You might find it difficult to widen channels without interference. Some devices only support 20 MHz widths and simply won’t be able to connect to any other channel bandwidth. And as discussed before, if you are using 2.4 GHz, it’s best to stick to regular 20 MHz channels.Įven if your devices are compatible with 5 GHz frequencies, they might not be compatible with wider channels. Most limitations, apart from interference, come from compatibility.įirst, not all devices are 5 GHz compatible. Limitations and ConsiderationsĮven if you live in a remote area with no neighbors, going to the widest channel possible is not always your best bet. But if your neighbor is using channels 44, and 48 then you’ll be better off staying at 20 or 40 MHz. You could set up an 80 MHz width from channels 36 to 48. If you can widen your channel width without creating any conflict, you should probably do it. The best width will always be the one that offers less interference. Heads up though, that is still a few years away. We could easily see 40 MHz becoming the standard width once WiFi 6E is the standard. This means we could have twenty-nine 40 MHz channels without overlaps! Definitely a game-changer. The 6 GHz band in Wi-Fi 6E supports 59 non-overlapping 20 MHz channels, more than double that of 5 GHz. However, it’s important we mention it as it might change the definition of what the “default” channel width is. Since this band is not widely available yet in 2022, it’s sort of an honorary mention. But it still leaves plenty of room to play with. Some others are reserved for military and scientific purposes. Some of these channels are not available in every country. As we can see below, there are only 3 non-overlapping channels: 1, 6, and 11. This is because channels overlap with one another. If you think the math doesn’t add up, you are right. The 2.4 GHz band covers a 100 MHz range (from 2400 MHz to 2500 Mhz) and has 14 channels.
Luckily, this frequency offers the easiest decision out of them all. It offers the most compatibility with both routers and user devices.
This is the most used frequency worldwide for Wi-Fi.
It can create increased interference and make your connection even slower. But if your internet connection is too slow, a wider channel will offer no improvement.Īnd even with a blazing fast internet connection, you will need to be careful when going wider. In other words, your signal will be capable of sending more data per second. Keep in mind that increasing channel width will not always make your connection faster.Ī wider channel means an increased data rate.
And we will learn how to use them more effectively. Later in this article, we will explore in more detail how many channels different bands have.