What is '5G' WiFi?

Jacqui Dent - Editorial Strategist

Last updated 17 April 2020

If you're shopping for a new modem, you may have come across terms like '5G' or 5Ghz WiFi and 2.4Ghz WiFi. You may have been told that one is better than the other, or maybe even heard people confuse 5Ghz WiFi with 5G mobile networks, but in reality, 5Ghz WiFi is pretty simple. It's just faster WiFi.

'5G' WiFi has nothing to do with mobile networks

When discussing WiFi frequencies, we sometimes hear 5Ghz WiFi referred to as '5G WiFi', but this is more than a little misleading. That's because there's a hot new 5G mobile network rolling out across the country right now. But when we talk about the 5G mobile network, '5G' stands for 5th generation. It's got nothing to do with 5Ghz WiFi modems.

5Ghz WiFi vs 2.4Ghz WiFi

What's the difference between 5Ghz WiFi and 2.4Ghz WiFi? In a nutshell, 5Ghz WiFi is faster but 2.4Ghz WiFi has a longer range.

Okay, it's a little more complicated than that.

5Ghz and 2.4Ghz are both frequencies upon which WiFi can be broadcast throughout your home. The 5Ghz frequency can support up to 1Gbps of throughput whereas 2.4Ghz supports up to 600Mbps. These are potential speeds based on lab rather than real-world speeds which may vary depending on a number of factors such as the size of your home, the networking hardware in your devices, the number of devices connected, the speed of your internet connection, and more.

But while having a 5Ghz modem does not mean you will get internet speeds of 1Gbps, it does make it more likely that your network speed on WiFi will be closer to the speeds you can achieve by connecting directly to the modem with an Ethernet port. It should also mean that more devices in your home will be able to connect to WiFi at once. So if you're working from home, or have more people on your network then a 5Ghz connection is likely to be more reliable.

The 5Ghz frequency is also less prone to interference than 2.4Ghz. This is because the 2.4Ghz frequency isn't just used for WiFi. Many other home appliances like garage door openers, cordless phones and baby monitors use the same band. The end result is congestion that can lead to slower speeds and drop-outs.

However, while 5Ghz may be the faster of the two WiFi frequencies, 2.4Ghz has a longer range. This doesn't just mean that 2.4Ghz WiFi can cover a wider area, the longer waves are better at penetrating solid matter, like walls and doors.

Basically, each frequency has its pros and cons. The good news is, all but the cheapest modems and routers these days support both 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz WiFi. Some - like Google WiFi - are even smart enough to combine both into into a single network. They'll then automatically put each device on the optimal frequency for your location.

Jacqui Dent

Editorial Strategist

Jacqui Dent is an Editorial Content Strategist at WhistleOut Australia, where she writes about mobile phone plans, NBN plans and everything in between. Over her ten-year career, she has worked to provide informed advice to the public, first in the sphere of writing and now in the world of consumer tech. Jacqui has also written about consumer telco products for Business Insider, Pedestrian and the 50Up Club.

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