2.4 < 5 (But Not Always)

Two giants of the tech world – Apple and Cisco, recently released a document that seemingly wrote off one of the most common aspects of wireless technology: the 2.4GHz WiFi band.

 

It’s important to note that the claim is primarily focused on large, enterprise grade networks. Think office high rise building, densely populated apartments, etc. For environments such as these, we fully agree in thinking the 2.4GHz band is borderline useless and ineffective. But, what about the other end of the spectrum?

 

Don’t live in a high-population building? Have an isolated office space? House that’s far from competing wireless networks? Don’t worry. 2.4GHz will suffice and you shouldn’t encounter too many problems. If you do though, we can help.

 

Switching form 2.4GHz to 5GHz isn’t as simple as flipping a switch. Due to hardware limitations, you may need to purchase a new router and/or access point if you want to hop aboard the 5GHz bandwagon. Get it? BANDwagon.

 

As 5GHz covers less space and travels less easily through interference – walls, competing networks, etc. – you may need to adjust the number of devices and their respective positions. Simply put, there’s more at play here than one may initially think. Fortunately, we can help.

 

The key point here is that the optimal WiFI channel being used by a device isn’t dependent on just one thing. 5GHz devices are great in certain settings, but so are 2.4GHz devices.

 

The shortcomings of 2.4GHz is primarily the result of its becoming so popular that it was ultimately made the default for many wireless devices. As more 2.4GHz devices have popped up, the channel has become increasingly saturated and, consequently, hindered.

 

All this leads us to ask: if 2.4GHz is completely abandoned in favor of 5GHz, who’s to say that in just a few years (or less) we’re not repeating this very cycle? Guess we’ll find out.