Changing Channel on 5ghz

Question

Level 1

0 points

Changing Channel on 5ghz

I've installed two AE (2013) as network extenders of a network created on a AirPort Extreme.

I decided to make a segmentation between 2.4 and 5 ghz networks so to have two different SSID.

On the AirPort Extreme I've set manually the channel for the 2.4ghz to 13 and for the 5ghz network to 48.

On the AE side, while the 2.4 ghz is correctly configured on the same channel (13) of the AirPort Extreme, the channel of the 5ghz is automatically se to 100.

How can I change the channel for both the AE to a lower number, for instance 48 as per the AirPort Extreme? This because I read that high number of channels is submitted to noise and interference: often my apple devices (atv3 or iPad) loss the 5ghz signal even if they are very close to the AE....

Thank you

OS X Mountain Lion (10.8.5)

Posted on Oct 16, 2013 9:26 PM

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Answer 1

Best reply

LaPastenague

Level 9

67,208 points

Oct 16, 2013 9:56 PM in response to klain

Here is a guess.

Due to US laws restricting the number of channels in the lower part of the 5ghz range.. see

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_WLAN_channels

36

5180

Yes

Indoors

Yes

No

Yes

Indoors

Yes

Indoors

38

5190

No

Client only

No

Yes

No

Yes

Indoors

No

Indoors

40

5200

Yes

Indoors

Yes

No

Yes

Indoors

Yes

Indoors

42

5210

No

Client only

No

Yes

No

Yes

Indoors

No

Indoors

44

5220

Yes

Indoors

Yes

No

Yes

Indoors

Yes

Indoors

46

5230

No

Client only

No

Yes

No

Yes

Indoors

No

Indoors

48

5240

US is the first column.. with AC wireless it requires 80mhz of band.. as you can see none of the lower channels allow enough band because the adjacent channels are not allowed.

With the AE you cannot control the wireless mode any longer. So you cannot reduce the AE to using N wireless and therefore the lower channels.. you are forced to use the channels above 100 where there is adequate bandwidth available in adjacent channels.

100

5500

DFS^[18]

DFS/TPC

No

Yes

DFS/TPC

Yes

DFS

104

5520

DFS^[18]

DFS/TPC

No

Yes

DFS/TPC

Yes

DFS

108

5540

DFS^[18]

DFS/TPC

No

Yes

DFS/TPC

Yes

DFS

112

5560

DFS^[18]

DFS/TPC

No

Yes

DFS/TPC

Yes

DFS

116

5580

DFS^[18]

DFS/TPC

No

Yes

DFS/TPC

Yes

DFS

120

5600

No^[29]

DFS/TPC

No

Yes

DFS/TPC

No

Yes

DFS

124

5620

No^[29]

DFS/TPC

No

Yes

DFS/TPC

No

Yes

DFS

128

5640

No^[29]

DFS/TPC

No

Yes

DFS/TPC

No

Yes

DFS

132

5660

DFS^[18]

DFS/TPC

No

DFS/TPC

Yes

DFS

136

5680

DFS^[18]

DFS/TPC

No

DFS/TPC

Yes

DFS

140

5700

DFS^[18]

DFS/TPC

No

DFS/TPC

Yes

DFS

149

5745

Yes

SRD (25 mW)^[30]

No

Yes

No

Yes

No

Yes

No

Yes

153

5765

Yes

SRD (25 mW)^[30]

No

Yes

No

Yes

No

Yes

No

Yes

157

5785

Yes

SRD (25 mW)^[30]

No

Yes

No

Yes

No

Yes

No

Yes

161

5805

Yes

SRD (25 mW)^[30]

No

Yes

No

Yes

No

Yes

No

Yes

165

5825

Yes

SRD (25 mW)^[30]

No

Yes

No

Yes

No

Yes

No

Yes

Try setting your AE to use 149 and see if that sticks.

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Answer 2

klain Author

Level 1

0 points

Oct 16, 2013 10:23 PM in response to LaPastenague

Thank you for your answer, but still a couple of doubt:

1. I'm in Europe and correctly on my AirPort Extreme I can choose only from four available channels on 5ghz (36, 40, 44 e 48). Why i can't use the same on AE? Because I'm in bridging mode and so I'm forced to use 100?

2. You correctly suggest me to use 149. But the problem is the same for any value I'd like to submit: how to do this? The 100 value is impossible to change via Airport Utility because is uneditable/unscrollable.... That's why my post. I tried also forcing using the old Airport Utility 5.6 that has some more features, but I can only change the 2.4 value for each AE, not the 5ghz one...

With Airport Utility 6.0 the 5ghz automatically defined value (100) isn't editable....

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Answer 3

Oct 17, 2013 1:48 AM in response to klain

Ok. well the channel 100 will only change if the AE finds another device on the same channel.. they have fully automated it.. and removed all end user control.. sorry it is just apple.. they are slowly removing all user control.. !!

Set up another AP right next to the AE using channel 100 and see if you can force it to move.. otherwise it is just yet another bug in the new model.

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Answer 4

groovyf

Level 1

4 points

Mar 26, 2014 7:14 AM in response to klain

I realise this is an old-ish post, but thought I'd add the fact I have the same issue with extending wireless on 5ghz with high channels.

2x AE and a Time Capsule.

1 AE is main wireless point (5ghz channel 44) the 2nd AE is on channel 100, and the Time Caspule is on channel 120.

Because of this high channel my TV is unable to see the 5ghz network from the nearby extended AirPort Express (it can just about see the main one on channel 48 but reception is poor to non-existant).

It seems, EU-based equipment (my two TVs and a friends Android phone) are unable to see non-EU standard 5gHz channels.

Bit of a ball-ache really!

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Answer 5

groovyf

Level 1

4 points

Mar 26, 2014 7:40 AM in response to groovyf

Just found this article: http://support.apple.com/kb/TS4572

Open AirPort Utility, located in Applications > Utilities
Select the base station you want to set up, and then click Edit.
Click Wireless, and then click Wireless Options.
Note the 5GHz channel that your AirPort base station is using and choose a different channel from the Channel pop-up menu for the 5 GHz channel. The channels shown in the pop-up menu are non-DFS channels and are more likely to be supported by the widest variety of third-party Wi-Fi devices.

Sadly, you can't alter the channel on the extended base stations... only on the main one.

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