If you have a dual band N Wi-Fi NETGEAR router, you may have seen the 2.4GHz and 5GHz option in the configuration page of the router and may have wonder the differences between them. We, Netgear Tech support are here to tell you all about these bands. This article will discuss about 2.4GHz vs 5GHz Wi-Fi Netgear Router.

So, there are two types of frequencies the Netgear router support, 5GHz and 2.4 GHz. This particular feature allows you to choose the best band to connect to your devices with your local network or internet connection.

Network Speed:

The Gigahertz (GHz) range that the devices are using doesn’t necessarily determine the maximum speed of the wireless network. A Wi-Fi A device operating at 5GHz and a Wi-Fi G device operating at 2.4GHz both can offer maximum speeds of up to 54Mbps. So the bands should be considered in respect to the environment they are being used at.

Range:

The higher the frequency shorter the range is according to physics. In other words, a lower frequency like 2.4 GHz will have more range compared to 5 GHz frequency. The distance 2.4GHz will cover will be greater.

Interference:

2.4GHz in general is used by many other devices other than the Wi-Fi routers. Devices like baby monitors, microwave ovens and Bluetooth devices operate at same frequency with make this band very busy. Old Wi-Fi technologies like b/g/n also use 2.4 GHz. So may older devices also use this band and this makes 2.4GHz band a mess. This band is even more worse because it has less channels with only 3 non-overlapping channels compared to many more channels with 23 non-overlapping channels.

Since 5Ghz is mostly used by Wi-Fi routers only, it is less crowded and only A/N/AC Wi-Fi routers use them. So it is used by very few people and is very less crowded compared to 2.4GHz which results in rare connection drops and data loss.

Application:

It is recommended to use the 2.4GHz if you are access the internet for simple web browsing like send emails and stuff. These things don’t take much bandwidth and can be handled by 2.4GHz band. You will also get much greater range on the 2.4GHz.

The 5GHz has wider wireless spectrum which results in better performance in comparison to 2.4GHz band. 5GHz is generally used for usage that requires uninterrupted throughput. It is recommended to use 5GHz band if you are streaming media, transferring large files like music, videos and playing games online etc.

With the dual band feature of NETGEAR routers, you can get the best of both worlds. In dual band routers, one channel is of 2.4GHz and one is for 5GHz. So you can use any of the band according to your needs whenever you want.

If you don’t know “How to configure Netgear router?” Read this article: Configure Netgear Router

You can also optimize your Netgear router speed. Read how to optimize Netgear router

If you are still not sure about 2.4GHz vs 5GHz Wi-Fi Netgear Router, please contact Netgear Tech Support available 24×7. You can contact Netgear tech support number on +1 888 808 1303  (Toll free).

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