What's the difference between using 2.4GHz and 5GHz wifi?

[PaulQ]

The Rezound seems to support both frequencies. I actually show a weaker signal with 5GHz. What exactly is the point of 5GHz?

Thanks!

...Sent from my Tab

 

[btc0526]

5GHz is a very high frequency meaning no building penetration. Mostly used when your outside and not in a building

 

[Sax1031]

5GHz will also allow for higher data speeds.

 

[tehsquishmeister]

5GHZ has a higher throughput (bandwidth) but its range is significantly less.

Most newer wireless routers are dual band, 2.4 and 5 ghz. I use 5ghz in my house (it goes through the 2nd story just fine) for streaming video. On my phone I connect to the 2.4 channel since I just don't need that kind of throughput and the range is much higher.

 

[PaulQ]

Thanks guys!

...Sent from my Tab

 

[twolastnames]

If you have any problems with your internet, first thing I would do is shut down that 5ghz radio. I work for the cable company and see quite a few problems with that stupid thing. I'm thinking because maybe the networks get named exactly the same, but as I get less than an hour to fix peoples internet, and by the time the router has been named the culprit, I don't have a lot of time to mess around in peoples with it. Also, unless your transferring files between devices on your network, the 2.4 radio transmits at speeds far greater than anybody's internet speed actually is, and I don't see nearly as many problems using that radio.

 

[XXI]

Question about WiFi. I have my settings for it not to let me know when new Wifi is available but i still get the icon in the notification telling me there is a new wifi available, anyone have this problem?

 

[burwil]

I've found no use for 5Ghz on my dual band router. The signal is weaker and so is the throughput. Such is the case for my Rezound, iPad and LG streaming DVD player.

 

[xxfallacyxx]

If you have any problems with your internet, first thing I would do is shut down that 5ghz radio. I work for the cable company and see quite a few problems with that stupid thing. I'm thinking because maybe the networks get named exactly the same, but as I get less than an hour to fix peoples internet, and by the time the router has been named the culprit, I don't have a lot of time to mess around in peoples with it. Also, unless your transferring files between devices on your network, the 2.4 radio transmits at speeds far greater than anybody's internet speed actually is, and I don't see nearly as many problems using that radio.

It's probably not the 5ghz band that's causing the problems, it's as you mentioned people relying on the out of the box setup. Look for an app called wifi-analyzer, handy little tool. Out of the box setups almost always default to the same channel, so you end up with a network congested area with networks constantly fighting for bandwidth on a single channel.

The Rezound seems to support both frequencies. I actually show a weaker signal with 5GHz. What exactly is the point of 5GHz?

Thanks!

...Sent from my Tab

IEEE 802.11 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Since the 2.4 GHz band is heavily used to the point of being crowded, using the relatively unused 5 GHz band gives 802.11a a significant advantage. However, this high carrier frequency also brings a disadvantage: the effective overall range of 802.11a is less than that of 802.11b/g. In theory, 802.11a signals are absorbed more readily by walls and other solid objects in their path due to their smaller wavelength and, as a result, cannot penetrate as far as those of 802.11b. In practice, 802.11b typically has a higher range at low speeds (802.11b will reduce speed to 5 Mbit/s or even 1 Mbit/s at low signal strengths). 802.11a too suffers from interference,[10] but locally there may be fewer signals to interfere with, resulting in less interference and better throughput.