Not every channel is suitable for some of the regions across the globe and this is the reason why you need to change it as per your requirement. When it comes to setting the channel for your router device, it’s quite obvious that you will prefer the one with the maximum signal strength and consistency. However, it is recommended not to change the initial channel settings, until you face any technical error. It can include problems like interference from other networks and devices. You may also need to change the channel if your data transfer rate is too slow or the connection losts quite frequently. So, to resolve this error, you must be aware of how to change WiFi channel and choose the best wireless connection. Hence, follow this article if you are looking for methods that can allow you to change the channel of the WiFi network.
What Are The Ways Of Changing WiFi Channel On Your Router?
Before you go through the methods to change the channel of your wireless network, you must know its purposes. Only then you can decide when and why you need to select a new channel on your router. So, let’s discuss some essential factors regarding selecting the best channel for accessing wireless signals and why it is necessary.
Why Do You Need To Change Channel For Wireless Network?
Even though WiFi networks are the best when it comes to receiving high-speed data connection, there are still some technical issues. So, let’s discuss the scenarios or reasons when you choose to modify the channel settings for your router.
- One of the most common reasons for changing the wireless channel is due to nearby network conflict. Mostly, you can experience interferences when there are too many users in your locality using the same bandwidth for their router.
- Many WiFi users don’t understand how to differentiate between 2.4 and 5 GHz options in their router. So, when a large group of network users selects a specific band for internet, it can lead to congestion and slowing down of connection. Hence, you have to switch the channel in order to get the high-speed data transmission.
- When the router is already set to ‘Automatic or Auto’ mode, it prevents you to get access to the faster channel available nearby. So, you must change this mode and select the channel with maximum speed.
- There are some channels in the WiFi spectrum that are overlapping in nature. So, if the router is using any of these channels, it is obvious to receive interference from other networks as well. Therefore, it becomes a necessity to use non-overlapping channels (1, 6 or 11) to minimize interference and receive uninterrupted WiFi signals.
How Different Channels Can Affect The Strength Of WiFi Signals?
A majority of wireless installation has utilized the 2.4 GHz band recently. So, there are not many takers for the 5 GHz band as compared to the 2.4 GHz users. Hence, at present, most WiFi version uses the frequency ranges from 2400 MHz to 2500 MHz. Within this 100 MHz frequency range gap, there are around 14 channels having the band gap of 20 MHz in each of them. As the entire lot (14 channels with 20 MHz) is more with respect to the lot of 100 MHz. Thus, it is quite normal that there are at least 2 channels getting overlapped within every 2.4 GHz frequency band. So, if the entire population within a particular region starts using the same channel for WiFi router, it can lead to poor network or signal strength.
To resolve this overlapping issue and boosting wireless signals, you can use 1, 6 and 11 channel options. Fortunately, all these three channels have enough space between them that doesn’t allow any interference or overlapping. Hence, it is recommended for you to use the channels 1, 6 or 11 on the router device for minimum interference. This is also the best option when you try to access WiFi signals in a crowded region. Now, the channels can vary based on your geographic location and the available frequency band in that area.
Now, if you select the 5 GHz frequency band for receiving the wireless signal, it can provide more gap at a high range of frequencies. So, if you switch to 5GHz from 2.4 GHz, you can choose from 23 channels with 20 MHz range that are non-overlapping. Hence, it allows you to enjoy high-speed data without any disruption.
Apply These Methods To Change Channels And Enhance WiFi Signal
To receive maximum signal strength, the way you place your router or select the spot matters a lot. Hence, try to choose the central area in your house that doesn’t have much clutter around it. If you are selecting a typical router to receive WiFi signals for the indoor usage, it will provide connectivity up to 30 meters at max. However, the range can get affected or reduced when there are too many obstacles between your modem and device. So, it is essential to select a proper place that can allow you to get a high-speed WiFi signal. For expanding the wireless coverage area, you can utilize a WiFi extender and boost signals.
Now, if you are looking for tools that can allow you to search for the best and clearest channel, check out these following methods.
1. Modify The Network Mode In WiFi
You can explore and switch between different modes or standards in WiFi. Most users utilize the 802.11n mode nowadays, but you can still use the modes of 802.11b and 802.11g. The reason is, these modes are still effective enough to provide stable WiFi signals with greater network coverage. Also, you can minimize the level of signal interferences with this older version of WiFi modes. Since many users will stick to the 802.11n mode due to lack of knowledge and proper understanding. To change the wireless mode, visit the login page of the router device in your browser. Then enter the credentials such as username and password, which you have used while registering your WiFi modem.
Next, navigate to the section of ‘Wireless’ and you can see the option for Wireless Mode on that window. There can be options including 11B Only, 11B/G/N Mixed, 11B/G Mixed, 11G Only, 11N Only, 11G/N Mixed, and more. These options may vary based on the model and brand of the WiFi router. So, click on the network mode as per availability and network congestion in your area and hit ‘Apply’ button to save the changes.
2. Search For Best WiFi Channel Compatible To OS
In order to select the most suitable channel for WiFi, the method can vary according to the Operating System. So, check out the steps for the following OSs that you can connect to the router for WiFi signals.
For Windows
To choose the proper channel on the Windows system, type cmd in the Run/Search box and open the Command Prompt. You can also get access to this window by clicking on ‘Start’ button, then selecting ‘Accessories’ under the list of programs. So, write ‘netsh wlan show all’ in the command line. As soon as you press ‘Enter’, the window will display details regarding the WiFi network identified by the wireless adapter in your PC. You can scroll down the list and locate the Channel. Here, you can learn about the channel specification or type as used by the WiFi network. So, if you can get this info regarding the channel (1, 6 or 11) preferred by most of your neighbors, you can select the rarest option.
For Mac OS X
For Mac users, you can hold the button of ‘Option’ (usually beside the Ctrl key) and select the Wireless symbol on the top of the menu bar. There, you can learn about the details of the WiFi network including the Channel information. It is easy to know about the channel (1, 6 or 11) used by others around you by clicking on their network details. So, choose the option that the neighbors are not using at this moment for better strength of WiFi signals.
3. Change The Network Channel Of WiFi
Open the web browser while your PC is connected to the modem through WiFi or Ethernet. Then go to the URL and enter the default gateway address of manufacturer. You can also find these details from the setup manual provided along with the WiFi device. So, log in to the router page by entering the username and password. After this, check the Wireless settings and go to Interface related info. There, you can view and choose the preferred channel from the drop-down menu. Finally, click on ‘Save’ to register these changes. Hence, you can use the WiFi channel with the best possible speed and connectivity options.
Conclusion
From this article, you knew about the influential factors for changing the WiFi channel for better receptivity and coverage. Apart from the above methods, there are many other ways to select channels. There can be many more channel options to resolve the signal interference issue. Hence, you can troubleshoot the WiFi issues by investigating many other solutions. Most of the methods will be based on the channel preference in your locality. Some of the solutions will also work as per the network spectrum available at the geographic location.