102
8. If you have a lot of neighbours, or a lot of network devices, try the 5 GHz band.
If you have a lot of devices on the 2.4 GHz band, then there may be little available
bandwidth left. If your KEF speaker system is close to the router and has little to
no obstructions, try connecting it to the 5 GHz band for more bandwidth. If there
are obstructions, try migrating network devices that are closer to the router to the
5 GHz band instead, freeing up bandwidth on the 2.4 GHz band. This is also useful
if you have a lot of neighbours close by, as their networks may be interfering with
yours.
Advanced
These steps are a little bit more advanced and may involve changing router settings.
Always follow your router manual, or consult a professional:
1. Change your band channels.
Both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands are comprised of multiple channels. Other nearby
networks on the same channels will compete for bandwidth, so use a ‘network
analyser’ app to determine which channels are less congested and adjust in your
router settings. This issue is more common with 2.4 GHz due to the longer range
and lower bandwidth, increasing the chance and severity of interference. 2.4 GHz
channels also overlap – good options are generally 1, 6 and 11. Channel selection is
often set to ‘auto,’ but some routers are better at swapping channels than others, so
it can be useful to set the channel manually.
A note on 5 GHz channels – not all channels are open for public use in various
countries. Check with your local authority as to which channels are unrestricted
(most routers will automatically turn these off if the router is correctly configured for
the country).
2. Disable band steering.
Some routers offer a feature called ‘band steering.’ The idea is that the router will
automatically place a device onto the 5 GHz or 2.4 GHz depending on which is best
for that device at the time. Again, some routers are better at this than others, with
some preferring to stick with a weaker 5 GHz network rather than switching to a
stringer 2.4 GHz network.
3. Disable combined SSID and operate separate 2.4 GHz and 5GHz channels.
Some devices allow you to set the same name/password for both 2.4 GHz and
5 GHz channels of your router. This can be very useful, but some devices do seem
to want to default connecting to 2.4 GHz when 5 GHz would be better, and vice
versa. Maintaining separate 2.4 GHz and 5GHz networks will help with optimising
bandwidth by allowing you to manage what devices are placed on which network.
