6 replies to this topic

[Mike in STL]

My wife and I picked up our own router/modem combo because we were tired of paying comcast $10 a month to use theirs. Set it up. It works fine. It's from NetGear.

 

So when you go into the router login website where you can change the network name, password and all, There are what appears to be 2 networks. 

 

One is "Wireless Network 2.4GHz b/g/n". Channel is set to "auto" and mode is set to "up to 450 Mbps"

The other one is "Wireless Network 5GHz a/n/ac". Channel is set to "153" and mode is "up to 1.3 Gbps"

 

Might be a dumb question. I didn't know I was getting two networks. I've logged into both from my lap top and both work. So I'm assuming the 5GHz one is a faster connection. 

 

So would it make sense to connect things like our computers, Smart TV (streaming Netflix and Amazon) to the faster network to avoid buffering, while using the slower network for things like our cell phones, wireless printer we have?

 

Or if friends come over and need wifi, give them the 2.4GHz network since we are on the 5GHz network so we don't bog each other down. Does that sound about right?

[RShack]

My wife and I picked up our own router/modem combo because we were tired of paying comcast $10 a month to use theirs. Set it up. It works fine. It's from NetGear.

So when you go into the router login website where you can change the network name, password and all, There are what appears to be 2 networks.

One is "Wireless Network 2.4GHz b/g/n". Channel is set to "auto" and mode is set to "up to 450 Mbps"

The other one is "Wireless Network 5GHz a/n/ac". Channel is set to "153" and mode is "up to 1.3 Gbps"

Might be a dumb question. I didn't know I was getting two networks. I've logged into both from my lap top and both work. So I'm assuming the 5GHz one is a faster connection.

So would it make sense to connect things like our computers, Smart TV (streaming Netflix and Amazon) to the faster network to avoid buffering, while using the slower network for things like our cell phones, wireless printer we have?

Or if friends come over and need wifi, give them the 2.4GHz network since we are on the 5GHz network so we don't bog each other down. Does that sound about right?

The speed limit of each one mainly matters when you're moving files around within your home network. The limiting factor for most use will be the slower-than-your-modem speeds of your internet connection... what kind service do you have re: download speeds?

Most speed test sites give iffy results. Here's a site that will test your speed from multiple places at once and give you a more trustworthy result: http://testmy.net/

[Mike in STL]

The speed limit of each one mainly matters when you're moving files around within your home network. The limiting factor for most use will be the slower-than-your-modem speeds of your internet connection... what kind service do you have re: download speeds?

Most speed test sites give iffy results. Here's a site that will test your speed from multiple places at once and give you a more trustworthy result: http://testmy.net/

Gave me a dowload speed of 87.2 Mbps. 

[Mike in STL]

The speed limit of each one mainly matters when you're moving files around within your home network. The limiting factor for most use will be the slower-than-your-modem speeds of your internet connection... what kind service do you have re: download speeds?

Most speed test sites give iffy results. Here's a site that will test your speed from multiple places at once and give you a more trustworthy result: http://testmy.net/

Actually. On the 2.4 GHz network I got the faster 87.5. On the 5GHz network I got slower, 66.4

[RShack]

Actually. On the 2.4 GHz network I got the faster 87.5. On the 5GHz network I got slower, 66.4

Neither is inherently faster... each one has performance strengths and weaknesses: http://www.alternati...reless-lan.html

You have a faster connection than most.

The 5.0 band uses bigger chunks of bandwidth, so it has more total capacity than 2.4. But that doesn't affect the speed of any 1 connection. The 5.0 can handle more connections at a time without compromising speed. The 5.0 is also worse when it comes to going through walls.

[Mike in STL]

Neither is inherently faster... each one has performance strengths and weaknesses:  http://www.alternati...reless-lan.html

Thanks. That article is exactly what I was looking for. Seems like the 5 GHz is faster, but short range. Our router is next to the TV. So I should connect the TV to the 5 GHz so my wife can stream netflix uninterrupted. Then If I'm in another room on the computer, I can be on the 2.4 GHz network without sacrificing speed. Since the 5 GHz has trouble going through walls and what not. 

[RShack]

BSLMikeRandall, on 06 Oct 2016 - 10:00, said:
Thanks. That article is exactly what I was looking for. Seems like the 5 GHz is faster, but short range. Our router is next to the TV. So I should connect the TV to the 5 GHz so my wife can stream netflix uninterrupted. Then If I'm in another room on the computer, I can be on the 2.4 GHz network without sacrificing speed. Since the 5 GHz has trouble going through walls and what not.

For streaming normal HD stuff (not 4K), you should each be able to do fine even if you're both connected to the same thing... the details will be influenced by all kinds of invisible stuff which doesn't exist when they test it in a lab. The only way to know for sure is to try things and see. My guess would be that any glitches you might have about streaming performance will be the fault of network stuff between your house and Netflix.