Apple Event: May 7th at 7 am PT
Is there a reason why channel 165 cannot be selected in Airport Utility for the AirPort Extreme? Wireless Diagnostics frequently recommends this channel when using the Scan feature.
I don't believe 165 is a DFS channel as it's well outside of that range. Am I overlooking a simple explanation for this, or has Apple neglected to implement this channel on the Airport?
Airport Extreme 802.11ac, Firmware 7.7.9
Never mind, I think I figured it out. The Airport uses 80MHz wide channels for 802.11ac, with no option to adjust channel width. Channel 165 is a 20MHz wide channel, and isn't utilized in channel bonding scenarios (source).
Perhaps Apple withheld this option for the sake of user-friendliness ✅
I originally asked this question because I experience much increased 5GHz range and performance using channels 149 and above compared with the lower bands. Maybe someone with more knowledge could enlighten me on why that might be?
Never mind, I think I figured it out. The Airport uses 80MHz wide channels for 802.11ac, with no option to adjust channel width. Channel 165 is a 20MHz wide channel, and isn't utilized in channel bonding scenarios (source).
Perhaps Apple withheld this option for the sake of user-friendliness ✅
I originally asked this question because I experience much increased 5GHz range and performance using channels 149 and above compared with the lower bands. Maybe someone with more knowledge could enlighten me on why that might be?
I originally asked this question because I experience much increased 5GHz range and performance using channels 149 and above compared with the lower bands.
The power output allowed on the higher channels is a lot greater than lower channels. (according to the old rules).
Your source is good.. another source is wlan wiki
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_WLAN_channels
The US FCC rules for power output have recently changed.. but the normal standard is 30dBm on the high channels. This is now also allowed by the lower channels.. but previously power output for lower bands was kept to 250mW or 24dBm (from memory).. i am still looking for the older rules.. there is a good chance Apple has not upgraded the WiFi settings from the previous rules. It would require a firmware update as the levels are set in the router.
FCC Rules and Regulations | AIR802 | 2.4 & 5 GHz Bands
It will depend on a number of factors though.. including what materials your walls are made of and how effective the antennas and beam forming is in airport, interference from other wifi and 5ghz band users around you.
I notice my more advanced Asus wireless router does include channel 165 but the older one does not. I think there is going to be a fair amount of variation from router to router in this area.
Thanks for clarifying that. It would be great if Apple would update the rule set in Airport’s firmware. The 802.11ac Extreme is still a great product and I could see myself getting years of additional use out of it - just hope Apple would continue to support it.
Inaccessible 5GHz Channels
