Change WiFi frequency band to 2.4 GHz

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Level 1

4 points

Change WiFi frequency band to 2.4 GHz

Hi, I am having trouble with the WiFi connection of my MacBook Pro (macOS Monterey 12.0.1). I am using a WiFi that is shared between all residents of the building I am living and I do not have admin access to it. I noticed that the WiFi becomes extremely slow as soon as my Mac switches to the 5 GHz band while it is fine when it is connected to the 2.4 GHz band. Unfortunately this switch happens automatically all the time. Is there a way to make sure that my Mac always uses the 2.4 GHz band?

MacBook Pro 14″, macOS 12.0

Posted on Dec 1, 2021 1:20 PM

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Answer 1

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m_kling Author

Level 1

4 points

Dec 1, 2021 2:08 PM in response to lllaass

Unfortunately they use the same SSID

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Answer 2

lllaass

Level 10

210,465 points

Dec 1, 2021 1:44 PM in response to m_kling

Do the 5 and 2.5 GHz networks use the same SSID? If so you can't select which one to use. Frequently the network with greater signal strength will be selected but if the 2.4 one is higher it is also slower.

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Answer 3

Dec 1, 2021 1:56 PM in response to m_kling

What does a tool such as Wi-Fi Explorer show for the local Wi-Fi network environment?

This wouldn't be the first case with a misconfigured network, or with conflicting networks, or that's just overloaded.

Some potential options: https://apple.stackexchange.com/questions/131852/how-do-you-force-a-5-ghz-wifi-connection#202085

Basically, select a 2,4 GHz channel, and see if that meets your needs. (I don't have a way to test this right now.)

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Answer 4

Dec 1, 2021 1:53 PM in response to m_kling

If the two show up as separate networks in your Network Preferences settings, move the 2.4 network to the top of the list.

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Change WiFi frequency band to 2.4 GHz

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