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2.4, 5 and 6 GHz

Learn the three Wi-Fi bands and when each one is the right pick.

Three bands in plain words

Your router is the box that makes your Wi-Fi. It sends data through the air as radio waves, a bit like a small radio station.

Most routers can send on more than one band. A band is a range of radio frequencies, measured in GHz (gigahertz). Think of bands as different roads to the same place.

Here is the simple rule. Lower bands reach farther. Higher bands go faster, but over a shorter distance.

• 2.4 GHz travels the farthest and passes through walls best. It is also the slowest and the most crowded. Neighbors' routers, baby monitors and microwave ovens all use it too.
• 5 GHz is much faster and less crowded. Its signal fades sooner, especially through walls and floors.
• 6 GHz is the newest band. It is the fastest and the least crowded. It also has the shortest range, and only newer devices can use it.

So which is best? It depends on where you are. Close to the router, a higher band usually wins. Far away, behind several walls, 2.4 GHz may be the only one that still works.

Your speed also depends on the signal. That is how strong the radio waves are where you stand. A fast band with a weak signal can lose to a slow band with a strong one.

On the practice computer, connect the laptop to each band in the same room as the router. Then move it to the far bedroom and try all three again. Compare the speeds.

Band steering and your devices

Many routers show one Wi-Fi name for all their bands. Your phone joins that one name, and the router picks the band for you.

This is called band steering. The router nudges each device onto the band that suits it. A phone next to the router goes to 5 or 6 GHz. A smart plug in the garage stays on 2.4 GHz.

Some routers instead show a separate name for each band, like "Home" and "Home-5G". You can join the one you want. Your router's app or admin page usually lets you choose either way.

A few smart home gadgets only work on 2.4 GHz. If one won't connect during setup, that is often why. Your router's app may let you turn on 2.4 GHz only for a while.

To use 6 GHz, every piece has to support it:

• A router marked Wi-Fi 6E or Wi-Fi 7.
• A newer device. Examples are the iPhone 15 Pro and later, and many phones and laptops sold since about 2022.
• On a PC, Windows 11 and a Wi-Fi adapter that supports 6E.

To see your band on Windows 11, open Settings, then Network & internet, then Wi-Fi. Open your network's properties and look at Network band. On a Mac, hold Option and click the Wi-Fi icon in the menu bar.