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SimonGT007's avatar
Apr 13, 2018
Status:
New Idea

Please provide more 5GHZ wifi channel options - restricting to channels 36-48 is too limiting

I live in London in the UK and nearly every house nearby has wifi and growth of 5GHZ routers is growing rapidly - the WiFI explorer application on my Mac is picking up at least 13 wifi signals on channels 36-48 and around half of those have a signal strength of over 50% in my house.    But there are hardly any routers using the 52-64 channels.   Now I understand Orbi uses some of the 5GHZ channels for the backhaul, but surley there is enough space above channel 48 to support the backhaul and allow a 5GHZ wifi signal for devices so you can get a more reliable and stable connection on 5GHZ - which is the whole point of having a fast 'mesh' router as all my main devices support 5GHZ and I have a 200Mpbs broadband connection.  But the interference in the 5GHZ channels means my devices often default back to 2.4GHZ channels which kills the speed I can get down to around 50-70Mpbs vs the full 200Mpbs possible on the 5GHZ channel.

 

I used to have a Apple Airport Extreme and to be honest it could deliver a better 5GHZ signal throughout my whole house because it could use channels above 48 - and that was having the Airport on the ground floor and I live in a three-story house made of brick walls and the signal would reach the loft just fine!   

Please Orbi team try and fix this as it is a major design flaw for most people in busy urban areas with lots of routers in the 5GHZ band - I don't really mind if it's a manual option or the Orbi is more intelligent and can automatically shuffle around use of the 5GHZ channels for the back-haul and wifi, but restricting use of wifi to just 4 channels makes the system no better than an Airport Extreme that is over 5 years old for my use case - hardly cutting edge performance as Negear claim and it is definately not living up to the marketing strap line of "Better Wifi. Everywhere"!

41 Comments

  • Expanding your Wi-Fi channel options beyond channels 36-48 can enhance network flexibility and performance. To achieve this, ensure your router supports DFS (Dynamic Frequency Selection), allowing access to additional channels in the 5GHz range, such as channels 52-144. This adjustment can optimize your network's efficiency and reduce interference, providing a better user experience. Explore your router settings for DFS availability, and consider using a life2vec calculator for precise calculations to maximize your network's potential.

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  • I couldn't agree more. I was 'surprised' to find out only the lower 5Ghz channels are used. Higher channels should be opened since most 5Ghz routers in my neighborhood are in the lower channels. Especially where backhaul is concerned, this gives a lot of interference.

  • I couldn't agree more. I was 'surprised' to find out only the lower 5Ghz channels are used. Higher channels should be opened since most 5Ghz routers in my neighborhood are in the lower channels. Especially where backhaul is concerned, this gives a lot of interference.

     

  • Totally agree—having more control over technical settings can make a big difference. It’s just like how the UOG CGPA Calculator gives students better clarity and flexibility when converting their academic scores. More options = more confidence in the outcome.

  • Totally agree — more 5GHz channel options would make a big difference, especially in crowded areas. I’ve had to troubleshoot network issues while using apps like WhatsApp Plus ultima version, and better bandwidth flexibility would really help with stable media sharing.

  • michaelkenward's avatar
    michaelkenward
    Guru - Experienced User

    In the seven years since this suggestion first appeared, Netgear has indeed added more 5 GHz Channels. For example, the MK90R adds 52, 56, 60, 64 (all with DFS). Some newer Orbi routers add those and a raft of eight more >100 channels with DFS.

     

    Then there is a whole bunch of 6 GHz channels.

     

    This is for devices sold into the European market.

     

    Technology has moved on since 2018 when SimonGT007​ added this Idea.

     


    Just another user with time on their hands.

  • Totally agree—limiting 5GHz channels restricts flexibility and performance. It’s like running a powerful PC with one slow part holding everything back. I always check my setup with a bottleneck calculator PCto avoid that—same logic applies here. More options = better performance!

  • I agree with this request limiting 5GHz channels to just 36 48 reduces flexibility in network setup and causes interference in crowded environments By the way for those who like customizing their mobile apps you can descargar wuasap plus from https wapplusapk com to access extra features not available in the regular app wapplusapk