Which router should you choose?

If you are using an old router, you may encounter issues with automatic channel switching. Some old routers can only scan for radio waves after restarting and cannot adapt to changes after scanning. Sometimes, you must restart the router when the signal drops to rescan the air and detect the least congested channels.

If you live in an apartment building and have several routers trying to connect to the internet, this may be a problem. This is also why some people suggest manually selecting channels on the router. This ensures that you have the best connection without restarting the network.

Nowadays, routers are more capable of selecting the optimal channel. They can also switch channels without restarting, which is more convenient for most people. If you are using a newer router, setting channel selection to automatic will make it easier to connect to the internet.

You don't have to manually search for the least congested channel, nor do you have to experience signal degradation. Besides, you don't need to constantly monitor the radio waves to ensure you have the best connection.

Important considerations when setting up router channel selection

The choice between manual and automatic channel selection depends on something else, rather than convenience, speed, and stability. These considerations include non WiFi devices that use the same channel to send and receive data or operations.

Understanding these things is crucial if you want to ensure that your router receives the best signal. Therefore, let's talk about other factors that may affect your decision to use manual or automatic channel switching for the router.

Number of active connections in your area

Assuming that several routers in your area use the 2.4 GHz frequency band, and you are using older or cheaper routers. In this case, a more powerful router can easily kick your router out of the channel or cause a decrease in WiFi speed.

Remember, these routers will only scan for radio waves when you start them, and they will not consider future changes to these channels. They may even require you to restart in order to find a better channel after the signal drops.

High end or newer routers have technology to maintain channel switching to maintain stable connectivity. However, they need to monitor the interference of the radio waves to ensure that you do not encounter signal drops. However, even if you choose automatic channel selection, you can expect these routers to perform well.

By manually selecting channels, you will be able to adapt to changes in radio waves, making it easier to switch to another channel when your signal drops.

This will give you greater flexibility when using a router and ensure that you have the most stable connection without signal interference.

If your router operates in the 5 GHz frequency band, the number of routers and devices in your area is not a problem, as they are often less crowded.

The number of devices that can use this frequency is decreasing, and other devices can use more non overlapping channels. That's why for people using the 5 GHz frequency band, automatic channel selection is usually a better choice.