protocol that automatically assigns IP addresses to
devices. The lesson here is that just because you can
change something doesn’t mean you should. At least
during the setup and early-use stages, go with the auto
settings as much as possible.
CONNECT TO THE 2.4GHZ OR 5GHZ BAND?
On the client-device side, all other things being equal,
5GHz connections will provide better performance at
short ranges than 2.4GHz. This is because 5GHz, while
somewhat faster, can’t travel as far or transmit through
some objects due to that band’s shorter wavelengths.
The 2.4GHz band tends to have more congestion and
fewer channel options. That said, if you want to keep
using 2.4GHz, consider experimenting with the channel
selection. “Auto” usually does a decent job of hopping
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but if you’re struggling with client connections, try
manually setting the channel to 1 or 11. The 2.4GHz
band has a total of 11 channels you can switch between
to avoid interference, with channel 6 usually being the
default. When you select a given channel, there’s usually
some signal spillover. So selecting channel 2, for
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Thus, switching to the extremes of 1 or 11, the farthest
points from the default of 6, can sometimes ensure the
best-performing connections.
After the “easy” setup, some routers will walk you
through a few extra steps, such as establishing parental
controls and automatically updating the router
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“wireless setup,” or a similarly named tab/screen to
activate your Wi-Fi network. Once your network is
activated, you can connect any device to it and start
browsing the web.
At least during
the setup and
early-use
stages, go with
the auto
settings as
much as
possible.