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My Time Capsule's wifi always downgrades to 2.4GHz instead of 5GHz

My time capsule always downgrades to the 2.4GHz band instead of being connected to the 5GHz band when I'm Browsing on the internet, does any one knows if it is a antenna, router problem or a drop lost Bean connection, Thanks.

Airport Time Capsule-OTHER

Posted on Apr 28, 2016 4:51 AM

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Posted on Apr 28, 2016 5:05 AM

Your Time Capsule is not downgrading to 2.4 GHz at all, it is always producing both a 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz network at all times. That's why it is called a simultaneous dual band router. Wireless devices will automatically connect to either 5 GHz or 2.4 Gz based on their own capabilities and their distance in relation to the Time Capsule.


5 GHz signals are "faster" signals, but they are also "weak" signals, so you will only have much success with 5 GHz when wireless devices are in the same room or have line-of-sight to the Time Capsule. Once a device moves a room or more away from the Time Capsule, the device "sees" the stronger 2.4 GHz signal at that location and switches over to 2.4 Ghz for the stronger connection.


Unfortunately, once a device switched to 2.4 GHz, it will usually not switch back to 5 GHz unless you temporarily turn off the WiFi on the device and then turn it back on. If the device "sees" a strong enough 5 GHz signal, then it will connect to that network.


If you want devices to connect to 5 GHz, by using an option to assign a different name to the 5 GHz network, you can "point" or "force" devices to connect to that signal. The downside to doing this, is that you will also need to manually "point" devices at the 2.4 GHz if the devices are located a few rooms away from the Time Capsule.....because they may not be able to even pick up the 5 GHz signal at that location. Even if they can, the 2.4 GHz signal will much stronger and probably faster than the 5 GHz network.


Post back if you need a few tips on how to assign a different name to the 5 GHz network.

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Question marked as Best reply

Apr 28, 2016 5:05 AM in response to Peter311

Your Time Capsule is not downgrading to 2.4 GHz at all, it is always producing both a 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz network at all times. That's why it is called a simultaneous dual band router. Wireless devices will automatically connect to either 5 GHz or 2.4 Gz based on their own capabilities and their distance in relation to the Time Capsule.


5 GHz signals are "faster" signals, but they are also "weak" signals, so you will only have much success with 5 GHz when wireless devices are in the same room or have line-of-sight to the Time Capsule. Once a device moves a room or more away from the Time Capsule, the device "sees" the stronger 2.4 GHz signal at that location and switches over to 2.4 Ghz for the stronger connection.


Unfortunately, once a device switched to 2.4 GHz, it will usually not switch back to 5 GHz unless you temporarily turn off the WiFi on the device and then turn it back on. If the device "sees" a strong enough 5 GHz signal, then it will connect to that network.


If you want devices to connect to 5 GHz, by using an option to assign a different name to the 5 GHz network, you can "point" or "force" devices to connect to that signal. The downside to doing this, is that you will also need to manually "point" devices at the 2.4 GHz if the devices are located a few rooms away from the Time Capsule.....because they may not be able to even pick up the 5 GHz signal at that location. Even if they can, the 2.4 GHz signal will much stronger and probably faster than the 5 GHz network.


Post back if you need a few tips on how to assign a different name to the 5 GHz network.

Jun 11, 2016 9:41 AM in response to Peter311

I will second Timons' reply. After troubleshooting my old TimeCapsule (2nd gen?), I discovered it's 5GHz band was not working. I upgraded to a new TC ( BTW, kudos to Apple for providing the easy migration tool to transfer the settings from the old to the new. I was dreading that since I assigned IP addresses to various devices, port forwards, Mac Address filtering, time limits, and WPA2 etc. Worked like a charm). With it, I was able to show that the 5GHz band was 2-5x faster than the 2.4 GHz for my setup. So there was real motivation for me to try and "force" my devices to the 5GHz. Also, about a dozen other 2.4 GHz Wifi signals can be seen in various parts of my house which really interfered with my network at times. So jumping to the 5GHz was doubly attractive.


Yes, Apple devices will seek out the strongest signal when first connecting. This is normally a good thing, but this usually means favoring the 2.4 GHz over the 5 GHz, which has much more limited range. What I have found is that it is best for me to set up a dual network and make sure my various devices are on the 5GHz over the 2.4. For the static devices, iMacs/AppleTV, this works well since they do not move around. The pretty much stay on the assigned band. It's a bit of a pain for iPhones/iPads/laptops, since they move around and will switch to the 2.4 as needed, but not switch back unless prompted too. However, the improvement is speeds is very well worth it for us despite having to manually switch them from time to time.

My Time Capsule's wifi always downgrades to 2.4GHz instead of 5GHz

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