{"id":31336,"date":"2021-03-26T09:14:18","date_gmt":"2021-03-26T09:14:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.digife.it\/?p=31336"},"modified":"2021-03-26T09:38:32","modified_gmt":"2021-03-26T09:38:32","slug":"how-to-find-the-best-wi-fi-channel-for-your-router-a-step-by-step-guide","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.digife.it\/en\/how-to-find-the-best-wi-fi-channel-for-your-router-a-step-by-step-guide\/","title":{"rendered":"How To Find The Best Wi-Fi Channel For Your Router: A Step-By-Step Guide"},"content":{"rendered":"

Virtually everyone today has a wireless network connection at their home. The router's wireless access point is connected to a certain channel, which connects you to a Wi-Fi network.<\/p>\n

That said, if you live in an apartment building or densely populated area, you may experience frequent network timeouts, disconnection issues, or slow internet speeds.<\/p>\n

These problems are often caused by the large number of people trying to connect to the Internet, causing an overload of wireless signals using the same network channel.<\/p>\n

In order to get the best possible Wi-Fi connection in your area, you will have to switch to a free channel and prefer it to busy channels.<\/p>\n

In this step-by-step guide, I'll show you how to improve your Wi-Fi connection by finding the best Wi-Fi channel for your router, for both PC and mobile. I will then instruct you on how to configure your router to tune into that channel.<\/p>\n

How to read the Wi-Fi diagnostics<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n

When you want to find the best Wi-Fi channel, you will need to consider two important numbers.<\/p>\n

\"Wi-Fi<\/p>\n

Check the \u201cRSSI\u201d and \u201cNoise\u201d values.<\/p>\n

RSSI stands for \u201cReceived Signal Strength Indicator\u201d. It tells you how strong the connection is between your device and a router.<\/p>\n

Noise, also known as \u201cNoise Floor\u201d, is the sum of all sources of noise and unwanted signals within the connection range. In this case, \u201cNoise\u201d indicates the number of other signals that could interfere with the monitored signal.<\/p>\n

Both values are\u00a0always<\/i>\u00a0in negative numbers.<\/p>\n

For RSSI, you will need to check the number\u00a0higher<\/i>\u00a0(the higher, the better). But, since they are negative, it is important to remember that "higher" will mean as close to zero as possible. For example, an RSSI of -45 is better than an RSSI of -70.<\/p>\n

On the other hand, for "Noise", you will have to search for the number\u00a0lower<\/i>\u00a0. Again, since these numbers are negative, the lowest number would be the farthest from zero. For example, -95 is better than -88.<\/p>\n

To complete the calculation, we want to measure the difference between these two values. This is called "SNR", which stands for\u00a0"signal to noise ratio".<\/i><\/p>\n

Simply subtract the \u201cNoise\u201d value from the \u201cRSSI\u201d value to get the SNR value.<\/p>\n

For example, channel 13 has an RSSI of -49 and the noise is -95.<\/p>\n

So, to calculate the SNR: (-49) - (-95) = SNR of 46.<\/p>\n

Ideally, you want to have a high SNR ratio. The higher this number, the better the Wi-Fi connection.<\/p>\n

What is the difference between 2.4GHz and 5GHz?<\/b><\/h3>\n

The main difference between a 2.4 GHz and a 5 GHz wireless connection is the range and bandwidth.<\/p>\n

A 5 GHz wireless connection will provide a faster, more effective connection to cover shorter distances.<\/p>\n

A 2.4 GHz wireless connection is more effective for covering longer distances, but may do so at a slower speed.<\/p>\n

Note: A 5 GHz connection is not as good as a 2.4 GHz connection for penetrating objects and walls. Also, in a densely populated Wi-Fi area, it is better to have a 2.4GHz connection because \u201cNoise\u201d has more influence on a 5GHz wireless connection.<\/p>\n

How to find the best Wi-Fi channel on Mac<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n

See also:\u00a08 best Wifi stumbling blocks for Windows and Mac<\/a><\/p>\n

The first thing you need to do is scan your area to identify all available Wi-Fi networks. You can do this by running "Network Diagnostics" on your Mac.<\/p>\n

Follow the detailed explanation below:<\/p>\n

Step # 1 - Hold down the \u201coption\u201d (alt) key and move the mouse to the top right of the screen. Click the Wi-Fi connection icon.<\/p>\n

\"Wi-Fi<\/p>\n

Step 2: Find \u201cOpen Wireless Diagnostics\u201d in the drop-down menu.<\/p>\n

\"Wi-Fi<\/p>\n

Step 3: A new window called \u201cWireless Diagnostics\u201d will open.<\/p>\n

Note:\u00a0<\/b>ignore this window. Instead, click "Window" in the title bar and tap "Scan" in the drop-down menu.<\/p>\n

\"Wi-Fi<\/p>\n

Step 4: The next window you will see is an overview of all the wireless access points within range of your router.<\/p>\n

\"Wi-Fi<\/p>\n

Step 5: To update the overview, tap \u201cScan Now\u201d.<\/p>\n

\"Wi-Fi<\/p>\n

Step 6: The Diagnostics Summary provides an overview of the best Wi-Fi channel and analysis in the area for the router.<\/p>\n

In the example, there are 9 networks in total. The list box indicates that the best 2.4 GHz network available is channel 11.<\/p>\n

\"Wi-Fi<\/p>\n

However, if we take a closer look at the data in the image below, we can draw a different conclusion. For some reason, after clicking \u201cScan Now\u201d, channel 11 was no longer available in the list, possibly due to an error. Hopefully this isn't something you need to worry about.<\/p>\n

Therefore, it will be necessary to calculate the best SNR level to determine the best available channel.<\/p>\n

For the SNR calculation, two data points are required.<\/p>\n