What is Band Steering?

Band Steering is a function that automatically directs anyone connecting to the wireless network to the best available and supported band, so it helps optimize performance for the client.

What is the frequency range?

A frequency range or band is a part of a larger frequency region. WiFi uses two frequency bands: 2.4GHz and 5GHz.

What is Band Steering? Picture 1

- The 2.4GHz band is used by older wireless technology and standards (802.11 b/g/n) and provides signals that travel the farthest but at the lowest speeds. Because of the signal's long reach, this frequency band is also susceptible to interference from WiFi networks, as well as other wireless devices (Bluetooth, baby monitors) and microwaves. (See more: 7 things that affect WiFi network speed).

- The 5GHz band is available for devices using the latest wireless standards such as 802.11ac, as well as some older standards (802.11 a/n). The 5GHz band provides wireless signals with a shorter reach than the 2.4GHz band, but also has the highest speeds/best performance. New computers and devices love this frequency range because of the superior performance it offers. Due to the shorter reach of signals on this frequency band, multiple access points are often needed to provide the desired coverage within the home.

What happens when you don't have Band Steering?

If your device does not support Band Steering, the user or device will select the correct/best band themselves. Many routers are set up by the seller or service provider, so that one router has separate networks with different names and credentials for the 5GHz and 2.4GHz bands. Then, the user must know which network and which frequency band to connect to.

Worst case scenario, the user tries to connect to a network that is not supported by the device, or a network that provides much slower performance than what the device actually supports.

What does Band Steering do?

What is Band Steering? Picture 2

Band Steering means you don't have to worry about which bands are supported by the different computers and devices you use, because you have a router or other wireless access point that can make the assessments. and direct each device to the appropriate frequency band.

Band Steering is often part of a more comprehensive function called client steering, which ensures that all clients (devices) connected to the wireless access point deliver the best performance.

Jessica Tanner

Update 17 October 2023