Wifi channel selection Hub 2

[#1]

Hi,

Could I ask a question about an interesting observation noted?

Recently changed to a hub two

Was using ethernet for a desktop so didn't notice speed reduction but this week tried to connect a laptop wirelessly

It was unusable, so slow could not connect to work VPN, I almost reinstalled windows thinking it was a PC issue

Didn't realise housemate has been having issues he had a bought 2.4Ghz extender (speed 20mpbs usually) so can troubleshoot . (This is as Hub 2 cannot choose 2.4 or 5Ghz)

Realised that 5Ghz channels are 36, 40, 44, 48. The Hub two recommends and has been on channel 36 as the suggested channel after a "smart rescan" in the settings, this is so slow that I cannot even connect to the router via IP. When I manually select a channel e.g. 44 I'm getting workable speeds e.g. 30-40mbps.

How is the hub two suggesting and recommending the channels after the "smart scan"? This is very confusing as I'm normally used to letting the router do its thing but this time it made things unusable

[#2]

Hiya @3nhu1, 

Smart Wireless helps you maintain the best connection on all your wireless devices.

It'll scan all the available wireless channels and choose one which has the least congestion and interference meaning you get the best connection. For Hubs with dual band wireless.

 Smart Wireless scans both the 2.4GHz and the 5GHz bands separately, selecting the best channel at each frequency.

I hope this helps!

[#3 · Accepted solution]

@3nhu1 

As far as I am aware the hub only looks at congestion at the hub location. The problem is that the congestion can be totally different in the room where you use your wireless device. For example, my hub is located in the centre of the house and sees only low level transmissions from my neighbour's wifi. However, in my living room, my next door neighbour has his hub located in a position where it is closer to my devices than my own hub. I therefore get a stronger signal from this than that from my own hub.

The answer is to use a WiFi sniffer app, I use WiFi Analyzer on an Android phone. If you walk around the house with this you can find the best compromise at both the hub location and where you use your devices. Remember, this is a two way link so both are equally important..