Buying a new wireless router we will often find the wording Dual Band, which indicates the presence of two distinct Wi-Fi networks, one at 2.4 GHz and the other at 5 GHz . Those who have already had a router for many years will have undoubtedly exploited a 2.4 GHz network and think that by doubling the number we will obtain greater speed and coverage in every scenario.
Unfortunately, the reality is very different: the two networks using different frequencies and both have disadvantages and advantages, to be carefully evaluated when we connect a new device to a router that allows you to choose which network to use. In this guide we will show you in detail the differences between 5 GHz Wi-Fi and 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi, also indicating which network to use based on the device we intend to connect to the Internet wirelessly. You will realize that, in some scenarios, it is not possible to use 5 GHz and we will have to use the 2.4 GHz network.
Differences between 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz Wi-Fi networks
The two numbers indicate the electromagnetic frequency used by routers to spread the wireless network in the home; precisely because the type of frequency changes, the advantages that we can take advantage of when we connect a new device also change.2.4 GHz Wi-Fi network features
With a 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi network we will get good signal coverage (up to 30-40 meters), thus being able to connect devices that are distant from the point of origin of the signal (the router, but also a Wi-Fi repeater or a dedicated access point). The nets with this frequency manage to overcome most of the walls of the house, so as to cover even more rooms (much depends on the nature of the walls: the load-bearing walls or the stone walls are much more difficult to overcome).
On the other hand, the connection speed is not very high : we can reach a maximum of 300 Mbps, taking advantage of certain intrinsic characteristics of some protocols used to transmit on this frequency.
11 transmission channels are available on 2.4 GHz networks : by positioning our network on a free channel, we will obtain less interference with nearby Wi-Fi networks (always on 2.4 GHz) and on electronic or IT equipment operating on similar frequencies (e.g. Bluetooth, cordless landline phone or microwave oven). On the other hand, if there are numerous networks in the neighborhood and all channels are occupied, we will have to expect a lot of interference, performance and coverage drops.
The only protocol that we recommend you use with this frequency is IEEE 802.11n or Wi-Fi 4, which allows you to reach 300 Mbps in the best transmission conditions. We avoid using IEEE 802.11b / g, now too obsolete (it should only be kept to connect wireless devices older than 2010).
In this regard, we invite you to read our guides on how to connect to the wireless channel of the wifi network with the most powerful signal and Compare WiFi networks to find the best one (wifi analyzers) .
5 GHz Wi-Fi network features
With a 5 GHz Wi-Fi network we will get a high data transmission speed (up to 1300 Mbps), but on the other hand we will have a signal that is unlikely to overcome the walls of a room . This limit is physical (it is not possible to change the electromagnetic physical laws) and cannot be exceeded, if not using Wi-Fi repeaters or Wi-Fi Powerlines (we talk about it in the next chapter). This frequency is less subject to interference, given that the signal with great difficulty will come out of the perimeter walls of the house (and consequently the other 5 GHz networks of our neighbors will behave accordingly).
19 transmission channels are available on 2.4 GHz networks, but routers are generally configured to take advantage of 3 or 4, since it is necessary to maintain compatibility also with the wireless devices to be connected (which usually only support channels 36, 56 and 100).
On 5GHz networks we can currently take advantage of three transmission protocols:
- IEEE 802.11n (Wi-Fi 4) : the same protocol used on 2.4 GHz, but with the possibility of exploiting all 300 Mbps without restrictions.
- IEEE 802.11ac (Wi-Fi 5) : the most popular protocol for this frequency, since it allows to reach high speeds (up to 1300 Mbps).
- IEEE 802.11ax (Wi-Fi 6) : the new generation protocol, presented in 2018, which should offer even higher speeds (up to 11 Gbps), reduced latency and greater division of the intelligent band in the case of connection of many devices.
How to take advantage of both types of network
As we have been able to guess, we do not have to concentrate a single type of network, but we will have to configure both, so that we can use them together based on the distance from the router and based on the type of device connected.First of all we configure the router (or the modem / router provided by the operator) to create two separate Wi-Fi networks by frequency: routers often use only one network mode (with only one SSID) and automatically choose whether to use the 2, 4 or 5 GHz. We advise you to make this choice from the first connection, thus creating two networks with similar SSIDs but which clearly show us the frequency that we are going to take advantage of.
We then enter the settings of our router, access the Wireless or Wi-Fi menu and configure the 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi networks and the 5GHz Wi-Fi network separately, changing the SSID of both (on the 5 GHz we can add for example the suffix 5G, so as to recognize it immediately).
For convenience we can also leave the same network password, so as to remember it whatever the network used.
Once the networks have been configured, we connect to the 2.4 GHz network all the devices that need maximum coverage and moderate speed, such as:
- Smartphone
- Tablet
- Notebook
- Amazon Echo or other smart speaker boxes
- Smart lights
- Smart outlets
- Wi-Fi printers
- Home automation devices
- Wireless alarms
- Wireless cameras
Instead we connect to the 5 GHz network all the devices that need the maximum transmission speed and that are quite close to the router (indicatively in the same room), such as:
- PC fixed
- Smart TV
- Game console
- TV Box or Set-Top-Box
- Chromecasts
- Amazon Fire TV Stick
Conclusions
Making the best use of the types of wireless network available will allow you to benefit from the maximum network coverage for the devices we often carry with us and to benefit from the maximum transmission speed for devices that require large amounts of bandwidth and low latency in order to be able to exploit properly the most modern Internet services. Connecting everything to 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz is usually the most wrong move we can perform: better to know the strengths and weaknesses of both types of network and take advantage of the one that best suits the device or the configuration of the house.We do not neglect the possibility of connecting the PC or Smart TV to the router via an Ethernet cable (if close enough), which is always the most stable and secure connection method (READ ALSO: Better a Wifi network or Ethernet cables "> Best WiFi Routers to connect your home wireless devices.
To increase the coverage of the home wireless connection we can also connect two routers together, as seen in our article on how to connect two wireless routers to increase the range of the WiFi .
