Nowadays, it is quite common to see devices that are dual-band. This means that they can connect to both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz. But why is this interesting? We are going to talk about the situations in which it is important to have devices that can connect to these two Wi-Fi frequencies. You will see that there are certain advantages that can be very useful in your daily life.
The goal is always to achieve a good connection, have adequate speed and avoid interruptions. No matter what type of device you connect to the network, it will be essential that this happens. Only then will you be able to take advantage of the contracted Internet rate and not have any problems when browsing the Internet.
Why dual band is useful
You may be thinking about buying a Wi-Fi network card for your laptop and you are unsure whether to buy a dual-band one or not. As we will explain below, there are reasons for this. You will see that it has certain advantages that can be very useful.
You are in an area with interference
One obvious reason to take advantage of dual band is if you are in an area where there is a lot of interference. For example, this could be a TV with speakers and other Bluetooth devices next to it, as well as a cordless phone. All of these will be using the 2.4 GHz frequency, so they will cause problems.
By being able to connect to the 5 GHz band, you will be able to reduce these interferences. You will be able to connect your devices normally to the network, without any problems that may result in interruptions and loss of speed.
You want to have the maximum speed
Speed ​​is another reason to have dual-band devices. If you want to take advantage of the maximum speed available, you need to use the 5 GHz frequency. If you use 2.4 GHz, you will be more limited. You will notice this especially if you have a fairly fast plan.
However, keep in mind that to really take advantage of 5 GHz, the signal needs to be strong. It is more sensitive to possible obstacles and the distance between your devices and the access point.
You’re going to move from one side to the other.
If you’re not always going to be in the same location, but rather moving around different parts of the house, it’s also a good idea to have dual-band devices. For example, you might use a laptop and connect in one room, but also move around to other areas of the house and not always be at the same distance from the router.
With the dual-band option, you can connect to 2.4 or 5 GHz depending on what you need at any given time. You will always be able to achieve good stability, with sufficient coverage to have reliable Internet access.
You need to connect many devices
This is also important if you are going to connect a lot of devices to the network. The 2.4 GHz band will be more easily saturated. This is especially true if you are already using a congested channel, which can happen if your neighbors are also using that channel or another nearby one. You will notice that the connection is not working properly.
By being able to use the 5 GHz frequency, you will be able to connect more devices to the network without any problems. You will have more freedom to browse the web, without the typical limitations that come with connecting many things at the same time.
In short, having dual-band Wi-Fi can be interesting in certain cases, such as those we have explained. If the 5 GHz network does not appear, it could be due to a bad configuration or because you are too far from the access point.
