Working frequency is the last factor that determines whether the network router is a good wireless accent point. The 2.4GHz and 5GHz frequencies are the two frequencies used by the wireless access point for operation.
Today, most routers have dual-band wireless access points, which means they can choose 2.4GHz or 5GHz frequency. Using the wrong frequency will significantly reduce your Wi-Fi range and overall performance.
Generally, the lower the frequency, the larger the range, but the slower the data bandwidth. In contrast, the higher the frequency, the shorter the coverage, but the higher the data bandwidth. This means that a 2.4GHz operating frequency can provide your router with a longer Wi-Fi coverage, while a 5GHz operating frequency can provide a smaller range, but with a higher data transmission speed.
However, there are exceptions to setting the router to 2.4GHz. In some cases, you may notice that the Wi-Fi coverage at 2.4GHz is shorter than that at 5GHz. Such a short Wi-Fi range is usually due to the crowded environment and the same 2.4GHz frequency as other devices. These same frequencies may come from microwave, IoT equipment and radio, because many of them also operate at 2.4GHz.
The last factor that affects the Wi-Fi range depends on the wireless standard of the router. Routers running 802.11n and 802.11ac wireless standards will provide longer Wi-Fi coverage and faster data transmission.
How to calculate the Wi-Fi range of the router
Now that you understand the factors that affect the Wi-Fi coverage, you should be able to use these factors as variables when calculating the Wi-Fi coverage.
Let's first calculate how much wireless range your router can provide.
Check the specifications of the router. You need to check what wireless standard your router uses. In addition, check your router settings to see if its operating frequency is 2.4GHz or 5GHz. If you haven't changed the router settings, 2.4GHz is usually the default operating frequency.
If the router uses 802.11n or 802.1ac wireless standards, the wireless range is 150 feet when working at 2.4GHz frequency and 135 feet when working at 5GHz frequency. The expected height of routers using the old wireless standard is 50 feet at 2.4GHz and 40 feet at 5GHz.
If you don't know what wireless standard your router uses, you can calculate its range by adding the router's transmit power (dBm), antenna gain (dBm) and a fixed value of 4000 (square feet). The fixed value of 4000 square feet is an estimate of the Wi-Fi coverage of a common router.
After adding variables, you will get a value in square feet. Then divide this value by 42.7 to get the estimated wireless range (in feet) that the router can provide.
Choose the right router for yourself
Now that you know how to calculate and estimate the wireless range capability of the router, I hope you can use it to decide which router to choose for your home network. This will ensure that everyone in your family can get appropriate Wi-Fi coverage and can access the Internet without interference.
