Find the Best Wifi Channel on Windows.
If you experience frequent connection drops or don’t get the speed you expect, your router may be using an overloaded Wi-Fi link. The crowded channel prevents the Wi-Fi signals from moving smoothly and this is causing problems with your connection.
Fortunately, there are ways to find the best Wi-Fi channel in your area and get your router to use that channel. This way, your router uses the most efficient channel to carry signals and improve your connection.
You can use various tools to find the best Wi-Fi channels on Windows, Mac and Linux computers. In this guide, we will focus on the 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi channels numbered 1, 6, and 11. This is because these channels do not overlap with each other.
Find the Best Wi-Fi Channel on Windows 10
On Windows 10, you can use one of the many Wi-Fi scanner tools to find the best performing Wi-Fi channel in your area. These tools scan the networks around you and then allow you to analyze reports. Then you can find the least busy channel in these reports.
Here are two free apps you can use on Windows 10 to find the best Wi-Fi channel for your router.
Use WiFi Analyzer to find the best Wi-Fi channel
WiFi Analyzer is a free app in the Microsoft Store that you can use to get information about the Wi-Fi networks around you. The app first scans the nearby networks and then lets you view the channels of each network.
Using this data, you can determine the least congested Wi-Fi channel in your area, and then use that channel with your router.
- Open the Microsoft Store and download the free WiFi Analyzer app.
- Install and run the application.
- Select the Networks tab at the top of the application.
- On the Networks tab, you will see a list of all wireless networks around you with their channels.
- Find the least used channel. For example, in the screenshot, channel 8 is the least busy.
Use WifiInfoView to find the best Wi-Fi channel
WifiInfoView is another free app that you can use to scan Wi-Fi networks around you and get information about their channels.
- Download and run the free WifiInfoView app on your PC. It is a portable application so you don’t need to install it.
- In the application interface, select the column labeled Channel. This sorts the available Wi-Fi networks by the number of channels in use.
- See which channel is the least used here.
- Configure the router to use the least loaded link from this list.
Find the Best Wi-Fi Channel on macOS
macOS comes with a built-in Wi-Fi analysis tool, and you can use it to find channel information for nearby networks. This tool will also tell you directly which Wi-Fi channel is best to use, so you don’t have to dig around.
- Press and hold the Option key on your keyboard and select the Wi-Fi icon from the Mac menu bar.
- From the menu that appears, select Open Wireless Diagnostics.
- The wireless diagnostics window will open. Do not select anything in this window. Instead, choose Window> Scan from the menu bar at the top.
- In the “Scan” window that opens, select “Scan now” at the bottom.
- You can now see all nearby Wi-Fi networks and the channels they use.
- On the left side of the window, macOS tells you which channel you are using. should be used for both 2.4GHz and 5GHz routers. These channels are the best Wi-Fi channels you should use with your router.
Find the Best Wi-Fi Channel on Linux
On various Linux distributions, including Ubuntu, you can run a command from Terminal to get a list of the Wi-Fi channels your nearby networks use.
To do this:
- Open a terminal on your Linux machine.
- Type the following command and press Enter: sudo iwlist wlan0 scan | grep (Channel
- The channel that appears in the Terminal the least number of times is the channel you should use with your Wi-Fi router.
- You are now you can close your Terminal Window.
Change Your Wi-Fi Router’s Channel
Since each router offers a unique settings menu, there is no exact set of instructions you can follow to change the Wi-Fi channel on your router.
However, you can use the following general steps to change your router’s Wi-Fi channel. Your specific router settings may differ from those described below, but you get the point.
- Open the router settings page in a web browser. For most routers, this can be done by typing 192.168.1.1 in the address bar of your browser and pressing Enter.
- On the router login page, enter the correct credentials and click OK. Many routers use admin as their default username and password.
- Select Wireless Settings (or similar) from the top menu bar.
- In the left sidebar, select Basic Wireless Settings.
- In the right pane, select the Channel drop-down menu and choose the best Wi-Fi channel. Here, the best Wi-Fi channel is the one that you think is the least congested in the above procedures.
- Save your changes by clicking OK at the bottom.
- Click the Maintenance tab at the top and select Restart Router. Your router will reboot.
And your wireless router is now using the most efficient Wi-Fi channel!
If you notice a difference in your Wi-Fi speed or your connection no longer drops, let us know in the comments below.
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Find the Best Wifi Channel on Windows
Find the Best Wifi Channel on Windows
How to Find the Best Wi-Fi Channel on Windows.
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