2.4GHz vs 5GHz what is the difference?

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steveis2

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Feb 28, 2016
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Hi
I have a router from BT that can operate on 2.4Ghz and 5GHz bands but none of my WIFI usb devices plugged into computers can use the 5GHz band being restricted to 2.4GHz. Is there any actual advantage in buying a usb WIFI device that can use the 5GHz band in terms of speed and reliability? Or should I stick with the 2.4GHz devices on my computers?

Regards Steve
 
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dudeman509

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Jan 23, 2015
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If you have a lot of conflict with neighbors networks (like in my condo community), 5 GHz offers less-congested bands that usually have much higher throughput if you have Internet fast enough.

If you're getting speeds close to what your ISP is capable of on a wire over your 2.4 GHz connection, I wouldn't worry about it.
 
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bill001g

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Aug 9, 2012
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Used to be there was less other people using 5g now everyone seems to have a dual band router but the 2.4g is still more crowded.

In general 2.4g will have better coverage in your house than 5g.

The speed they run is not really related to the radio frequency. You will get the same speed on 2.4g running say 802.11n as on 5g. What is different would be if you can run 802.11ac since that only runs on 5g and is faster mostly because it using more radio bandwidth. This is ignoring issues caused by interference,

Unless the money part is a huge issue I would always buy dual band equipment. You can consider 802.11ac if you have a 802.11ac router.

Which will be better is impossible to even guess....which is another reason to buy the dual band. All you can do is experiment and see what works best in your house. Unfortunately you may end up doing all the work to select radio channels and bands again in the future when one of your neighbors gets a new router and uses the same radio frequencies as you.
 
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steveis2

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Hi That's interesting. Maybe the shorter range of 5GHz is not much use to me as there are several walls between the router and two of my devices. The signal already drops off using 2.4GHz.

Regards Steve
 
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steveis2

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Hi Thanks for your answer. I think I might stick with 2.4GHz for now as it may be the 5GHz would not be able to get through the walls between my devices and the router. But in the future or maybe using a 'signal booster' of some sort I could try it out.

Steve
 
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