Wireless best practices
Wi-Fi frequency 2.4GHz or 5GHz band
Wi-Fi is a technology that allows electronic devices to exchange data or connect to the internet wirelessly. With Wi-Fi you have the possibility to work on either the 2.4GHz band or the 5GHz band, both are so called free bands (for public use).
Designing your Wi-Fi network
For the best possible Wi-Fi experience, there are a couple of guidelines that you can keep in mind while designing your Wi-Fi infrastructure:
Choose your band:
Wi-Fi operates over the 2.4GHz (802.11b, 802.11g) and the 5GHz band (802.11n, 802.11ac). Both have advantages and disadvantages.
2.4GHz frequency
Advantages | Disadvantages |
|---|---|
| Larger coverage area | Lower throughput |
| Support by all Wi-Fi devices | Higher congestion rate |
| Sensitive to interference |
5GHz frequency
Advantages | Disadvantages |
|---|---|
| Higher throughput | Not supported by legacy devices |
| Lower congestion rate | Smaller coverage area |
| Less sensitive to interference |
Most legacy devices only support 2.4GHz and will not function on the 5GHz band. Make sure you know that the hardware you are using supports either 2.4GHz or 2.4GHz and 5GHz. For the best performance, we recommend using hardware that supports the 5GHz band. For TiM, this will be the Apple 5th generation iPod (or above) and the 3rd generation iPad (or above). After you have chosen the band on which TiM will operate, it’s time to set up your accesspoints.
Avoiding signal overlap when using multiple accesspoints
The frequency range on the 2.4GHz band is much narrower than the 5GHz band. For the best experience, set your accesspoints on different channels (frequency). Also try not to let them overlap with other SSID’s (=(name of a) wireless network). As a starting point, you can try setting them on channels 1, 6 and 11. Roaming (=connecting from one accesspoint to another) works best if your channels are separated and do not overlap. Since this is not always a possibility, you have to test for the optimal settings for your environment.
You can use a tool like inSSIDer (http://www.metageek.net) to scan your environment.
Wi-Fi interference
Microwaves, cordless phones, alarms and other devices that use the 2.4GHz band can cause interference with your Wi-Fi network. Therefore, make sure that you place your accesspoints at least 3 meters (10 feet) away from devices that can interfere. The 5GHz band is less sensitive to interference.
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