What to do if Windows 10 can’t see 5GHz Wi-Fi?

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Some users complain that they have Windows 10 not seeing 5 GHz Wi-Fi: the computer only manages to detect the 2.4 GHz range, but not the desired 5 GHz. This can happen for various reasons – today we will tell you what causes such a problem and how to deal with it.

Briefly about 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands

The main difference between the two bands is signal range (coverage area) and bandwidth (network connection speed). The 2.4 GHz band provides its user with a good coverage area, but he cannot boast of really high speeds.

The 5 GHz range, in turn, covers a slightly smaller area (for such a frequency, obstacles are a serious problem), but it gives out an amazing speed that 2.4 GHz never dreamed of.

Also, keep in mind that wireless speed, regardless of band, may vary due to the presence of other devices in the same band. Many wireless gadgets today operate exactly at 2.4 GHz, thereby interfering with each other. A significantly smaller number of devices operate at 5 GHz – the radio space is practically free.

What to do if Windows 10 does not see 5 GHz Wi-Fi

This problem can be caused by two reasons.

  1. Problems with the Wi-Fi adapter driver.
  2. Your device is not capable of operating in the 5 GHz range.

Updating the Wi-Fi adapter driver is done as follows:

  • right-click on Start and select “Device Manager”;
  • expand the “Network adapters” section;
  • double-click LMB on your Wi-Fi adapter;
  • go to the “Driver” tab;
  • click on the “Update driver” button;
  • then select the option “Automatically search for updated drivers”;
  • follow the instructions on the screen.

You can check if your device supports 5 GHz like this:

  • right-click on Start;
  • select “Command line (administrator)” from the list;
  • enter the command netsh wlan show drivers and press Enter.

You will see a small list with various information about the Wi-Fi adapter. Find the line “Supported types of radio modules”. If you have 802.11n, 802.11g and 802.11b standards listed here, it means that your computer only supports the 2.4 GHz band. If 802.11a, 802.11g and 802.11n – there is support for both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz.

If the Wi-Fi adapter has both an up-to-date working driver and support for a 5 GHz range, then the matter may lie in the Wi-Fi router. Try to go to the Wi-Fi settings and change the channel and channel width for 5 GHz mode. Be sure to remember to save your changes!

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