Your router has two WiFi networks and you are using the wrong one
With the arrival of smart wifi, wireless connections have become much easier in the home. But there are configurations that we can still make, such as changing the WiFi name or separating the two bands to decide which one I want to connect to. Many functions that our router has and that we may not take into account but that can greatly improve the experience and quality of our WiFi signal at home.
Deactivating smart WiFi is possible if we do not want our own router to decide which WiFi band it wants to connect to. We may have some device incompatible with the 5 GHz band or simply that we want to separate the bands to leave one of them for guests. In any case, you should know that each one has a purpose and how you use them will improve or worsen the quality of the WiFi signal in your home.
2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands
Currently, most routers work with the two most used WiFi frequency bands, the 2.4 GHz band and the 5 GHz band. Each one has a series of characteristics and makes them better or worse depending on the purpose and the environment.
While the 2.4 GHz band is the most used because it is the usual WiFi, 5 GHz arrived to improve the quality of service. But there are certain differences between the two that make them complement each other and make their use better in certain conditions. You should know that The 2.4 GHz band has more range and goes further with less power loss, however, its capacity is lower. The speed that you can achieve if you connect to the 2.4 GHz WiFi band will not exceed 100 Mb, always staying around the 60 or 80 Mb. On the other hand, the 5 GHz band works the opposite. It has much less range and is designed to be used when you are close to the router or access point, but on the other hand, offers a much higher speed than the other band.
Knowing this, you can now get an idea of which band you should use for your devices if you decide to disable Smart WiFi on your router. It is advisable that devices close to the router connect to the 5 GHz band while those further away connect to the 2.4 GHz band. In addition, you should keep in mind that There are smart devices that are not compatible with the 5 GHz band and you must connect them to the other for them to work correctly.
How to improve the WiFi signal
In addition to correctly choosing the band to which your devices will connect, there are a series of aspects that you should take into account to improve the quality of the WiFi signal in your home.
The location of the router becomes an essential part to take full advantage of wireless signal coverage. Place it in a central location and avoid hiding it inside or under furniture. Use signal amplifiers that help the WiFi signal reach the areas furthest from the router with good power and make sure that the amplifiers are compatible with both frequency bands, this way you will make the most of the features of your router.
Use strong WiFi passwords so that your home network is not filled with intruders or devices that are not authorized to do so. Additionally, to further improve the WiFi signal, It is advisable to analyze the channels that are most saturated to place your WiFi on a less used channel. You can do this with specific applications such as Wifi Analyzer.
