Wifi 5 ghz transmission speed

For a desktop PC, an even better option would be to buy a PCI adapter that plugs into the motherboard – the antennas from it will be brought out the back of the case.

Pros and Cons of 5 GHz WiFi – Should You Upgrade Your Router

5 GHz 802.11ac WiFi has many advantages over traditional 2.4 GHz WiFi. Here are the pros and cons of 802.11ac 5 GHz WiFi.

Back in 1999, we had the beginnings of a wireless future as Wi-Fi. The first was called 802.11a and operated in the 5 GHz band (later the 3.7 GHz band was supported). Previously, 5 GHz devices were more expensive than 2.4 GHz, and the 802.11b standard quickly surpassed the popularity of 802.11a. For years we enjoyed web surfing, listening to music and watching videos on the 2.4 GHz band.

Another technology that is beginning to compete for wireless connectivity with Wifi is Bluetooth. It promises to bring the Personal Area Network to mobile devices and into our lives. At first we were limited to wireless headsets, but then wireless keyboards and mice became popular. You can transfer files, schedule meetings, and more.

Other devices began to focus on the 2.4 GHz band, and the number of devices connected to Wi-Fi began to increase dramatically.

Nowadays, the average family will have many devices such as smartphones, tablets, and computers connected to Wifi routers. They even have several streaming devices (Chromecast and Roku) connected to the router. Thanks to the Internet, the number of wireless devices is increasing.

802.11ac 5 GHz WiFi.

You can see dozens of wireless networks in your apartment (yours + your neighbor's). And if you have the same number of wireless devices connected to each of these Wi-Fi networks, you can imagine the level of congestion in the 2.4 GHz band.

The more devices in the band, the slower and less reliable the signal. So what's the solution? Increase the capacity? A bigger antenna? No, that doesn't help much. We need another band – WiFi 802.11ac at 5 GHz.

Something about Wi-Fi.

Went to a conference recently on "Building Wireless Networks." Even though I have been an administrator for quite some time, it is not every day that I get to deploy wireless networks. I am hastening to share with you some of the nuances. I invite all interested readers under the hood.

Wi-Fi does not have a clear boundary of propagation.

It means that without proper evaluation no one will be able to guarantee that the connection will work even within one office or room.
There were cases when in the office once a day the connection was lost for about half an hour. The tech-support agent of the access point manufacturer was very experienced, that is why after finding out the time when the connection was down most often (and it usually happened from 12-00 to 14-00), he suggested that the microwave oven was the culprit. In this office there was no microwave, but it was in the next, just behind the wall to which was screwed the access point.
Here we should also remember all sorts of Wi-Fi jammers which may be used by your competitors, who may pay their neighbors to turn it on from time to time.

Because of this, it is not recommended to use wireless networks as a substitute for a corporate LAN with twisted pair or fiber. Or do it as a last resort when laying cable is not possible. For example if you want to connect two offices in the country not far from each other.
A wireless network is best seen as a great addition to "traditional" networks. For example, to provide guest access for your customers.

It should also be noted that Wi-Fi networks may not work equally well with different transport layer protocols. So, for example, TCP and UDP may work great, but IPX is out of hand.

In order to understand how to build a network as well as try to determine the possible cause of the failure it is necessary to understand the existing standards and their vulnerabilities.
At this point I think it makes sense to look at 802.11g and 802.11n.

The cheapest 802.11ac (5 GHz Wi-Fi) routers

We will consider only the most affordable, budget-friendly variants of routers, but which necessarily have support for IEEE 802.11ac. And accordingly they will be dual-band. Low price and availability of the new Wi-Fi network standard are the main conditions.

Basically, you can do it without my advice. Simply in some popular online store set a filter for "IEEE 802.11ac" and sort by price "from cheap to expensive". But I am already familiar with many of the router models I will write about below, and I have something to say about each of them. I will give you links to pages with their reviews, reviews, and configuration instructions. If there are such on our site.

An important point: in different countries, and in different stores, prices and variety of products is certainly different. So please do not judge harshly if in your case some router is cheaper or more expensive. Or I will not write about a model. You can always share your opinion and advice in the comments.

The list is just for reference. And just so you understand what you can focus on when choosing a router with ac.

Xiaomi Mini Wifi

And oddly enough, the most affordable is a router from the Chinese company Xiaomi. Model Xiaomi Mi WiFi. In addition, this router has a USB port. Although, there try to figure out how to use it for different tasks. All through some application. A very stupid decision.

The router is nice, but of course I will not buy it 🙂 Although no, just kidding, I already have it. I bought it not for personal use, but to see what kind of device it is. With such characteristics and at such a good price. Well, and to write a couple of instructions to the site.

The router is interesting, beautiful and works without any problems (no experience in long-term use). But the control panel in Chinese is a little strained. You can flash it English firmware, or put some firmware from Padavan, or PandoraBox. But this is an extra hassle, which not everyone wants to do.

Advantages and disadvantages of 5GHz routers

The main advantages of Wi-Fi routers operating at a frequency of 5 GHz, include the following:

• the presence of a greater number of non-intersecting wireless network channels compared to 2.4 GHz;
• the small number of devices that support this frequency, even in apartment buildings;
• absence of interference and short-term interruptions of the signal;
• the ability to support channels on the 20/40/80 mHz band;
• most of these routers are dual-band: they can simultaneously distribute two Wi-Fi networks at a frequency of 5 GHz, and 2.4 GHz;
• increase speeds up to 1300 Mbps using equipment operating on the 802.11ac standard (depending on the capabilities of the provider).

This technology has fewer disadvantages, but they are worth a closer look.

Not all devices can operate at 5 GHz: A lot of laptops, tablets and smartphones released a few years ago, before such frequencies became widespread, simply will not see the required network in the list of available ones. The same goes for some budget models of modern wireless devices.

Wave attenuation on this frequency is faster than on networks supporting 2.4 GHz, so the coverage area will be smaller. Interestingly, this drawback can easily be considered a significant plus in densely populated homes: the neighbors can simply be inaccessible to the Wi-Fi network signal in the 5 GHz range, it increases network security, and the signals from the nearby devices will not overlap. On average, the wireless coverage area in this range will be less than 40 square meters.
Unfortunately, most modern 5 GHz routers supporting the 802.11ac communication standard are quite expensive. But in recent years there is a trend towards lower prices and the appearance of cheaper devices on the market, primarily due to the entry into the market models of popular Chinese manufacturers.

How to Choose Between 2.4GHz and 5GHz

To choose between 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz, go to your router's web interface and find your wireless network settings. Assign the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz networks separate SSIDs or names. You can specify "2.4 GHz" and "5 GHz" in the names to make them easier to remember. And you can use the same wireless passphrase for each.

Your router can be configured to use the same name for both networks by default. That means you can't choose between them yourself-your devices will choose between them automatically.

Now you can simply choose between the networks on your device. Go to your device's Wi-Fi connection menu and select the network you want to connect to.

After you connect to each network once, your device will remember the passphrase and you can easily connect to the one you like just by selecting it in the menu. Switching becomes easy and fast.

If 2.4GHz Wi-Fi isn't solving your problems and you still can't get a reliable Wi-Fi connection in your home or office, consider using Wi-Fi mesh system.. This gives you multiple access points that you can place throughout your home. And, unlike a traditional wireless repeater or extension cord, the process of setting up Wi-Fi on your network is much easier.

Comparing Wi-Fi 6 to Wi-Fi 5

Wireless technology evolves every day. Since the beginning of Wi-Fi technology, the new standard has been developed and released almost every 5 years. And finally, while we were using Wi-Fi 5, a new standard has been developed. Wi-Fi 6.. Then, finally, to that standard came an improvement called Wi-Fi 6E. And now, waiting for Wi-Fi 7 .. Along the way, we're going to talk about the differences between Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 5. We're going to find out. Wifi 6 vs. Wifi 5..

Before we focus on the differences of these newest wireless standards, let's remember all the Wi-Fi standards and development dates:

• Wi-Fi 1 – 802.11b (1999)
• Wi-Fi 2 – 802.11a (1999)
• Wi-Fi 3 – 802.11g (2003)
• Wi-Fi 4 – 802.11n (2009)
• Wi-Fi 5 – 802.11ac (2014)
• Wi-Fi 6 – 802.11ax (2019)
• Wi-Fi 6E – 802.11ax (2021)
• Wi-Fi 7 – 802.11be (2024)

These standard names and short forms were created by WiFi Alliance.

Differences between Wi-Fi 5 and Wi-Fi 6

Now let's focus on our main lesson and compare Wifi 6 to Wifi 5..

Wifi standard name

The names of Wi-Fi standards change after each key evolution of Wi-Fi technology. This change is for the letters after the name of the 802.11 standard. The previous Wi-Fi 5 standard uses 802.11ac as its standard name. The name of the new Wi-Fi 6 standard is. 802.11ax.

The bands used

The second difference has to do with the Wi-Fi bands used in the standard. Wi-Fi 5 uses only 5 GHz band, а Wi-Fi 6 uses the bands of the wireless spectrum 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz. With the improvement of Wi-Fi 6, Wi-Fi 6E, there will also be an additional frequency band. This will be the 6 GHz band.

Data speeds.

With the development of new standards in wi-fi technology, the first thing that matters to users is the data transfer speed. If we compare Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 5, as a new technology, Wi-Fi 6 has higher speeds than Wi-Fi 5. The maximum data rate for Wi-Fi 5 is 6.9 Gbps. It is 9.6 Gbps . for wifi 6. These are all theoretical speeds. But even in reality the speeds are lower, wifi 6 gives more speeds.

Wifi 5 uses modulation 256-QAM, and wifi 6 uses modulation 1024 QAM. Here, higher-order modulation means more efficient and high-speed data transmission. In addition to Wi-Fi 6 provide improved signal encoding and efficiency of the wireless spectrum used. Taking these factors into account, the data transfer rate is improved by 40% with Wifi 6.

4 GHz vs. 5GHz: Which band is better to use?

A 2.4GHz connection is slower but has a longer range from the signal source (router); a 5GHz connection is faster but has a shorter range. Whether you choose 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz depends on your situation: where and how you use your Wi-Fi connection.

Many electronic devices and appliances, including microwaves, baby monitors, and garage door locks, operate on the 2.4 GHz band. If you have many such devices in your home or live in an apartment or apartment building in close proximity to neighbors, the 2.4 GHz band is likely to be overloaded, which can degrade communication quality (signal stability and data rate).

The 5 GHz band, compared to the 2.4 GHz band, provides a stronger signal and faster transmission speed in a smaller coverage area.

Use the 5 GHz band to connect devices close to your router

If most of your devices can be used close to a router, the best choice is 5 GHz because it gives you the advantage of faster connections. For example, if you are running several types of "high-frequency" scenarios online, such as gaming or video conferencing, it is best to connect on the 5 GHz band and be as close to the router as possible. (It's even better to connect devices directly to the modem via Ethernet cable, since wired connections are always faster and more stable than wireless ones.) Or, as noted above, if you live surrounded by neighbors and their devices, the 5 GHz band can help you avoid problems with air congestion.

To connect devices at a relative distance from the router, use the 2.4 GHz band

On the other hand, for connecting mobile devices that you move around the house with throughout the day (such as a smartphone), especially if you have a large house, the 2.4 GHz band is a better option. These longer wavelengths travel longer distances and pass through solid objects more easily than the 5 GHz band, making the 2.4 GHz band the best solution for connecting devices that move from room to room at a significant distance from the router. The exception to this rule is newer router models that support the 802.11ac Wi-Fi standard, which allows you to get the same amount of coverage in the 5 GHz band as you would in the 2.4 GHz band if it's used correctly.

How do I change my band settings?

Whichever band you choose – 2.4 or 5 GHz – you need to make sure your wireless modem/router is also set to that band. Check which frequencies your particular router model supports.

In the case of a dual-band router, you can configure it to transmit on both bands at once. In this situation, you usually have two networks (SSIDs) with the same name, but labeled "5G" or "2.4G" at the end. Accordingly, you can optionally connect each particular device to one or the other network.

On most new modems, you can find the best – specifically for your current environment – Wi-Fi channel, and then change that channel in the modem's wireless settings as needed. This option allows you to make the most of the different advantages of the 2.4 and 5 GHz Wi-Fi bands.

The bottom line is .

The bottom line is that whether you choose 2.4GHz or 5GHz depends on the environment you are deploying your network in and what parameters you want to obtain. The standard approach is as follows:

• For radio bridges over long distances choose devices in the 5 GHz band. Long range + no interference + free air = ideal conditions for this.
• For distributing the Internet to subscribers in point-to-multipoint mode most often choose 2.4 GHz. However, due to band congestion, more and more often 5 GHz is also used.
• For other local solutions, more and more manufacturers produce Dual Band equipment – with operation on both frequencies simultaneously or selectively (Mikrotik Groove A-52HPn, D-Link DAP-1525 (UPD Discontinued) and others).

5GHz on the Apple Airport router

Now let's talk about one of the most expensive dual-band models – Apple Airport. It would be silly to buy a modern, cool router for 8000 rubles and not use it to its full potential. However, turning on the 5G standard will help eliminate the problem with the congestion of wifi channels, thereby increasing the speed of the Internet and the stability of your wireless network as a whole. By default, only one 2.4 GHz network is activated during the quick setup. But in order to activate a more advanced and fast wireless signal, you will need to do something else.

Launch the Airport Utility on your computer and enter "Manual Settings"

Open the tab "Wireless" and click on "Wireless Network Options"

Here we activate the checkbox "5G" and set the name for the new wifi network. The password and encryption type will be copied from the main 2.4 G network

Save the settings by clicking "Update" and enjoy a more stable and faster signal.

As you can see, the advantages of wifi in the 5GHz band are many and there is nothing complicated about starting to use it. If you have any questions, I will answer them in the comments!

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