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Forum Discussion
coolwifi
Dec 09, 2025Apprentice
RS500 - Auto 5 ghz channel setting picks up DFS channel?
My neighborhood is pretty crowded with 5 Ghz channels. The auto 5 Ghz channel selection setting picks up channel 100 which is a DFS channel. This channel also has lower transmit power than the non DF...
StephenB
Dec 10, 2025Guru - Experienced User
coolwifi wrote:My neighborhood is pretty crowded with 5 Ghz channels. The auto 5 Ghz channel selection setting picks up channel 100 which is a DFS channel.
FWIW, If there's enough congestion on the other channels, a DFS channel might be the best option.
Is this hypothetical, or was your RS500 actually choosing channel 100?
coolwifi wrote:Thanks for linking the ideas page.
Might be worth proposing this as allowing users to specify a list of channels they want to avoid. That would be broader than DFS avoidance, and could have some value in preventing interference with other nearby wifi.
There was a recent post from someone needing to avoid channel 11 because that sometimes interfered with their auto's backup camera. Locking the router to channel 1 or 6 works, but I think it would be better to just tell the router not to use channel 11.
- coolwifiDec 10, 2025Apprentice
The RS500 is choosing channel 100 in my case, literally every time if I change to auto channel setting. Although the DFS channel spectrum is clear, it has lower signal strength and doesn't give higher speeds downstairs (I have the router in the first floor). The 2.4 Ghz is terribly congested to be effectively usable by non IOT devices, so I always prefer the auto channel selection in this band, though the selected channel interferes with many other neighbors.
I was suggesting to avoid the DFS channel selection in auto mode since these channels are limited in transmit power, which undermines the strength of a whole home router.
- FURRYe38Dec 10, 2025Guru - Experienced User
Users have the choice to set manual channels and are not under any requirement to use AUTO channel selection. Manual maybe needed and sometime IS preferred to use. I've been using manual channels 1 and 40 here based on my closest nieighbors and testing experiences for my main home netowrk. I do run a 2nd network and that is kept at far appart channesl 11 and 48. So even though DFS is support and used by the system, you don't have to use it. Why there are options users can select manually. Been like this for years. DFS has been around for years as well. Only Auto channel selection on 5ghz is fairly new to NG routers in past year or so for some NG router systems.
- coolwifiDec 10, 2025Apprentice
Yes, I am only talking about the auto mode since most users don't change the default settings. This will lead to poor performance in the 5 Ghz band due to DFS channel selection.