On the 5 GHz band, set the channel width to 40 MHz and see if that improves reliability. Keep in mind that 80 MHz and 160 MHz channel widths may carry the promise of extra speed, but will also interfere with, and receive interference from, many more sources than 40 MHz.
Here is a short summary of some recommendations for each frequency band: 2.4 GHz – Use 20 MHz wide channels only and use channels 1, 6 & 11. 5 GHz – Use 20 MHz wide channels in highly congested networks. If your environment allows, use the widest channel you can without causing contention on your network.
A/AC/N is recommended on the 5GHz network. This will allow all devices to connect to this network. If you want to optimize your home network, select AC and it will not allow older, slower, N wireless devices to take up bandwidth on this radio.
You have a multitude of options when using 5GHz Wi-Fi. Channels 36, 40, 44, 48, 149, 153, 157, 161, and 165 can be used with a channel width of 20MHz. Use 38, 46, 151, and 159 if you use a channel width of 40MHz. You can use either 42 or 155 for 80MHz.
If you are in a house where your wifi needs to penetrate multiple walls and/or floors - choose a low channel. If your in a loft apartment or want your wifi to extend into the back yard with a near clean line of sight, choose a higher channel.
Using the channels 2-5 and 7-10 causes overlapping signals with other channels. When everyone sticks to 1, 6 and 11, interference will be handled better than if it were to come from adjacent channels, as they can create interference for a lot of people, as we see in the example below.
If you're able to use most of your devices near your router, 5 GHz is your best choice to take advantage of higher speeds. Similarly, if you're doing a lot of high-bandwidth activities online, such as gaming or videoconferencing, it's best to use this frequency and move as close as possible to the router.
5 Ghz Wi-Fi: When to Use 80 MHz
If Wi-Fi clients are close to your router, your Wi-Fi devices support 80 MHz, interference isn't a big issue, and you want to maximize throughput, consider 80 MHz.
Ideally, you'll want to run your 2.4GHz wifi network on channels 1, 6, or 11. You should be able to set your wireless network to a new channel within your router's settings. (And don't forget to do this same analysis for your 5GHz wireless networks as well.)
5 GHz Wi-Fi: when to use 40 MHz: When we require minimize interference and more throughput in that case we use 40 MHz because 40MHz provides more throughput than 20 Mhz. 5 GHz Wi-Fi: when to use 80 MHz: we use 80 Mhz, when interference is not a big issue, or wi-fi client is close to router but we need more throughput.
5 GHz: Many wireless devices do not rely on this wireless frequency, and signal interference is less likely to occur. A 5 GHz Wi-Fi network has narrower signal coverage than a 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi network, but its signal strength may weaken due to nearby obstacles.
Modifying or disabling the 5 GHz configuration, will not help with interference, within the 2.4 GHz frequency range. If you have 2.4 GHz performance problems, only changing the 2.4 GHz channel configuration, or reducing the interference that exists within that frequency range will help with that issue.
To recap: 80 MHz wide channels allow for five (5) non-overlapping channels in the U.S. and five (5) in the UK/EU (channels 149 and higher require light licensing for outdoor use only) when DFS is used, but only two (2) channels in the U.S. and one (1) in UK/EU without DFS.
Under ideal conditions, 2.4 GHz WiFi will support up to 450 Mbps or 600 Mbps, while 5 GHz Wi-Fi will support up to 1300 Mbps.
This can create something like a traffic jam, causing everyone's wifi signal speed to slow down. However, most routers have the ability to change channels. This means you can manually choose a less crowded frequency and potentially increase your wifi speed.
If you want maximum throughput and minimal interference, channels 1, 6, and 11 are your best choices. But depending on other wireless networks in your vicinity, one of those channels might be a better option than the others.
In general, 36, 40, 44, and 48 are the best 5G channels WiFi because they are least likely to overlap with other channels. However, if these channels are already congested in your area, you can try using channels 149, 153, 157, and 161 as they are also less likely to overlap with other channels.
Selecting the proper Wi-Fi channel can significantly improve your Wi-Fi coverage and performance. In the 2.4 GHz band, 1, 6, and 11 are the only non-overlapping channels. Selecting one or more of these channels is an important part of setting up your network correctly.
160MHz is the highest bandwidth available on 5GHz routers. With double the throughput compared to 80MHz channels, it can achieve data rates up to 2.4Gbps on capable clients.
These clients will use 20 MHz width for 132, 136, 140 channels (for 802.11n 5 GHz), and 40 MHz width for 132+136 channels' block.
By default, the 5GHz frequency uses a 20 MHz channel width. A 20MHz channel width is wide enough to span one channel. A 40 MHz channel width bonds two 20 MHz channels together, forming a 40 MHz channel width; therefore, it allows for greater speed and faster transfer rates.
Auto or all channel widths for 5GHz and 6GHz bands ensures the best performance and compatibility with all devices. Wireless interference is less of a concern in these bands.
2.4 GHz has three non-overlapping channels to work with, while 5 GHz has 24. We don't always get to use all of the 5 GHz channels, but overall it offers a lot more space.