Routers do a good job of automatically selecting channels, based on what’s working nearby. If, however, you notice that your router is operating on the same channel as another nearby router, or you think it might be beneficial to upgrade to something better suited to your environment, you might want to consider to change it manually.
You can beat the competition from other Wi-Fi networks by changing the band you’re using and the channel you’re on.
There are three Wi-Fi bands available and your router will use either the 2.4 GHz band, the 5 GHz band, the 6 GHz band, or all of them. The 5 GHz and 6 GHz bands offer more bandwidth than the 2.4 GHz band and are less susceptible to interference because other household devices do not use this frequency, however, as the 2.4 GHz band uses a frequency lower, it can pass through thick walls and other objects. .
If you have a new 6 GHz router, it uses the 1200 MHz wide Wi-Fi spectrum, which is much wider than the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz spectrums. It also adds seven 160 MHz channels to the mix. You can only enjoy it with a 6E Wi-Fi router. See: What Wi-Fi 6E means for Apple’s new Macs and iPhone 15.
If your problem can be solved by using the 5GHz or 6GHz bands – and they are available to you – follow these steps:
How to switch to 5GHz or 6GHz band
To use the 5GHz or 6GHz band on your dual-band router, you’ll need to separate the 2.4GHz and 5GHz/6GHz networks on your router (check its manual to find out how) and give them different names.
Click the Wireless Options button at the bottom of the window and check the box next to “5 GHz Network Name”. Now give it a different name.
Once you separate the 2.4GHz and 5GHz/6GHz networks, you need to tell your Mac and iOS devices to join 5GHz/6GHz in preference to 2.4GHz.
- In macOS Ventura or later, open System Settings and click Wi-Fi. Select the 5GHz/6GHz network and connect to it. Right-click on the 5GHz/6GHz network and make sure auto-connect is enabled. Deselect Auto-Join on 2.4 GHz network.
- In macOS Monterey or earlier, go to the Network pane in System Preferences and click Wi-Fi. Choose the Advanced button and drag 5GHz/6GHz network to the top of the list.
- On an iOS device, tap Settings, then Wi-Fi. Tap the “i” next to the 2.4 GHz network and slide “Auto-Join” to off.
We have a tutorial on How to Upgrade to 5GHz on a Mac here.
How to change the channel in the 2.4 GHz band
If your router is too old to offer 5 GHz or 6 GHz, or if the 2.4 GHz band is better suited to the thick-walled building you live in, you can try changing the channel.
There are 13 channels on the 2.4 GHz bands of which all but 1, 6 and 11 overlap. It would be wise to choose a channel as far away from the one your neighbors are using if possible.
The steps for changing channels on your router depend on your router’s software. To access your router’s software, you need to know your router’s IP address. Most routers have an IP address of http://192.168.0.1 or http://192.168.1.1.
Open your web browser and type the IP address in the address bar and hit enter. This will bring up your router software. Find the channel information and connect to your router to change it.
However, don’t just move it to the next available channel. The channel frequencies overlap, which means that narrowband routers use five channels simultaneously and broadband routers use seven. So if you change channels manually, be sure to move at least five or seven channels from the one your router is currently operating on.
As you make changes, keep monitoring the graphs in the wireless diagnostics to see which ones make a significant difference in signal quality.
You can also set your Wi-Fi network channel to Automatic so that it selects the best channel to use.
