What are best settings for 5 Ghz WiFi band?

[srudenko]

What setting (or combination) would help to strengthen and extend a 5 Ghz AC WiFi signal?
1. I have the option of picking the following channel bandwidth -- 20 Mhz, 40 Mhz, 80 Mhz, or 20/40/80 Mhz.
2. Are there any channels that are better than others?

I have an ASUS RT-AC66U router and the 5 Ghz just does not go far. From what I read that's just how it is - higher frequencies have shorter ranges and don't travel well through walls or other obstacles. So then I got a 2nd RT-AC66U unit and set it up as a repeater. I am getting better signal but it still gets weak at much shorter distances compared to the 2.4 Ghz band. So I am looking for any adjustments I can make to improve the range without having to buy even more repeaters.

My current settings are:
CH: 157
Bandwidth: 80 Mhz

I am really confused about the bandwidth and which one is better. I found some articles that say to use 80 Mhz but Asus support recommend 20 Mhz. There are hardly any neighbors next to me with 5G networks.

My 2.4 Ghz network is set to 40 Mhz bandwidth and set to use ch. 11. I get much better signal on the 2.4G band vs 5G and it reaches much much greater distances. So if there are any settings that can help improve the 5G connection please advise. Thanks.

 

[bill001g]

The channel width affects the speed more than the distance. Pretty much there are only 2 blocks of 80mhz total so only 2 people can use 802.11ac without interfering. You would set it to 20 or 40 to support 802.11n and when you need to reduce the number of channels you use to avoid interference.

There really is nothing you can set to increase the distance the signal goes that is a function of the radio power and the antenna. Most device transmit neatly at the maximum power and then you still have the issue that the nic in the end device may not transmit as much.

Repeaters may increase your distance but you are greatly going to sacrifice speed.

I would look at powerline network device to extend your range instead.