If you’re far away from your router and don’t have the option to extend your connection, choosing the ideal band can significantly improve your experience.
When our goal is to improve the quality of the internet connection over a WiFi network, there are many factors to consider. In addition to the contracted tariff, there are many considerations that can determine the quality of our connection, such as the devices we use, the type of network and cabling, the stability of the network, the location where we have connected the router, the bands and channels we use, the ways in which we are able to extend the wireless connection, and a host of other factors.
Even if you have the same connection as a family member or friend, the speed and quality of your connection may vary due to the following factors, including the layout of your home and others. In this article, I wanted to record a recommendation I made to a friend when I noticed that his connection was not stable, that he was disconnected every now and then, and that there were occasions when his phone would not even detect the wireless router.
The fastest network is not always the best
As you probably know, the distance our devices are from the router is a key factor in determining the quality and coverage of the connection. Finally, to communicate with each other, we rely on several frequencies and wireless signals that depend on the environment.
My friend’s case was quite specific, although common. His apartment is quite spacious and the router is located in the hallway, at the junction between the living room and the corridor that leads to the bedrooms. He often uses his mobile phone from his bedroom, which is the furthest away from the router, so the connection is not very good.
In addition, like many users, he does not have any device to extend the WiFi connection, such as PLCs, repeaters or nodes to distribute the mesh, but only the operator’s router.
His experience with WiFi was really annoying, with dropped connections, instability and poor coverage. This is normal as he is in an area far away from the router and has no means to extend the coverage. However, he could have done something to improve (as far as possible) his experience.
My friend used the 5 GHz band because he read everywhere that it was the best and fastest. I do not blame him, because in a way it is. The 5 GHz band provides faster connection speeds than the 2.4 GHz band. This can be easily identified by the “PLUS” or “5G” tag in our WiFi connection name (SSID). However, there are small nuances to be aware of.
While the 5 GHz band can provide the fastest speeds, it is also the most susceptible to obstructions in the home. So if we are very far from the router and there are many walls that prevent the device from communicating directly, the signal quality will be significantly reduced. The 5 GHz band is therefore the most recommended band, but especially when we are relatively close to the router and have good coverage.
If we do not have the possibility to have good coverage and we are relatively far from the router, it is best to continue using the 2.4 GHz band (for connections without “PLUS” or “5G” in the name), as we will always have better coverage and stability despite the reduction in connection speeds.
So, if you want to connect to the internet without heavy usage and from devices such as a mobile phone or a tablet while away from the router, it is best to connect to the 2.4GHz band rather than to the 5GHz band (even worse in this situation with the 6GHz band on the three routers that support WiFi 6).
Another advantage of not connecting to the 5 GHz band is that the connection will not drop too much if many devices are connected to the network. It is common for many users to unthinkingly choose the 5 GHz band because it offers the highest speeds. However, to get the most out of the band, you need to take into account the circumstances, and there are situations where it is not worth connecting to this band.
