Quick, if I ask you what frequency your wireless network operates in what would you tell me? 2.4GHz?  More than likely. What’s wrong with that you say?  Well, nothing really, but why just 2.4GHz?  Everyone I talk to (outside of a few folks) seem quite content to pretty much completely ignore the 5GHz band.  Most times, I’ll ask them why and usually they respond with something like “it’s more supported”, or they “get better coverage”, etc…  True, while both of these arguments do (or did) have some fact behind them; it’s a pretty weak argument on both counts.  A lot of new devices (especially laptops) are simply opting to install radio hardware that supports both the 2.4 and 5GHz spectrums.  In fact, in a lot of cases the cost difference is negligible, so why not?

There are numerous reasons that the 5GHz spectrum should be leveraged.  First and foremost; there is so much more of it:

In 2004, 11 additional channels were added for use in the 802.11a 5GHz band (in North America), bringing the total available to 23/24 non-overlapping channels.  Compare that to the 3 (yes, three) non-overlapping channels in the (also much noisier) 2.4 GHz spectrum.  If you want an excellent chart outlining how these channels are actually laid out, Wikipedia happens to have the most recent and accurate information in my opinion.

The second big reason I urge people to leverage the 5GHz range is; it’s quieter.  Like a secret corner in the library where all the smartest kids hang out kinda quiet.  You can get more done without all the racket.  For what was probably a combination of reasons initially, the mainstream has chosen 2.4GHz as the unlicensed band of choice.  This means there are far more devices that make use of this limited spectrum and all have to compete with each other for airtime.  While there are obviously other consumer devices that operate in the 5GHz band, the difference is definitely noticeable.

I know that I personally make much more sense of RF by analyzing it visually, so I’ll leave you with this comparison of both the 2.4GHz and 5GHz spectrum with multiple 802.11 wireless radios using each (as well as some other unknowns...).

2.4 GHz

5 GHz

Now, I want to spur some discussion in the comments section, so please, if you want to ask anything about the above graphs, let me know!

RSO.