Configuring Wireless Band Preference on Client Devices

Many devices in the wireless world now support the ability to connect on either the 2.4Ghz spectrum (b/g radios) and the 5Ghz spectrum (a/n radios).  It can sometimes be useful for troubleshooting, or operation, to prefer one of these radios over the other, or even disallow the use of one entirely on a client. 

Before jumping in to altering individual clients, there are multiple other steps that can be taken to improve wireless performance.  Troubleshooting wireless using the MR Tools, in addition to maximizing signal strength and throughput may solve the wireless problems before the client connection needs to be altered.

Should all of the aforementioned be explored and the desire to prefer a client band still exist, the following steps demonstrate how to change the band preference for a variety of devices.

Windows host:

1.  Open "Device Manager" from the control panel.

2.  Find the Wireless Network Interface under the "Network Adapters" section.

3.  Right click the Network adapter and click properties.

4. Select "Preferred Band" in the list.

5. Choose the preference in wireless spectrum.  What is available here will be determined by what is supported by the client hardware.

Android Phone:

1. Go to "Settings"

2.  Ensure that "Wi-Fi" is enabled, and navigate to "Advanced Wi-Fi Settings"

3.  Select "Wi-Fi Frequency Band"

4.  Select the preferred spectrum

NOTE:  Band Preference availability will depend on hardware and version.

MacOS and iOS:

At the time of writing this article, there is no option to prefer a specific band on MacOS devices, or iOS mobile devices.  If these devices support a 5Ghz radio, please refer to this article on band steering.