Bit confused by what’s going on with my WiFi.
My PC is in the bedroom, about two rooms away from the router. Ethernet works perfectly when I temporarily run a cable over, so I don’t think the actual internet connection is the problem.
On WiFi though, 2.4 GHz isn’t especially fast but it feels way more reliable. When I switch the PC to 5 GHz, downloads are all over the place and I get random ping spikes while gaming. Sometimes it’s fine for a bit and then just falls apart again.
I always thought 5 GHz was supposed to be the better option, and I don’t even see that many 5 GHz networks around me compared to 2.4.
Router is a dual-band Mercusys and I’ve already updated the WiFi drivers on the PC.
Am I missing something obvious here?
5 GHz isn’t automatically “better” in every room. It can give you more capacity, but it also loses signal faster through distance/walls than 2.4. I’d stop going by the Windows bars and actually look at what reaches the PC. Run a WiFi scanner from the bedroom — NetSpot is good for this kind of troubleshooting. Check both bands, signal levels and the channel graphs. Post screenshots if you can. That’ll tell us way more than “2.4 feels better.”
@BluejayKitchen19 Okay, ran NetSpot from the bedroom. MERCUSYS_C is my network. Posted screenshots for both bands. Now I’m even more confused lol.
Look at the vertical axis, not just how many networks are on the graph. Your 5 GHz channel is clean, sure. Your 5 GHz signal is around -80 dBm. That’s the problem. Meanwhile your 2.4 GHz signal looks more like roughly -55 dBm, which explains why it feels more dependable even though that band is crowded as hell. Empty spectrum doesn’t do you much good if your own AP is whispering at the client from three rooms away.
@BluejayKitchen19 Oh ffs. I was staring at the empty 5 GHz graph thinking “well obviously this one should be perfect” and completely ignored the signal level. Router is actually in the living room inside the TV cabinet, behind the TV. Which I’m guessing you’re about to tell me is not ideal 
Also checked the settings and 2.4 is currently Auto channel / 40 MHz.
