I have a TP-Link Archer C7 which is a dual-band AP. People in the house use different laptops, phones, tablets and smart-TVs. Would the network speed increase if I split devices between the two bands? The alternative I'm looking at is giving both frequencies the same SSID so that devices switch automatically.
Answer
No. What you want to do, is get as many devices setup using 5Ghz, and use the 2.4Ghz as a fall-back.
The reason is that because 2.4Ghz bands overlap, 2.4Ghz is usually very overcrowded with neighbour networks. 5Ghz allows a faster speed too depending on the specifications.
The only drawback with 5Ghz is that its range is more limited than the 2.4Ghz, depending on the router. If the router itself is very powerful, you may not even notice this, which is why 2.4 is mentioned as fall-back. Use it if 5Ghz is not working correctly, but if it is, then 5Ghz is preferred.
Also, older devices may not support 5Ghz either.
I recommend against using the same SSID for both networks because that will likely get devices capable of doing 5Ghz to connect to the 2.4Ghz network. (I talk from experience.) This is because the 2.4 Ghz has more range, so it comes into network range sooner than the 5Ghz, and therefor automatically connects.
Once connected, the client will not automatically switch!
I usually use SSID_Name_24 and SSID_Name_5 to distinquish both.
If at some point your device works correctly at 5Ghz and you were using 2.4Ghz too, it is a good idea to forget the 2.4Ghz network on your device, to prevent the auto connection to the 2.4 network. For android phones, there are apps that will allow you to switch (reconnect) to another network, and although it works reasonably well, its still a lot better to only use the 5Ghz network if possible.
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