Download a Wi-Fi analyzer app, such as WiFiInfoView or WiFi Commander on PC, iStumbler or AirRadar on Mac, or WiFiAnalyzer for Android, then take a look at what the channel situation is in your area.Īre there a lot of people on the same channel as you? That could be slowing you down.

There is no universal best Wi-Fi channel for 5GHz frequencies, but there are ways to find out which one’s best for you. However, once it is, this will add even more frequency space, making the need to manually choose channels unnecessary. With Wi-Fi 6, there’s also the possibility of 6GHz, though that’s not really a thing just yet. Ideally, 1, 6, and 11 are best, and you don’t have to deal with overlapping issues. In this case, you’ll need to select a 2.4GHz channel as well. (The “ISM band is reserved for industrial, scientific, and medical use.) The first band, UNII-1, is designed mainly for domestic use, as from Unii-2 upwards, your router needs to have DFS (dynamic frequency selection) and TPC (transmit power control) built in, which will automatically adjust the channel and power output of your router so that it doesn’t interfere with military, radar, weather station signals, and so on. This technically means the higher the frequency, the more data that can be carried on it in less time, but it’s not quite as simple as that, so before you just go and select the highest possible channel on your Wi-Fi router, there are a few things to consider.Īt 5GHz there are four “Bands” available, each containing a bunch of Wi-Fi channels. The higher the channel, the higher the frequency, going up in increments of 5MHz per channel. When you go into your router settings on a 5GHz frequency, you’ll see that you have quite a few more channels to pick from.

But now that most routers are shipping with the ability to transmit signals across 5GHz frequencies rather than just the lowly 2.4GHz, a big question that keeps coming up is “ What’s the best 5GHz channel?” As with the 2.4GHz channels, there is no universal answer it depends on the amount of people around you using the same channel and outside signal interference, among other things, but there are a few more things to consider if your router’s on the faster 5GHz frequency and to check for the best Wi-Fi channel for 5GHz connections.

Netgear wifi channel scanner