Quick Links
Upgrading to a dual or triple-band router is one of the best ways to improve internet connectivity. However, it’s not always easy to tell your new networks apart, especially if they all use the same network name—which is why you should give each Wi-Fi band a separate name.
Why You Should Set Up Different SSIDs for Each Band
Apart from the obvious reason of being able to tell what band you’re connecting to, assigning unique network names to your router’s 2.4, 5, and 6GHz bands has a few advantages.
If you use a single Wi-Fi network (despite having a multi-band router), you won’t get the full benefits of using the 5 or 6 GHz bands. Since the network is merged, your devices attempt to connect to the best possible band but drop to 2.4GHz as a backup. However, some devices will get stuck on the 2.4GHz network and won’t switch back to the 5 GHz band easily.
Another advantage of creating individual Wi-Fi networks for each is easieruse of your router’s QoS settings. you’re able to favor the faster 5GHz and 6GHz networks while also broadcasting the 2.4GHz network for devices that don’t need as much bandwidth.
Separating the two (orthree bands if you have a tri-band router) with unique network names means you get a slower backup network running at 2.4GHz and a 5 and/or 6 GHz network. It’s one of the better network practices you should follow, especially whensetting up a brand-new router.
Setting Up Multiple SSIDs
Setting up multiple SSIDs on your specific router varies depending on your manufacturer and model. Generally speaking, you’ll find the settings under a section named “wireless settings.” The settings you can change might also vary, but here are a few common ones.
These are the settings you’ll see when setting up a network on a specific band. However, if you come across a setting you aren’t familiar with, feel free to set it to auto mode. While your router may not do the best job of managing settings properly, you’ll still get the benefit of the different Wi-Fi bands that additional networks offer.
In case you don’t see any settings to change network names based on bands, make sure that theBand Steeringsetting is disabled. The setting automatically assigns devices to the best available frequency band but merges the 2.4 GHz and higher bands into one network, causing the same problems we’re trying to fix.
With a few minutes and some tweaking, you can create separate networks for separate Wi-Fi bands that your router supports. This can improve network speeds and stability across your Wi-Fi for a better experience.
