If you’re already a little tech-savvy, you may have tried to give your home WiFi network an easy speed boost by switching from the 2.4Ghz band to the 5 Ghz band. But chances are if you’re reading this article, you may have run into some connectivity issues along the way. The good news is, MATE has you covered! In this blog, we go through the most common causes of a poor 5Ghz WiFi connection and how to fix them.

Modem-Router doesn’t support 5Ghz

Before you can think about connecting your devices to a 5Ghz WiFi band, you first need to make sure that your modem router can send out a 5Ghz signal. Often this is just a matter of looking at the information written on the back or bottom of your device. Otherwise, you may turn to the router manual or the manufacturer’s website to find out whether it is 5Ghz compatible.

Get an nbn 5Ghz ready modem with MATE

If you’re yet to get a modem that is 5Ghz compatible, MATE offers a TP-Link  VX230v modem for purchase when you sign up for one of our unlimited data nbn plans.

Sent directly to your door and ready to go out of the box, the TP-Link VX230v allows for dual-band 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz WiFi for an enhanced wireless experience.

Connected devices don’t support 5Ghz

While most technologies these days won’t have any problems connecting to the 5Ghz band of your WiFi router device, if you’re using a device that came out pre-2009, it may be the case that it is only compatible with the 2.4Ghz band.

How to check your computer’s 5Ghz compatibility

To check if your laptop support 5Ghz connectivity simply:

1. Open the Start Menu and search “cmd”. This should return a result for “Command Prompt’ app. Open the app.
2. A dialogue box should appear. Type “netsh wlan show drivers” and hit enter.
3. Several rows of text should appear. Look at the “Radio types supported” row. 
4. If 802.11ac, 802.11b or 802.11n, is listed, then that means your computer should support a 5Ghz connection, while 802.11a and 802.11g generally means that only 2.4Ghz is supported.

What to do if your computer doesn’t support 5Ghz?

Even if your computer isn’t built 5Ghz-ready, you can still achieve a 5Ghz connection without having to make a big purchase on a whole new desktop. This is where WiFi adapter hardware comes in. Often available as a small USB dongle, a wireless adapter (aka network adapter or WiFi adapter) is a convenient piece of tech that can give your computer 5Ghz compatibility.

Too far from your WiFi router

While 5Ghz is certainly faster than its 2.4Ghz counterpart, it doesn’t quite have the same range. As such, the 5Ghz signal can find it hard to get around corners, penetrate walls and reach between storeys. Herein may lie your problem! If you’re having trouble connecting, simply try moving closer to your WiFi modem to see if the issue resolves itself. If it does, consider moving your modem nearer to where you normally use your devices.

Not connected to the correct SSID

SSID (short for Service Set IDentifier) is the technical term for a Wi-Fi network name. You’ll often be presented with a list of SSIDs when you click on the internet connection icon on your computer. 

Why this matters is because while routers will often combine 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz bands into a single SSID, it can happen that your router may split the bands into two different networks – and you may be connected to the 2.4Ghz one. 

Luckily, this is a simple fix. Just view your available WiFi networks and connect to the SSID that indicates that it’s 5Ghz.

Restart

When in doubt go for the tried-and-true: turning your router off and on again. You should even go as far as unplugging it from the wall, waiting a minute, and then starting it back up again. 

Update WiFi driver automatically

If you still can’t seem to connect to your 5Ghz WiFi then your WiFi software may need an update. Here’s a step-by-step of how to do it:

1. Search “Device Manager” in the Start Menu and open the app.
2. In the new window, find and click on the “Network adapters” option. 
3. In the new window, find and right-click the “Wireless Adapter” option.
4. Within the context menu, click the “Update Driver Software” option. 
5. In the new Update window, click on the ‘Search automatically for updated driver software’ option to commence the automatic driver update process
6. Instructions should appear thereafter which you will need to follow.
7. Once complete, restart your computer and try connecting to the 5Ghz WiFi again.