In today’s society, WiFi is a common networking technology that we use on multiple devices. Whether it is for leisure or for work, it is important to understand the key differences between 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz frequencies. Numbers can be hard to understand but don’t worry, I will break it down for you. Whether you use a router provided from your ISP (Internet Service Provider) like your Cable Company, or you purchase one from a store like Best Buy, Target, Microcenter, these routers will have both frequencies built-in. A lot of times, people will create a network WiFi name and then have a secondary iteration of their WiFi named “WiFi-5GHz” or “WiFi_5Ghz”. Although you can have both running at the same time, let’s get down to what the pros and cons are for both.
The pro of having 2.4GHz enabled, which is the standard frequency for WiFi is that it can cover and reach longer distances around or over 150 Feet before signal drops. The con to 2.4GHz is that the further you go from the router, the lower your signal and speed will be. Let’s say that you were watching a video livestream on YouTube, or another streaming service and you are further away from your router, you may experience intermittent pauses on the video due to the distance. This is where 5GHz comes in. The pro to this frequency is that it provides greater speeds however, the con for this is, the distance is much shorter. If you were to go 50 feet away from the router, your signal will drop slightly but could still have a higher speed than the 2.4GHz.
To summarize, if you want to keep both frequencies on, you can do so. The 5GHz can be used for faster data speeds while being closer to your router. The 2.4 GHz frequency will allow you to have a more stable connection but will degrade signal the further away you are.