Fastweb supplies all new customers with the latest generation modem called Fastgate, capable of making the most of fiber optic lines (both FTTH and FTTC) and ADSL lines. This modem, however, is profoundly different from those offered in the past by the same operator and from the modems offered by the competition, to the point of surprising the novice users.
For this reason we decided to create a guide on one of the most requested questions when it comes to wireless modem: how to change the WiFi channel on the new Fastweb modem "> Connect to the wireless network of the wifi network with the most powerful signal
1) How to access the Fastgate WiFi settings
To access the Fastgate settings, open a web browser on a device already connected to the modem network (wireless or cable is the same) and type the following address in the address bar at the top :
192.168.1.254
If we use a PC, I recommend making changes in the Fastgate control panel with Mozilla Firefox or with Edge, since Chrome may not make any changes (fault of a bug).
After a few seconds we will see the window in which the Fastgate asks for the username (username) and password for access to the configuration panel.
We insert the credentials (created at the first access) and go to the Connection menu, where we will find the items to be configured in the continuation of the guide.
Alternatively, we can also access the configuration panel from the MyFastweb mobile app, available for Android and iOS from here -> MyFastweb (Android) and MyFastweb (iOS).
The Connection menu is available by opening the side scroll menu and taking us to the FASTGate menu.
Once the Connection menu is open, we select the WiFi Channel submenu in order to change the channels of the wireless networks managed by the Fastgate.
We will see a graph with all the channels available, the number of nearby networks present and two buttons (almost invisible) to change the management of the channels between 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz.
By default, the Fastgate automatically chooses the best channel based on the interference of the other WiFi networks in the area, but this mechanism often does not solve all the problems, based on the little information available.
So if we want to use a specific WiFi channel and prevent the Fastgate from changing automatically, all we have to do is deactivate the Automatic search item
best channel and choose the chosen wireless channel from the drop-down menu below.
On 2.4 GHz networks we always recommend making a manual choice of the best channel (so as to significantly improve network performance), while on 5 GHz networks this requirement is not urgent, we can safely leave the channel management automatically ( except in cases where it is necessary to choose the best channel for maximum performance).
But how to choose the right channels ">
The best channels for 2.4 GHz networks are 1, 6 and 11, so we recommend first of all to check the situation on these channels and to choose one of these three based on the number of networks already present (if for example on channel 6 there are only 2 networks and on the other 3 or more, we will use this channel for our network).
If all 3 main channels are used by 3 networks or more, we will have to choose another channel for our network otherwise we will have interference and performance drops (the WiFi network will go much slower).
We recommend trying as alternative channels 3, 7 and 9, you should be able to improve the interference situation and increase the connection speed without problems.
We do not recommend using channels above 11 (i.e. 12 and 13), because some devices do not see this network, which will therefore be invisible (always keep between channels 1 and 11 to obtain maximum compatibility.
If, on the other hand, we want to configure the 5 GHz network, the best channels are 36, 44, 52 and 100, the only ones that are always compatible with all devices capable of exploiting this type of network.
Fastgate will always try to automatically use channel 52, but if we notice any interference or drop in performance we can use one of the other channels that are always compatible.
3) App to choose the best WiFi channel
If we do not trust the network chart offered by Fastgate or do not know which channel to assign to our network, we can get help from some free apps designed for the purpose.
The best Android app is WiFi Analyzer, available here -> WiFi Analyzer (Android).
With this app we will be able to see all the networks in the vicinity (with the related graphs where to check for interference) and choose, through a star rating system, the best channel to place our network.
We avoid using channels higher than 11 as already mentioned in the previous paragraph of the guide.
The app is compatible with both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz networks.
