New router....2.4gHz or 5gHz?

[smokey982]

So I finally broke down and purchased a new router from Best Buy. I ended up with the Netgear WNDR3400 dual band router. Everything's hooked up and working fine. But I noticed when I first tried to log in wirelessly, it offers 2 different connections. One is for 2.4gHz and the other 5gHz. So which connection should I be using? They both offer full bars on my iPad and iPhone. Would one connection be any faster than the other? I read where the 2.4 is better for longer distances. So when I go outside to the porch I'm sure I'll use it. But 95% of everything I do is just a few rooms over from the router. Any suggestions?

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[John Kotches]

Use 5 ghz where possible. You'll get less interference in the higher band.

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[Stargazer]

5 GHZ has more bandwidth capability and less interference. 2.4 GHZ will penetrate walls better and have further range.

 

[jimdandyvi]

Just give each of the bands a different SSID so it is easier to tell which baand you are connecting to. 5Ghz works well if you are in the same room as the router and perhaps the next room.

Also since most computers and older smartphones don't have radios that will connect to 5 Ghz so work on getting the best signal and coverage on the 2.4 Ghz radio. Placement of the router is important. Spend some time using inSSIDer to find the least used channel and try to use either 1,6 or 11. Just because you see multiple SSIDs on a particular channel doesn't necessarily mean you can't use it. What is more important is how much traffic is being transmitted on a particular channel. Sharing a channel with someone who just updates Facebook and checks e-mail is OK. What you want to avoid is someone who does lots of downloads and streaming.

Unfortunately inSSIDer won't tell you this and only testing will give you a good idea of what channel is best for you. Whatever you do don't leave your router set on automatic as it won't necessarily pick a clear channel but only a channel where it sees none or few SSIDs. For example, switching from channel 6 to channel 5 automatically won't necessarily improve WiFi as channel 5 is overlapped by channel 6 and if channel 6 is heavily used your download speed will still be negatively impacted.

 

[smokey982]

Just give each of the bands a different SSID so it is easier to tell which baand you are connecting to. 5Ghz works well if you are in the same room as the router and perhaps the next room.

The factory setting already has 2 different names so I can tell them apart. I have to pick which one to use and I just wasn't sure if there was any differences in the two.

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[Frank Jr.]

The factory setting already has 2 different names so I can tell them apart. I have to pick which one to use and I just wasn't sure if there was any differences in the two.
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As jimdandyvi mentioned, inSSIDer is a very good diagnostic tool. At home I use 5 Ghz for all my wifi needs. I have zero 5 Ghz traffic in my area. Check the thumbnail.