#Wifi signal extender messing up my wifi how to
#Wifi signal extender messing up my wifi upgrade

He also wrote the USA's most-saved article of 2021, according to Pocket.Ĭhris was a PCWorld columnist for two years. Beyond the web, his work has appeared in the print edition of The New York Times (September 9, 2019) and in PCWorld's print magazines, specifically in the August 2013 and July 2013 editions, where his story was on the cover. With over a decade of writing experience in the field of technology, Chris has written for a variety of publications including The New York Times, Reader's Digest, IDG's PCWorld, Digital Trends, and MakeUseOf. Chris has personally written over 2,000 articles that have been read more than one billion times-and that's just here at How-To Geek.

#Wifi signal extender messing up my wifi upgrade

If you and a bunch of your neighbors are all using 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi, you're all getting a lot less interference if you upgrade to 5 GHz Wi-Fi networks.Ĭhris Hoffman is the former Editor-in-Chief of How-To Geek. This doesn't mean interference is eliminated - if you're sharing one of those channels with another 5 GHz WI-Fi network nearby, there will be interference - but it's a much less congested range with more room for various Wi-Fi networks to spread out and not interfere with each other. Where 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi offers only three non-overlapping channels, 5 GHz Wi-Fi offers 23 non-overlapping channels. However, there are multiple-radio 802.11n and 802.11ac routers that can create both 2.4 GHz interfaces for your older devices and 5 GHz ones for your newer devices.) (Note: Single-radio 802.11n routers can only operate on the 5 GHz or 2.4 GHz range.

802.11n routers can operate on either 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz, but not both - and they'll typically be set up to operate on 2.4 GHz. Modern Wi-Fi standards operate on 5 GHz instead of 2.4 GHz. Follow our guide to choosing the best Wi-Fi channel for instructions. If you and your neighbors are using the same Wi-Fi channel - especially if their wireless router is very close to yours - your Wi-Fi networks are making each other's worse. Modern routers often try to automatically choose the best Wi-Fi channel for the least interference, but you can get some benefit from analyzing the airwaves around you and choosing the least congested Wi-Fi channel. If you have multiple Wi-Fi networks near each other - and you probably do unless you don't live near anyone else - they should ideally be on different channels to reduce interference.

#Wifi signal extender messing up my wifi how to

Related: How to Find the Best Wi-Fi Channel for Your Router on Any Operating SystemĪll routers must operate their Wi-Fi network on one of several 'channels' - different ranges of frequencies the wireless network can operate on. Unless you live out in the country with no one else around, this is something you need to think about. All that interference is bad for everyone's network, even yours.