Your new internet connection includes a dual-band router and will come with two wireless network options:
GigaPeak-XXXX-2G and GigaPeak-XXXX-5G
Two for the price of one? Not quite! But both of them are useful for different scenarios depending on your requirements.
In an ideal world, you would use 5Ghz (we label this as 5G) all of the time. This will give you the fastest speeds and the least congestion but the signal strength will quickly deteriorate the further away from the router you are. This can be a problem in particular with traditional stone farmhouses (as is common in Hope Valley!) because the 5G simply can't penetrate through the thick stone walls.
2.4Ghz (simply labeled as 2G) isn't as fast as 5G and will give much slower speeds however it can travel a lot further and is often the best choice if you need to use the internet and you're a long way from the router. It's also more prone to interference from other devices in your home such as microwaves and baby monitors. You can even get interference from devices in your neighbours home!
Common Household Devices which can cause Interference (shown as slow internet speeds)
- Microwave
- Cordless Phone
- Baby Monitor
- Wireless CCTV / Cameras
- External monitors and LCD displays
- Your neighbours Wi-Fi network
To summarise, we would recommend using 5G for the best internet speeds and only switching to 2G when the 5G signal won't reach.