Network and Internet Change Preferred Band for Wi-Fi adapter in Windows 11

This tutorial will show you how to change the preferred band (6GHz, 5GHz, or 2.4GHz) to use by default for a Wi-Fi network adapter in Windows 10 and Windows 11.

Wi-Fi is a wireless local area network (WLAN) technology and standard that uses high-frequency radio waves to provide wireless Internet and network connections to your Windows device.

When you connect to a Wi-Fi network with multiple bands, Windows 10 and Windows 11 will automatically connect to a supported band with the strongest signal by default. This may not always be ideal if you get connected to the slower 2.4GHz band instead of a faster 5GHz or 6GHz band.

You can set a preferred band to force your Wi-Fi adapter to prioritize one supported band over the other when available.

This doesn't guarantee the set preferred band will always be used. It's only preferred.

To guarantee a band to be used, you'll need to set your Wi-Fi router to use single individual bands instead of multiband to connect to. This way you can always connect to the specific SSID for the specific band you want.

2.4GHz

• The 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi spectrum is 70 MHz wide, and devices are typically limited to three 20 MHz channels.
• 2.4 GHz can deliver a typical over-the-air max speed of up to 100 Mbps.
• Old and slower, but has the longest range and wall-penetration capability of available bands

5GHz

• The 5 GHz Wi-Fi spectrum is approximately 500 MHz wide, and devices can use up to six larger 80 MHz channels for faster speeds. However, only two of the six channels are always readily available as four channels may be restricted from use at times due to weather or airport radar.
• 5 GHz can deliver up to 1 Gbps.

6GHz

• The 6 GHz Wi-Fi spectrum is 1200 MHz wide (more than double the size of the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz spectrums) and supports up to seven even larger 160 MHz channels. These channels are only accessible to new Wi-Fi 6E devices, and they enable gigabit Wi-Fi speeds and allow operations free from legacy Wi-Fi interference.
• 6 GHz can deliver up to 2 Gbps.

Reference:

This option is only for Windows 11.

1 Open Settings (Win+I).

2 Click/tap on Network & internet on the left side, and click/tap on Wi-Fi on the right side. (see screenshot below)



3 Click/tap on Hardware properties. (see screenshot below)


4 Click/tap on the Edit button for More adapter options. (see screenshot below)


5 Click/tap on the Configure button. (see screenshot below)


6 Perform the steps below to set a preferred band for this Wi-Fi adapter: (see screenshot below)

1. Click/tap on the Advanced tab.
2. Click/tap on Preferred band in the left "Property" pane.
3. Select a band preferred by you in the right "Value" drop menu.
   

   Only bands supported by your Wi-Fi adapter will be listed.

4. Click/tap on OK.

1 Open Device Manager (devmgmt.msc).

2 Expand open Network adapters in Device Manager, and double click/tap on your wireless network adapter (ex: "Qualcomm(R) FastConnect(TM) 7800 Mobile Connectivity System"). (see screenshot below)


3 Perform the steps below to set a preferred band for this Wi-Fi adapter: (see screenshot below)

1. Click/tap on the Advanced tab.
2. Click/tap on Preferred band in the left "Property" pane.
3. Select a band preferred by you in the right "Value" drop menu.
   

   Only bands supported by your Wi-Fi adapter will be listed.

4. Click/tap on OK.

1 Open the Control Panel (icons view), and click/tap on the Network and Sharing Center icon.

2 Click/tap on the Change adapter settings link on the left side of Network and Sharing Center. (see screenshot below)


3 Right click on the Wi-Fi adapter you want, and click/tap on Properties. (see screenshot below)


4 Click/tap on the Configure button. (see screenshot below)


5 Perform the steps below to set a preferred band for this Wi-Fi adapter: (see screenshot below)

1. Click/tap on the Advanced tab.
2. Click/tap on Preferred band in the left "Property" pane.
3. Select a band preferred by you in the right "Value" drop menu.
   

   Only bands supported by your Wi-Fi adapter will be listed.

4. Click/tap on OK.

That's it,
Shawn Brink