The Wi-Fi channel you use for your connection makes a noticeable difference, and Wi-Fi routers these days are designed to help you make the right choice. Nevertheless, these selections can often lead to issues such as signal interference. In these cases, you need to choose the best channels for your Wi-Fi network manually. In this guide, I shall explain how to go about this process and attain a better Wi-Fi experience.
What is a WiFi Channel?
I will use an analogy to help you better understand Wi-Fi channels.
Think of Wi-Fi technology as a multi-lane highway. In this instance, each lane would be a channel. A channel is one of the many ways through which Wi-Fi signals can travel.
As you know, Wi-Fi operates in different frequency bands with different capacities. These bands are further divided into channels, allowing multiple networks to operate simultaneously. By assigning Wi-Fi networks to unique channels, one can reduce the chance of overlap and signal loss. Without channels, the entire radio spectrum would descend into chaos.
As I said earlier, Wi-Fi routers are designed to select the channel they believe is best for the network. Most Wi-Fi routers use a combination of dynamic adaptation, radio sensing, and band steering to ensure the best use of Wi-Fi channels.
While these technologies have become better, they are not perfect. Therefore, there is a chance the router will choose a suboptimal Wi-Fi channel for your network. This is where manual Wi-Fi channel selection comes into play.
As it happens, the first step of choosing the right channel for your network is performing a Wi-Fi channel scan.
Perform a WiFi Channel Scan
A Wi-Fi channel scan provides you with an overview of how Wi-Fi networks around you use channels. Though you can find Wi-Fi analysis tools for almost all platforms, I recommend using a smartphone. In particular, I recommend WiFiman from Ubiquiti.
I have used this app for various purposes, including Wi-Fi channel scanning. Here’s how you can go about it.
- Install WiFiman from the Google Play Store.
- Open the app and provide the necessary permissions.
- Now, go to the Scan tab from the navigation menu at the bottom.
- WiFiman will now show you a list of Wi-Fi networks in the vicinity. You can choose the All option from the top.
- When the entire list appears, choose the sub-option named Channel Health.
- As shown in the screenshot above, WiFiman now displays all available Wi-Fi channels and their status.
You can now use these insights to choose the best channels for your Wi-Fi network.
Note: You can find other Wi-Fi analysis apps for this purpose, and they may offer additional options. I have recommended the Ubiquiti app because it works flawlessly and is free.
How to Choose the Optimal Channel
Now that you know which Wi-Fi channels networks in your area use, it is easy to choose the optimal channel for your network. Here’s a practical guide to go about it:
WARNING:
Keep in mind that Wi-Fi operates on different frequency bands. For instance, you may find empty channels on the 2.4GHz band, but these channels cannot offer the same performance you’d get from a 5GHz band channel.
Fortunately, most Wi-Fi analyzer apps, including WiFiman, let you filter SSIDs/APs by frequency band. This way, you don’t have to do anything manually. Similarly, keep in mind that you don’t have to make changes to the 6GHz Wi-Fi band.
For 2.4GHz Wi-Fi
You need stricter channel-selection rules for a 2.4 GHz network. Given how many IoT devices still connect to this legacy frequency band, you need to ensure the best signal travel conditions. Here are some pointers:
- The 2.4GHz band consists of both overlapping and non-overlapping channels. You should always choose non-overlapping channels for the best performance.
- These non-overlapping options are channels 1, 6, and 11.
- Ensure the channel width is set to 20 MHz.
For 5GHz Wi-Fi
Compared to the 2.4GHz counterpart, the 5GHz Wi-Fi frequency band offers a larger set of channels, with more non-overlapping options. Therefore, you need to follow slightly different steps.
- For optimal channel selection, choose channels 36, 40, 44, and 48 for the 5GHz network.
- You must also find the discretion to avoid weak networks in the channel. If the signal strength is less than -80dBm, you don’t have to count it as a major interference.
- You should also choose between 40 MHz and 80 MHz channel widths based on the number of Wi-Fi networks in the area.
For 6GHz Wi-Fi
As you know, 6GHz Wi-Fi is a part of the latest Wi-Fi technology, and only a few devices use this frequency band. As a result, you don’t have to worry about channel management. One, there are a few devices. Two, Wi-Fi routers equipped with the 6GHz band offer a wide bandwidth to manage multiple devices with ease.
Best Practices For Channel Selection
Here are some common practices to follow while choosing a channel for your Wi-Fi network:
- Choose channels after a Wi-Fi scan, not blindly
- Scan during peak hours, not late at night
- Pick channels with the least overlap, not just fewer networks
- Ignore very weak signals (≈ −80 dBm or lower)
- Lock the channel once performance is stable
- Leave 6 GHz on Auto if available
- Avoid frequent channel changes unless problems appear
- Prioritize stability and low latency over peak speed
These pointers come from a few years of experience optimizing Wi-Fi networks. I’d say the most common error is using statistics from a miscalculated time period.
Common Issues
Here are a few common issues you may face while choosing the best channels for your Wi-Fi network:
Unstable Connections
You should check whether your Wi-Fi router is attempting to change the channel. Some models may default to an Auto setting for the connection. If so, you should re-enable the manual option. You should also check whether the QoS settings on your network gear are affecting the channel settings.
Low Speed
You may notice a slight drop in speed when you manually choose a Wi-Fi channel. It may also happen due to the router’s settings. However, you should check whether the issue occurs at all times or only during specific periods.
Wrapping Up
I’m sure this guide helped you choose the right Wi-Fi channel for your wireless networks. The process is not rocket science. In fact, anyone can do it, thanks to tools like WiFiman. However, ensure you interpret the results correctly.
