Use each band intentionally
| Band | Strength | Watch for |
|---|---|---|
| 2.4 GHz | Range and wall penetration | Congestion; use 20 MHz and 1/6/11 where applicable |
| 5 GHz | Speed and channel choice | Wall loss; DFS radar events |
| 6 GHz | Clean, wide channels | Client and regulatory support; shorter range |
Placement beats transmit power
Put APs high and open near the center of use. Avoid metal cabinets, floor corners, microwaves and thick concrete. A wired AP at moderate power is usually better than one high-power AP trying to cross every wall.
Channel width and roaming
- Use 20 MHz on crowded 2.4 GHz.
- 80 MHz on 5 GHz is fast, but 40 MHz can be more stable near many neighbors.
- Give adjacent APs different channels and avoid excessive overlap.
- Matching security and SSID enables roaming, but the client decides when to move.
Measure
- Record RSSI, link rate and latency in every room.
- Compare throughput near the AP and at weak points against a wired server or iperf3 endpoint.
- Evaluate packet loss, jitter and call stability, not speed alone.
New to measurement? Follow the instructions immediately above the inputs in the room-by-room Wi-Fi survey log. They identify phone and laptop tools, define RSSI, and specify room position, device orientation, three runs and median selection.
Reality checkDisplayed link rate is not application throughput. Wi-Fi is a shared half-duplex medium affected by walls, interference and client capability.