Setting up 5ghz network on AirPort Express

If you do NOT check the box to enable the 5 GHz network to use a different name, then both the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz networks will use the same name. Devices will then choose the best network to which to connect based primarily on the signal strength of the wireless signal.

This all sounds good in theory, until you realize that the higher frequency 5 GHz signals are significantly weaker than 2.4 GHz signals, so devices are usually going to favor the stronger 2.4 GHz signal when they look for a connection.

If a device is 5 GHz capable, and it is located in the same room as the AirPort Express, or it has line-of-sight with the AirPort Express, it has a decent chance to connect to 5 GHz when both bands are using the same wireless network name.

My Mac laptop does a good job of connecting to 5 GHz when it is in close proximity to the AirPort router and to 2.4 GHz when it is a room or two away of the AirPort, but your results may not be the same.

If you want to insure that a device connects to 5 GHz, the only way that you can really make this happen is assign a different name to the 5 GHz network and then "point" the device at that network. But....and this is a big BUT.....simply connecting to 5 GHz does not automatically insure that you will be connecting to the best quality signal, so you will need to do some experimenting to find out what might work best for you.

By default the Airport transmits simultaneously in both frequency bands with the same network name. I found however that my Macbook Pro persisted in connecting to the 2.4GHz version, although the 5GHz was noticeably faster. So I gave the 5GHz network a different name and set the Macbook Pro to use only that (after several attempts - it kept wanting to revert to the 2.4GHz until I removed that from its listing.

A caveat: some of the frequencies in the 5GHz band require the client to check that it's not interfering with radar or other official uses. Macs are fine with this, but I found my Android tablet wasn't; so I forced the Airport to use a specific frequency - obviously one which was not affected - and then the tablet worked OK. If you have only Macs or iOS devices you should be OK without doing this.

In Europe you should use channels 36, 40, 44 or 48. In the USA you should use channels 149, 153, 157, 161 or 165.

5Ghz may not always be faster than 2.4GHz and is likely to be weaker so it may not always be the best choice.

Hold down the option key on your Mac while you click on the WiFi icon at the top of the screen.

Look for the Channel setting, and that will indicate whether you are using 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz at the time.

Your best bet is to let the AirPort scan and find the best channel to use. It is already setup to do that.

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