What is 5 GHz Network? List of Devices Compatible with 5 GHz Network

All of us use WiFi in our homes and places of business, and the majority of us are aware of the terms 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz frequency bands. In fact, the frequency bands that enable each of the linked gadgets we purchase today, such as our smartphones, tablets, and more, are listed. That said, there is a lot of uncertainty because few people are aware of the distinctions between these frequency ranges. In this post, we’ll try to clear up any misconceptions by outlining everything you need to know about the 5 GHz network so you can see how it differs from the 2.4 GHz and whether it is any better.

Understanding WiFi

We must first comprehend how WiFi operates in order to understand the 5 GHz network. WiFi networks employ radio waves to transmit data throughout the network, just like mobile networks do. The main frequency ranges utilised for commercial WiFi purposes are the 2.4 GHz (2.4 to 2.5 GHz) band and the 5 GHz (5.180 GHz to 5.825 GHz) band, even though radio waves have a wide frequency range (about 3 KHz to 300 GHz). The IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) established a new committee called the IEEE 802 and released a set of standards called the 802.11 to implement wireless local area network (WLAN) computer communication in the 2.4 and 5 GHz frequency bands when the first WiFi bands were made available for public use.

The WLAN certification on your device will therefore read 802.11 followed by any or all of the letters a/b/g/n/ac. Don’t be misled by the letters; they just stand for the WLAN technology’s upcoming standard. The original standard was 802.11, which was followed by 802.11a, which was followed by 802.11b, and so forth. However, these letters do give some indication of the frequency range in which your gadget can function. The 2.4 GHz band is used by 802.11 b/g/n devices to send signals, whereas the 5 GHz band is used by 802.11 a/n/ac devices to transmit signals.

What is 5 GHz WiFi Network?

You are now prepared to comprehend the 5 GHz WiFi network because you have a basic understanding of the history of WiFi. The 5 GHz WiFi network employs radio waves between the frequencies of 5.180 GHz and 5.825 GHz, as was mentioned in the section above. Your device must be WLAN 802.11 a/n/ac certified in order to be able to receive these signals. The 24 channels that make up the additional 5 GHz band are each 20 MHz wide. Channels are crucial since your device can only use one channel at a time; however, we’ll get to that later. Let’s examine whether and why the 5 GHz network is superior to the 2.4 GHz network now.

5 GHz vs 2.4 GHz Network

Both the 2.4 GHz and the 5 GHz networks have advantages and disadvantages. Using the 2.4 GHz network can occasionally be advantageous for you, depending on the situation, and vice versa. However, using the 5 GHz network will often result in a better network speed—just not for the reasons you might expect. The assumption that the speed on a 5 GHz network will be faster because it has a higher frequency may be made by people who are unaware of network transfer protocols, but this could not be further from the truth.

• Problems with 2.4 GHz Network

The two main causes of the 2.4 GHz network’s slowness are channels and bandwidth. The channel width needed for the 802.11 RF modulation techniques to function is typically around 20 MHz. There is a lot of channel overlap and interference because the 13 channels in the 2.4 GHz range are only spaced by 5 MHz. Additionally, the 2.4 GHz band is already excessively congested and has a finite amount of bandwidth to supply due to the fact that it is used by networks other than WiFi, including Bluetooth, security camera, and even microwave networks.

The 2.4 GHz spectrum experiences a lot of interference because of the two reasons mentioned above.

• How 5 GHz Network Solves These Problems?

Depending on the type and intensity of the interference, the effects of it might range from reduced data rates to a total signal loss. The thing that you need know is that RF channels are a shared medium because I don’t want to bore you with the technical details. As a result, the bandwidth will be shared among all the devices using the same channel as your access point. Given that practically all smart devices operate on the 2.4 GHz network, the capacity is already limited. Additionally, the overlapping channels in the 2.4 GHz spectrum cause devices that are not even on your channel to use the same amount of bandwidth, which further hinders your network.

• Problems with 5 GHz Network

Since the 5 GHz network isn’t as often utilised as the 2.4 GHz one, it doesn’t have the same issues that you encounter while utilising the latter.

Devices Compatible With 5 GHz Network

This indicates that the 5 GHz network still has a significant amount of untapped bandwidth. Additionally, the fact that there is no channel overlap in the 5 GHz network due to the channel width of 20 MHz is beneficial. These two factors make the 5 GHz network less vulnerable to issues than the 2.4 GHz network.

Although the 5 GHz network doesn’t experience the same issues that we have previously addressed, it still has a fair amount of issues. The main issue with using a 5 GHz network is that it cannot travel very far and is readily blocked by nearby objects like walls, doors, and other physical obstacles. This means that in order to receive the best speed, you should be directly in your router’s line of sight. Because of this, if your home just has one router and your room doesn’t have its own router, the signal you receive in your room on a 5 GHz network will be significantly less than what you would get if you were using a 2.4 GHz network. Thanks to VeEX Inc.

5 GHz WiFi Network: Revolution or Evolution?

As you can see, even if the 5 GHz network has certain issues of its own, these issues are greatly outweighed by its advantages. Only purchase gadgets that support the 5 GHz WiFi Network if you want them to have the highest internet speeds in the future. To assist you in determining whether your device is capable of using the 5 GHz WiFi network, we have included a list of all the phones produced in the previous two years that do so:

SEE ALSO: What Is the Difference Between Single-Frequency and Dual-Frequency GPS?