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Unsure which channel width to set on 5 GHz or 6 GHz.

Wider channels give higher peak speeds but fewer non-overlapping channels. In a crowded office with multiple APs, narrower beats wider almost every time because more APs can transmit at once without stepping on each other.

Try this first

  1. 15 GHz in an office with 3+ APs: use 40 MHz, not 80. At 80 MHz overlap creeps in fast, especially with neighbours.
  2. 25 GHz in a home or small office (1 to 2 APs): 80 MHz is fine, 160 MHz only if DFS gives no trouble.
  3. 36 GHz: you can go wider here, 80 or 160 MHz, because there are far more channels, particularly if no neighbours interfere.
  4. 42.4 GHz: ALWAYS 20 MHz, never 40. 40 on 2.4 in a busy area is self-sabotage.
  5. 5Test with a Wi-Fi analyzer at peak hour, not at night. If retransmits climb on 80, drop back to 40.

When to bring us in

You have a specific use case like VR headsets or medical imaging over Wi-Fi: rules of thumb stop applying, that is a real WLAN design task with per-device-type measurement.

See also

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