Good/Fair 5GHz vs Excellent 2.4GHz

[scubaslim]

I am setting up a Roku with my dual-band Router. When testing signal strength on 5GHz, it fluctuates between "good" and "fair". When testing on 2.4GHz, it is says "excellent".

The only other 5GHz device in the house is another Roku that is closer to the router. There are 3 other devices in the house that use 2.4GHz, as well as a few neighboring houses that overlap my channel (there is no channel without overlap). Everything in my house uses 802.11n.

So which should I be using? A good/fair 5GHz signal or an excellent 2.4GHz signal?

 

[kanewolf]

If you have nearby competition then I would use the 5Ghz. Try setting your router to the LOWEST 5Ghz channel and see if it improves any. 5Ghz won't penetrate walls as well as 2.4, but there is much less competition for bandwidth in 5Ghz.

 

[bill001g]

The roku also causes interference sorta with itself. Why it does this I have no clue. What it does is create a AP with a SSID on the same exact channel that it uses to talk to the main router. It uses this AP and SSID to talk to the remote. For just remote function it likely is too small a amount of traffic to matter but if you plug a headset into the remote and use it to listen to the audio it does have a impact on other device near it. Not a lot but you can measure it.

I really wish they would let you use a different channel for this purpose.

 

[digitaldoc]

I would use the 5 GHz signal. This is fairly typical as the 5 GHz signal does not propagate as well as the 2.4 GHz one. If it is not fast enough, I would not hesitate to go with the 2.4 GHz one though.

 

[scubaslim]

If you have nearby competition then I would use the 5Ghz. Try setting your router to the LOWEST 5Ghz channel and see if it improves any. 5Ghz won't penetrate walls as well as 2.4, but there is much less competition for bandwidth in 5Ghz.

I tried lowering my Asus RT-AC168R to channel 36 but my Roku stated it was still only on channel 153. Either way, it didn't work.

The roku also causes interference sorta with itself. Why it does this I have no clue. What it does is create a AP with a SSID on the same exact channel that it uses to talk to the main router. It uses this AP and SSID to talk to the remote. For just remote function it likely is too small a amount of traffic to matter but if you plug a headset into the remote and use it to listen to the audio it does have a impact on other device near it. Not a lot but you can measure it.

I really wish they would let you use a different channel for this purpose.

I've noticed that. I truly wonder if it is hindering itself. When I set my phone to 5GHz in right next to the Roku, it has full bars, so it has to be the Roku

I would use the 5 GHz signal. This is fairly typical as the 5 GHz signal does not propagate as well as the 2.4 GHz one. If it is not fast enough, I would not hesitate to go with the 2.4 GHz one though.

I did adjust my antenna and it appears to be on a consistent "good" for 5GHz, so I will be sticking with that for now I guess.


Thanks everybody