Wi-Fi Focus: Frequencies and How Your Devices Use Them

Most of you may know generally what Wi-Fi is and how it works (if you don’t, check out this blog post). But did you know there are different Wi-Fi frequencies that devices are able to use for faster wireless speeds?

What is Wi-Fi frequency?

Wi-Fi frequency is the radio wave frequency that Wi-Fi networks use to carry data between the internet and your device. There are three different Wi-Fi frequencies (also called bands) — each with their own benefits and tradeoffs.

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Which frequency is best for you?

Most of the time, you won’t even have to think about it because the majority of Wi-Fi routers will use the best frequency as long as the network name and password are the same across all frequencies. If you need the fastest possible speeds, you should use the 5 GHz or 6 GHz frequency. If you need the best possible range, you should use the 2.4 GHz frequency.

Knowing how frequency works is helpful when making sure your devices are getting the most out of the Wi-Fi technology it’s equipped with, whether that’s Wi-Fi 5, 6, 6E or soon — Wi-Fi 7. We’ve put together a chart you can use as a quick guideline when you need to know which frequencies each Wi-Fi technology supports and how fast they can go.


Posted by Ishan Patel, Product Manager