Wifi bandwidth and speed

The difference between 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz WiFi

Your wireless router uses radio frequencies to transmit internet to your WiFi-connected devices like smartphones, laptops, tablets and more. The difference between 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz WiFi comes down to speed and range. Let’s take a closer look at the differences.

2.4 GHz overview

• Pros: Larger coverage area; better at penetrating solid objects

5 GHz overview

• Pros: Higher data rate; less prone to interference; usually fewer devices using this frequency

2.4 GHz vs. 5 GHz: Which frequency should you choose?

A 2.4 GHz connection travels farther at lower speeds, while 5 GHz frequencies provide faster speeds at shorter range. Your choice of 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz will depend on where and how you use your WiFi connection most.

A lot of electronic devices and appliances use the 2.4 GHz frequency, including microwaves, baby monitors, security cameras, and garage door openers. If you have many of these in your home, or if you live in an apartment or condo, that 2.4 GHz band is likely to be congested, which can damage speed and signal quality.

5 GHz will give you more signal strength and faster speed over a shorter range, compared to 2.4 GHz.

Use 5 GHz for a device closer to the router

If you’re able to use most of your devices near your router, 5 GHz is your best choice to take advantage of higher speeds. Similarly, if you’re doing a lot of high-bandwidth activities online, such as gaming or videoconferencing, it’s best to use this frequency and move as close as possible to the router. (Better yet, plug directly into the modem with an Ethernet cable, as a wired connection is always more stable and faster than wireless.) Or if, as stated above, you’re in an apartment or condo with many other units surrounding you, 5 GHz will help you avoid wireless congestion.

Use 2.4 GHz for a device farther from the router

On the other hand, on a device that moves around a lot throughout the day (like your smartphone), especially if you have a large home, the 2.4 GHz frequency is your best bet. This wavelength has a longer range and can penetrate solid objects more easily than the 5 GHz band, making it ideal for devices that are taken from room to room or are more distant from the router. The exception to this is newer routers running 5 GHz 802.11ac WiFi, which can, in the right conditions, get range coverage equal to 2.4 GHz.

How do you change frequency settings?

Whether you choose 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz, you need to make sure your wireless is enabled on your modem/router and set to use the same frequency. Check your specific model of router for compatibility and frequency capabilities.

With a dual-band router, you can set it to transmit at both frequencies concurrently. In this case, you typically have two networks (SSIDs) that appear in your network list, with identical names except for a «5G» or «2.4G» at the end. You can then choose to connect each individual device to either network.

On most newer modems, there is also a way to find the best WiFi channel for your environment and then change the channel as needed in the modem’s wireless settings. This way you can make the most of the different capabilities of 2.4 GHz vs. 5GHz WiFi.

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How Fast Is a Wi-Fi Network?

An MIT graduate who brings years of technical experience to articles on SEO, computers, and wireless networking.

Michael Heine is a CompTIA-certified writer, editor, and Network Engineer with 25+ years’ experience working in the television, defense, ISP, telecommunications, and education industries.

In This Article

The maximum theoretical speed of a Wi-Fi network is indicated by its Wi-Fi 802.11 standard. Like most computer networks, Wi-Fi supports varying levels of performance, depending on the technology standard. Currently, the fastest standard is Wi-Fi 6, the common name given to the IEEE 802.11ax wireless standard introduced in 2019. The 802.11ax standard is more common, but that will soon change as more Wi-Fi 6 devices enter the market.

Wi-Fi standards are certified by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. Each Wi-Fi standard is rated according to its maximum theoretical network bandwidth. However, the performance of Wi-Fi networks doesn’t match these theoretical maximums. The actual speed of a Wi-Fi wireless network connection depends on several factors.

Before you buy a router, confirm that it runs the current version of 802.11 along with several previous iterations. Older routers, on sale for cheap because they’re used, may be rated no higher than 802.11n or earlier.

Theoretical vs. Actual Network Speeds

Current Wi-Fi networks support a variety of standards.

An 802.11b network typically operates no faster than about 50 percent of its theoretical peak, around 5.5 Mbps. The 802.11a and 802.11g networks usually run no faster than 20 Mbps. Even though 802.11n rates at 600 Mbps compared to wired Fast Ethernet at 100 Mbps, the Ethernet connection can often outperform 802.11n in real-world usage. However, Wi-Fi performance continues to improve with each new generation of the technology.

You’ll experience wide variation in the actual and theoretical speeds of most current Wi-Fi networks:

Theoretical	Actual
802.11b	11 Mbps	5.5 Mbps
802.11a	54 Mbps	20 Mbps
802.11g	54 Mbps	20 Mbps
802.11n	600 Mbps	100 Mbps
802.11ac	1,300 Mbps	200 Mbps
802.11ax	10 Gbps	2 Gbps

What’s Next?

The next wireless communications standard will be 802.11be (Wi-Fi 7), likely to be finalized by IEEE in 2024. Practically, however, 802.11ax (Wi-Fi 6) is still gaining ground over 802.11ac (Wi-Fi 5).

Factors Limiting Wi-Fi Connection Speeds

The disparity between theoretical and practical Wi-Fi performance comes from network protocol overhead, radio interference, physical obstructions on the line of sight between devices, and the distance between devices.

In addition, as more devices communicate on the network simultaneously, performance decreases due to how bandwidth works and the limitations of the network hardware.

A Wi-Fi network connection operates at the highest possible speed that both devices, often referred to as endpoints, support. An 802.11g laptop connected to an 802.11n router, for example, networks at the lower speed of the 802.11g laptop. Both devices must support the same standard to operate at the higher speed.

The Role Internet Service Providers Play in Network Speed

On home networks, the performance of an internet connection is often the limiting factor in end-to-end network speed. Even though most residential networks support sharing files within the home at speeds of 20 Mbps or more, Wi-Fi clients still connect to the internet at the usually lower speeds supported by internet service providers.

Most internet service providers offer several tiers of internet service. The faster the connection, the more you pay.

The Increasing Importance of Network Speed

High-speed connections became more important as streaming video gained popularity. You may have a subscription to Netflix, Hulu, or another video-streaming service, but if your internet connection and the network can’t meet the minimum speed requirements, you won’t be watching many movies.

The same can be said for video streaming apps. If you watch a TV with a Roku, Apple TV, or another streaming entertainment attachment, you spend much of your television-viewing time in apps for commercial channels and premium services. Without a sufficiently speedy network, expect to experience poor video quality and frequent pauses to buffer.

For example, Netflix recommends a broadband connection speed of 1.5 Mbps, but it recommends higher speeds for higher quality: 3.0 Mbps for SD quality, 5.0 Mbps for HD quality, and 25 Mbps for Ultra HD quality.

How to Test Your Network Speed

Your internet service provider may provide an online speed testing service. Log in to your account, go to the connection speed page, and ping the service. Repeat the test at different times of day to arrive at an average benchmark.

If your internet service provider doesn’t provide a speed test, you can use one of the free internet speed test sites to test your network speed.

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