Help with connecting to internet

[ShadowsVoid]

I am currently connected to my router (which supports both 2.4 Ghz and 5 ghz). I want to connect my PC via 5 Ghz but no 5 Ghz connections are showing, just 2.4. My phone however is connected to 5Ghz.

I have a TP-Link TL-WN881ND 300Mbps Wireless card http://www.amazon.co.uk/TP-Link-TL-WN881ND-300Mbps-Wireless-Express/dp/B006BSPTAQ/ref=sr_1_1?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1416507075&sr=1-1&keywords=wireless+card#productDetails

I have the latest drivers, I downloaded the most recent one and the version matches the one with what I currently have installed http://puu.sh/cYDtI/183f829443.png

Can anyone help? 5Ghz from what I've heard gives out a much better signal.

 

[OriginalCadaver]

How far away is the router? 2.4 actually gets better signal strength at distance and does better at penetrating walls. 5GHz gets it's advantage from less noise because less wireless things operate at that freq.

 

[OriginalCadaver]

Download wifi analyzer on your phone and you can see how strong the 2.4 and 5 GHz signals are. It even has an audio feature where you can crank the phone volume and put it in the room where your computer is, then move the router antennas around and you can hear the signal beeping faster or slower for the signal strength.

 

[ShadowsVoid]

There's one wall and a flight of stairs. I found this forum post http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/archive/2296213 and they're saying my card doesn't support 5Ghz. Is this true? If I were to get a dual band card, would I see a difference? I get about 2MB download speed (I think it should be faster) and 30-50 ping for online gaming :S

 

[ShadowsVoid]

Yes I get a slightly better signal strength on my phone through 2G rather than 5G. I take it signal strength quantifies the amount of Down/Up speed you get... My phone is at -62dBm

 

[OriginalCadaver]

I just checked out that card, it's only 2.4 GHZ. Ping isn't going to change and your bandwidth is going to drop the further you get from the router. I would stick with the 2.4 card that you have. You can always look at a wired solution, that's usually the preferred method for gaming anyways.

 

[boosted1g]

The 300mbps model is for the 2.4 ghz band, you need the 600mbps card to support the 5ghz band. This is why your card does not show 5ghz, because it does not have a 5ghz radio on it.

5ghz is less saturated and has more open channels which makes it "better". The higher the frequency is, the faster the signal dies due to obstacles. You will have better performance while in close proximity of the router with the 5ghz band, but go through 2 non-insulated walls and it is pretty much done.

 

[cklaubur]

According to TP-Link's specifications page for your card, it only supports the 2.4 GHz band.

Specifications can be found here: http://www.tp-link.us/products/details/?categoryid=3959&model=TL-WN881ND#spec

Casey

 

[ShadowsVoid]

Thanks guys