5 GHz and 2.4 GHz WiFi combination

middleofnowhere wrote: ↑ Try using the same SSID for both networks. This might encourage client devices to pick bands more effectively, depending on how the clients' wifi stacks are implemented.

middleofnowhere wrote: ↑ Beyond that, there's nothing else you can do. Band selection is at the discretion of the client devices and the AP's band steering implementation.

What do you want to accomplish by preferentially directing devices onto the 5 GHz band? Residential use cases where 5GHz preference makes sense are fairly niche. Unless you need more speed than 2.4 GHz can offer, or 2.4 Ghz is too congested to be usable, there's no point in putting too much effort into this.

alpovs wrote: ↑ I am not sure how it is niche because it's both - congestion and low speed on 2.4. Neighbors using 40 MHz channel bandwidth and/or overlapping channels.

• Talk to your neighbors about a channel management plan for 2.4 GHz so everyone benefits.
• Try buying a different access point. Enterprise-level gear (Rukus, Cisco, HP/Aruba, etc) may have more aggressive band steering algorithms but this kind of hardware does not come cheap.
• Use a separate SSID for 2.4 GHz and remove this SSID from devices that don't need to use 2.4 GHz.
• Hardwire devices wherever possible. This will both increase throughput for hardwired devices and reduce wifi contention for remaining wifi devices.
• Consider re-painting the inside surface of your exterior walls with conductive paint to reduce external wifi interference. Note that this will also block cell phone service indoors.