{"id":479291,"date":"2022-07-29T23:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-07-29T20:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/whats-the-difference-between-2-4-and-5-ghz-wi-fi-and-which-should-i-use\/"},"modified":"2022-07-29T23:00:00","modified_gmt":"2022-07-29T20:00:00","slug":"whats-the-difference-between-2-4-and-5-ghz-wi-fi-and-which-should-i-use","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/whats-the-difference-between-2-4-and-5-ghz-wi-fi-and-which-should-i-use\/","title":{"rendered":"#What\u2019s the Difference Between 2.4 and 5 GHz Wi-Fi (and Which Should I Use)?"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_85 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a34d4eeba4db\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a34d4eeba4db\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/whats-the-difference-between-2-4-and-5-ghz-wi-fi-and-which-should-i-use\/#%E2%80%9CWhats_the_Difference_Between_24_and_5_GHz_Wi-Fi_and_Which_Should_I_Use%E2%80%9D\" >&#8220;What\u2019s the Difference Between 2.4 and 5 GHz Wi-Fi (and Which Should I Use)?&#8221;<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-2' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/whats-the-difference-between-2-4-and-5-ghz-wi-fi-and-which-should-i-use\/#Whats_the_Real_Difference_Between_24_GHz_and_5_GHz\" >What\u2019s the Real Difference Between 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/whats-the-difference-between-2-4-and-5-ghz-wi-fi-and-which-should-i-use\/#What_Are_Dual-_and_Tri-Band_Routers\" >What Are\u00a0Dual- and Tri-Band Routers?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/whats-the-difference-between-2-4-and-5-ghz-wi-fi-and-which-should-i-use\/#Should_I_Select_24_or_5_GHz_for_My_Devices\" >Should I Select 2.4 or 5 GHz for My Devices?<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h1><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"%E2%80%9CWhats_the_Difference_Between_24_and_5_GHz_Wi-Fi_and_Which_Should_I_Use%E2%80%9D\"><\/span>&#8220;What\u2019s the Difference Between 2.4 and 5 GHz Wi-Fi (and Which Should I Use)?&#8221;<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h1>\n<div>\n<figure style=\"width: 1200px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"type:primaryImage wp-image-819863 size-full\" data-pagespeed-no-defer=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Shutterstock_1312134323.png?width=1198&amp;trim=1,1&amp;bg-color=000&amp;pad=1,1\" alt=\"Router Header Image\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\" data-crediturl=\"https:\/\/www.shutterstock.com\/image-photo\/modern-wifi-router-on-light-table-1312134323\" data-credittext=\"Shadow Inspiration\/Shutterstock.com\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><span class=\"type:primaryImage imagecredit\"><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.shutterstock.com\/image-photo\/modern-wifi-router-on-light-table-1312134323\">Shadow Inspiration\/Shutterstock.com<\/a><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>If you\u2019re looking at replacing your old router\u2014maybe even upgrading from your ISP\u2019s combined modem\/router unit\u2014you may come across terms like \u201cdual band,\u201d which refers to a router that uses both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz Wi-Fi. Curious about what these numbers mean? Well, wonder no more.<\/p>\n<h2 role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Whats_the_Real_Difference_Between_24_GHz_and_5_GHz\"><\/span>What\u2019s the Real Difference Between 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>These numbers refer to two different \u201cbands\u201d that your Wi-Fi can use for its signal. The biggest difference between the two is speed.\u00a0Under ideal conditions, 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi will support up to 450 Mbps or 600 Mbps, depending on the class of the router. 5 GHz Wi-Fi will support up to 1300 Mbps.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"admonishment_note\"><p><strong>Note:<\/strong> There are also Wi-Fi 6E routers out there that can broadcast on 6 GHz, and future Wi-Fi 7 routers will support it as well. The 6 GHz band has a maximum theoretical speed of about 9.6 gigabits (Gbps), but real world speeds will most certainly be less than that. The major advantage of the 6 GHz band for everyday life is decreased network congestion, which should improve your connection significantly if you\u2019re in an area with a lot of Wi-Fi networks.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Of course, there are some caveats here. First, the maximum speed you might see is also dependent on what wireless standard a router supports \u2014 802.11b, 802.11g, 802.11n, 802.11ac, or 802.11ax. You can learn more about how those standards affect things in our guides on whether you need 802.11ax and whether you should upgrade your wireless router.<\/p>\n<p><strong>RELATED:<\/strong> <strong><em>Why You Should Upgrade Your Router (Even If You Have Older Gadgets)<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The second big caveat is that important phrase we mentioned: \u201cideal conditions.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The 2.4 GHz band is a pretty crowded place, because it\u2019s used by more than just Wi-Fi. Old\u00a0cordless phones, garage door openers, baby monitors, and other devices\u00a0tend to use the 2.4 GHz band. The\u00a0longer waves used by the 2.4 GHz band are better suited to longer ranges and transmission through walls and solid objects. So it\u2019s arguably better if you need better range on your devices or you have a lot of walls or other objects in the areas where you need coverage. However, because so many devices use the 2.4 GHz band, the resulting congestion can cause dropped connections and slower-than-expected speeds.<\/p>\n<p><strong>RELATED:<\/strong> <strong><em>What Are Mesh Wi-Fi Systems, and How Do They Work?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The 5 GHz band is much less congested, which means you will likely get more stable connections. You\u2019ll also see higher speeds. On the other hand, the shorter waves used by the 5 GHz band makes it less able to penetrate walls and solid objects. It\u2019s also got a shorter effective range than the 2.4 GHz band. \u00a0Of course, you may also be able to mitigate that shorter range through the use of range extenders or mesh Wi-Fi systems,\u00a0but that will mean a bigger investment.<\/p>\n<h2 role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_Are_Dual-_and_Tri-Band_Routers\"><\/span>What Are\u00a0Dual- and Tri-Band Routers?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><strong>RELATED:<\/strong> <strong><em>What Are Dual-Band and Tri-Band Routers?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The good <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/news\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"2\" title=\"News\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">news<\/a> is that most modern routers act as dual- or tri-band routers. A dual-band router is one that broadcasts both a 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz signal from the same unit, essentially providing you with two Wi-Fi networks and the best of both worlds. Dual-band routers come in two flavors:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Selectable dual-band<\/strong>. A selectable dual-band router offers a 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz Wi-Fi network, but you can only use one at a time. You actually have to use a switch to tell it the band you want to use.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Simultaneous dual-band<\/strong>. A simultaneous dual-brand router broadcasts separate 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz Wi-Fi networks at the same time, giving you two Wi-Fi networks that you can choose from when you set up a device. Some router brands also let you assign the same SSID to the two bands so that devices only see a single network \u2014 even though both are still operational. These tend to be a bit more expensive than selectable dual-band routers, but not by much. The advantages of having both bands operating simultaneously usually outweigh the cost difference.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>A tri-band router broadcasts three networks simultaneously \u2014 two 5 GHz signals and one 2.4 GHz signal. The reason for this is to help alleviate network congestion. If you have multiple devices that really use a 5 GHz connection heavily \u2014 like streaming high-resolution or even 4K video \u2014 you might benefit from spending a bit more on a tri-band router.<\/p>\n<h2 role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Should_I_Select_24_or_5_GHz_for_My_Devices\"><\/span>Should I Select 2.4 or 5 GHz for My Devices?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><strong>RELATED:<\/strong> <strong><em>Wi-Fi vs. Ethernet: How Much Better Is a Wired Connection?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>First things first. If you have a device that supports a wired Ethernet connection and it\u2019s not to awkward getting a cable to the device, we highly recommend using a wired connection over a wireless one. Wired connections offer a lower latency, no dropped connections due to interference, and are just plain faster than wireless connections.<\/p>\n<figure style=\"width: 650px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-223135 size-full\" data-pagespeed-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/img_55ad0e8ada395.jpg?trim=1,1&amp;bg-color=000&amp;pad=1,1\" alt=\"Person plugging an Ethernet cable into a router.\" width=\"650\" height=\"301\" data-crediturl=\"https:\/\/www.shutterstock.com\/image-photo\/man-plugs-internet-cable-into-router-648443335\" data-credittext=\"Proxima Studio\/Shutterstock\" src=\"\/pagespeed_static\/1.JiBnMqyl6S.gif\" onload=\"pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\" onerror=\"this.onerror=null;pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><span class=\"imagecredit\"><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.shutterstock.com\/image-photo\/man-plugs-internet-cable-into-router-648443335\">Proxima Studio\/Shutterstock<\/a><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>That said, we\u2019re here to talk about wireless. If you currently use 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi and are wondering whether you need to upgrade to 5 GHz, it\u2019s really all about what you need to do with it. If you\u2019re experiencing dropped connections or if you need more speed for watching videos or playing <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/game\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"7\" title=\"Game\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">game<\/a>s, then you probably need to move to 5 GHz. There\u2019s only so much speed you can get out of a 2.4 GHz network, even under ideal conditions. If you live in a\u00a0crowded apartment complex with dozens of wireless routers, baby monitors, and other 2.4Ghz band devices, then you should definitely consider switching to the 5 GHz band (or even the 6GHz band) if you already haven\u2019t.<\/p>\n<p>If you\u2019re already using a dual- or tri-band router and have both the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands available, you\u2019ll have to make some decisions on which one to connect your devices to. It\u2019s tempting to just go ahead and use 5 GHz Wi-Fi for any device that supports it and use 2.4 GHz for the rest \u2014 and you can certainly do that, and it\u2019s a fine choice in most situations \u2014 but it\u2019s not always the best strategy.<\/p>\n<p>Instead, think about how you use each device. If a device only supports 2.4 GHz, then your decision is already made for that device. If a device supports both, think about whether you really need to use 5 GHz. Does that device need the higher speed or are you mostly checking email and browsing the web? Is the device experiencing dropped connections on the 2.4 GHz network and do you need it to be more reliable? Are you okay with the device having the shorter effective range that comes along with using the 5 GHz band?<\/p>\n<p>Modern <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>lications are pretty data hungry \u2014 between the abundance of 4K content available, high-resolution images all over the internet, video and voice calling over Wi-Fi, and countless other applications, you\u2019re probably going to be using a ton of data. You should always use the band that offers you the best connection.<\/p>\n<p><strong>RELATED:<\/strong> <strong><em>5 GHz Wi-Fi Isn&#8217;t Always Better Than 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>In most cases, that\u2019ll probably be the 5 GHz band, though the 2.4 GHz band might be advantageous in some situations. If you\u2019re in an area with a ton of Wi-Fi networks, the 6 GHz band would also be a great choice if your hardware supports Wi-Fi 6E.<\/p>\n<hr\/>\n<p><strong>RELATED:<\/strong> <strong><em>Change Your Wi-Fi Router Channel to Optimize Your Wireless Signal<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Hopefully, this gives you the information you need to make a decision about whether you need 5 GHz Wi-Fi in your life and how best to use it if you do. Also keep in mind that no matter what you choose, you should also take the time to optimize your wireless signals by selecting an appropriate channel on your router. You might be surprised at the difference such a small change can make.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><script>\n setTimeout(function(){\n  !function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s)\n  {if(f.fbq)return;n=f.fbq=function(){n.callMethod?\n  n.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments)};\n  if(!f._fbq)f._fbq=n;n.push=n;n.loaded=!0;n.version='2.0';\n  n.queue=[];t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0;\n  t.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0];\n  s.parentNode.insertBefore(t,s) } (window, document,'script',\n  'https:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/fbevents.js');\n   fbq('init', '335401813750447');\n   fbq('track', 'PageView');\n  },3000);\n<\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. 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Curious about&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":479292,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Shutterstock_1312134323.png?height=200p&trim=2,2,2,2","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-479291","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/479291","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=479291"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/479291\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/479292"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=479291"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=479291"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=479291"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}