all of it is good news, since the bad part of this band is his coverage area problem.

Basically, the 5 GHz network uses shorter waves for data transmission. This means that the signal attenuation in the presence of walls, for example, is greater than that of 2.4 GHz. For this reason, the latter offers more bandwidth to connect devices than 5 GHz.

All routers, unless we disable it, natively offer the two popular active bands. The 5 GHz are easily identifiable, since they are usually identified with the name of the network followed by “5G”, similar to that of mobile telephony.

With a dual-band router, your internet provider can set it up transmit on both frequencies simultaneously. In this case, usually two networks (SSID) will appear in the network list, with identical names except for “5G” or “2.4G” at the end.

When do you need to switch WiFi bands?

There are very few cases where it is necessary to connect devices to this type of 5 GHz network. In principle, when using an Xbox, PlayStation or Nintendo Switch console to play video games online, as a high-speed connection is required and low latency to have a satisfying experience.

Also to avoid micro-interruptions and a more stable signal, users can opt to connect via Ethernet cable, popularly known as “network”.

The 5GHz band is also the ideal connection if you’re looking to transfer large files, thus significantly reducing transfer times.

Smart TVs can also be connected without problems at 5 GHz beyond 2.4 GHz if what you are looking for are movies or series on the streaming platforms Netflix, Amazon Prime, HBO Max or Disney Plus if the router is not in the immediate vicinity. Due to the range of coverage, the ideal is to use 5 GHz.

In short, most devices near your router need a 5GHz connection to take advantage of the faster speeds.

From your mobile phone, tablet or notebook you can use the 2.4 GHz network in any room of the house. Its wavelength has a longer range and can penetrate solid objects more easily than the 5GHz band, making it ideal for devices that are carried from room to room or further away from the router.

It’s also the ideal band for devices such as smart plugs, microwaves, baby monitors, lights, intercoms, security cameras, and garage doors, among others.

Wifi 6 and 6e – the most effective standards

WiFi 6, on the other hand, is WiFi technology for the hyper-connected home, designed for the ever-increasing demand for connected homes and gigabit connections.

Compared to Wi-Fi 5, it offers: up to 3x the connectivity speed, 4x the data capacity and 75% less latency (delay time) for gaming and video applications.

However, the price of these routers can be a limitation when making the generational leap. One of the leading manufacturers of these connectivity devices, the Taiwanese ASUS, offers products ranging from 60,000 to 158,000 pesos against models that abound in the sub 10,000 peso segment.

SL