Use NetSpot WiFi Channel Scanner to Find the Optimal Channel

CHOOSING THE BEST WIFI CHANNEL IS KEY TO UNLOCKING THE FULL POTENTIAL OF YOUR WIFI, AND WE EXPLAIN HOW YOU CAN DO JUST THAT USING NETSPOT WIFI CHANNEL SCANNER.

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There are many factors that influence the performance of a WiFi network, but you would be hard-pressed to find one that’s as easy to change and has such a big impact as your WiFi channel. Changing it is a matter of a simple click, and you’ll be glad you took the time to make it.

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Wi-Fi channels 1, 6, and 11

Non-Overlapping Channels

What wireless channel to use in a crowded space

What if Wi-Fi channels 1, 6, and 11 are crowded?

Three main reasons for WiFi interference

5 GHz channel band

Should I Use the 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz Channel Band?

How to Find the Best WiFi Channel

Windows
macOS
Linux
Android
iOS

How to Change Your Router’s Wi-Fi Channel

Select the right Wi-Fi channel with NetSpot — the top WiFi channel analyzer

WiFi Channel Scanner — FAQs

Wi-Fi channels 1, 6, and 11

In your router's settings there are channel settings. Most routers have channel settings set to "Auto", but if you look through the list, there are at least a dozen of WLAN channels. So how do you know which WiFi channels are faster than the others in that list? Choosing the proper WiFi channel can vastly improve your WiFi coverage and performance. But even if you find the fastest channel there it doesn't always mean you should select it right away.

Various frequency bands (2.4GHz, 3.6 GHz, 4.9 GHz, 5 GHz, and 5.9 GHz) have their own range of channels. Usually routers will use the 2.4GHz band with a total of 14 channels, however in reality it may be 13 or even less that are used around the world.

Wi-Fi channels

All Wi-Fi versions through 802.11n (a, b, g, n) work between the channel frequencies of 2400 and 2500 MHz. These 100 MHz in between are split in 14 channels 20 MHz each. As a result, each 2.4GHz channel overlaps with two to four other channels (see diagram above). Overlapping makes wireless network throughput quite poor.

1, 6, and 11 channels don’t overlap with one another

Most popular channels for 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi are 1, 6, and 11, because they don’t overlap with one another. You should always try using channels 1, 6, or 11 when on a non-MIMO setup (i.e. 802.11 a, b, or g). The table below lists all 11 Wi-Fi channels that are available in North America and specifies the exact frequency range of each:

Channel number		Bottom of channel	Center frequency
1	2401	2412	2423
2	2406	2417	2428
3	2411	2422	2433
4	2416	2427	2438
5	2421	2432	2443
6	2426	2437	2448
7	2431	2442	2453
8	2436	2447	2458
9	2441	2452	2463
10	2446	2457	2468
11	2451	2462	2473

Non-Overlapping Channels

As said above every wireless channel on the 2.4 GHz spectrum is 20 MHz wide. When using 802.11n with 20 MHz channels, choose the 1, 6, and 11 ones. If going to use 40MHz channels, take into consideration that the airwaves may be congested, unless you live in a house in the middle of a very large property.

The whole spectrum is 100 MHz wide and the channel centers are separated by 5 MHz only. This leaves no choice to eleven channels but to overlap.

Non-Overlapping Channels

What wireless channel to use in a crowded space

And, again, for the best throughput and minimal interference, channels 1, 6, and 11 are your choice. Depending on the neighboring WiFi networks one channel can be a better choice than another.

E.g. if you choose channel 1, but your neighbor is using channel 2, then you'll want to switch to 11 to completely avoid overlapping, though 6 can work as well if not better. As tempting as it is to use the channels other than 1, 6, and 11, remember that everyone around will be stomping on your throughput and you can become the reason for channel interference.

It would be a perfect setting to talk with all the neighbors and set up each router to channels 1, 6, 11. If you have a thick brick wall between you and your neighbor using the same channel 1 probably wouldn't hurt, but if there is a thin wall between you, try working on using different wireless channels.

What if Wi-Fi channels 1, 6, and 11 are crowded?

As the table above illustrates, channels 2, 3, 4, and 5 overlap with both the channel 1 and 6, while the channels 7, 8, 9, and 10 overlap with both the channel 6 and 11. This means that when channels 1, 6, and 11 are crowded, all channels between them are affected as well.

If you live in an area with many Wi-Fi networks on channels 1 and 6, switching to the channel 3 or 6 won’t likely help improve your signal at all. In fact, it can result in the loss of signal strength as a result of the increased amount of interference.

always stick with channels 1, 6, and 11

As a rule of thumb, always stick with channels 1, 6, and 11 even if they are crowded. Of course, you can always experiment with other channels, but make sure to verify your signal strength and the performance of your network with NetSpot.

Three main reasons for WiFi interference

All Wi-Fi connections can be negatively affected by electromagnetic interference, also called radio-frequency interference, which happens for three main reasons:

WiFi interference

Reason 1: Co-Channel Interference

In networks where devices take turns to talk, it takes time for each of them to wait for their turn. Therefore, the more devices the longer the wait time. This type of Wi-Fi interference isn’t actually electromagnetic interference. Instead, it’s a result of Wi-Fi routers doing their best to give one another room to transmit data.

Think back to when you were in elementary school and your teacher asked the whole class a question. The chances are that multiple kids started shouting at once and nobody could hear anything properly. That’s basically what co-channel interference is, which is why Wi-Fi routers take turns and politely wait for one another to finish.

Reason 2: Adjacent-Channel Interference

Adjacent-channel interference happens when clients on overlapping channels talk at the same time. Wi-Fi channel selection is crucial in cases like this. Such channel-related interferences can be cut down or excluded by choosing the proper Wi-Fi channel for your network.

NetSpot can help you reveal which Wi-Fi channels are cluttered the most so you can avoid them and use other channels instead, preferably channels 1, 6, or 11 because these three channels are non-overlapping. Fortunately, modern Wi-Fi routers are able to cope with adjacent-channel interference much better than older routers, many of which default to the same Wi-Fi channel.

Reason 3: Non-Wi-Fi interference

In addition to Wi-Fi routers, there are many other electronic devices that can interfere with the 2.4 GHz band. Some interfere with it because they use it to wirelessly transmit data, such as security cameras, Bluetooth devices, baby monitors, and smartphones, while others interfere with it because they emit a large amount of electromagnetic radiation, such as microwaves and other appliances.

To avoid non-Wi-Fi interference, it’s important to place your Wi-Fi router far away from all sources of electromagnetic radiation, preferably also away from solid objects, including walls, large pieces of furniture, and so on.

A WiFi channel scanner like NetSpot helps you see through the network and choose the proper channel or reduce WiFi interference. Using NetSpot channel scanner will help you improve your 2.4 GHz WiFi network performance.

5 GHz channel band

The 5 GHz (802.11n and 802.11ac) band actually offers way more free space at the higher frequencies. It offers 23 non-overlapping 20MHz channels.

Starting with 802.11n and going to 802.11ac, wireless technology became much more advanced. If you bought a WiFi router within the last couple of years, then you probably have a decent 802.11n or 802.11ac router. Most of them have a hardware inside that automatically selects the proper WiFi channel and adjusts the output power thus boosting throughput and cutting down the interference.

5 GHz channel band compatibility:

802.11n: Released in 2009, this emendation to the IEEE 802.11-2007 wireless-networking standard is the first mainstream version of the IEEE 802 set of LAN protocols that can be used in the 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz frequency bands.
802.11ac: Released in 2013, 802.11ac extended channel binding from 40 MHz in 802.11n to optional 160 MHz and mandatory 80 MHz channel bandwidth for stations, resulting in multi-station throughput of at least 1 gigabit per second and single-link throughput of at least 500 megabits per second (500 Mbit/s).
802.11ax: Also called Wi-Fi 6 by Wi-Fi Alliance, 802.11ax is the latest version of the IEEE 802.11 standard, designed to operate in all band spectrums between 1 and 7 GHz. 802.11ax Wi-Fi routers were demonstrated to achieve a top speed of 11 Gbit/s, in part thanks to their ability to avoid interference with neighboring networks.

Using the 5GHz band and having decently thick walls as well as the general lacking of 5GHz devices usually means that there is a very little interference in your space. In cases like this you may benefit from using the 40, 80, and 160MHz channels.

Ideally, as everyone gradually upgrades their hardware and starts using 5GHz band, having to select the proper WiFi channel will become obsolete. It is especially applicable to MIMO setups (up to eight in 802.11ac), when it is a better idea to let your router do its own thing. Of course there will be custom cases like fine-tuning the channel selection for your router.

Eventually, even the 5GHz will fill up, but by the time it happens we should be able to figure higher WiFi channel frequencies out. Or maybe entirely new antenna designs will be created for the high-end demands of wireless networking world.

Should I Use the 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz Channel Band?

If you own a fairly modern Wi-Fi router, there’s a good chance that it supports both the 2.4 GHz or 5GHz channel band. Because support for the 2.4 GHz band precedes the 5 GHz band, you might come to the conclusion that the 5 GHz band is always better. In reality, both bands have their pros and cons that you should be aware of to know which one to use.

2.4 GHz: This band provides coverage at a longer range but transmits data at slower speeds.
5 GHz: On the other hand, the 5 GHz band provides less coverage but transmits data at faster speeds.

2.4GHz vs 5GHz WiFi

In general, higher frequencies have a harder time penetrating solid objects, such as walls and trees, which is why the 5 GHz band is not great for broadcasting data across long ranges.

The good news is that modern Wi-Fi routers can readily use both the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz channel band at the same time, giving you the best of both worlds. Such routers are called “dual-band,” and they are well worth their higher price.

There are even “tri-band” routers, which broadcast one signal in the 2.4 GHz band and two signals in the 5 GHz band. Tri-band routers tend to be very expensive, but they are indispensable in highly congested areas, such as city centers.

If you can’t use both the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz channel band at the same time, we recommend you test bands independently and choose the one which allows you to achieve higher data transfer speeds and lower latency.

How to Find the Best WiFi Channel

After learning so much useful information about WiFi channels, you’re probably anxious to find the best WiFi channel in your area and configure your router to use it so that you can enjoy a faster and more stable connection to the internet.

In this section, we provide step-by-step instructions on how you can do just that on every major platform. Here’s how to find the best WiFi channel on Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, and iOS.

Windows

Windows provides a native way of finding the best WiFi channel, but it relies on a rather unintuitive command-line application, called netsh. This application is included with all versions of Windows starting from Windows 2000, and its main purpose is to allow local or remote configuration of network devices such as the interface.

Here’s how to use netsh as a wireless channel scanner for Windows:

Press Win + R on your keyboard.
Type “cmd” and press Enter.
Enter “netsh wlan show all” in the Command Prompt and press Enter.
Scroll down until you see a section called “SHOW NETWORKS MODE=BSSID.”
Analyze which channels are used the most by networks in your area.

Needles to say, using netsh as a WiFi channel scanner for Windows is slow and cumbersome. Fortunately, more convenient WiFi channel scanner Windows apps do exist, and NetSpot is the one we recommend to all home users and professionals alike because of its intuitive user interface and impressive capabilities.

To find the best WiFi channel with NetSpot on Windows:

Download and install the Windows version of NetSpot.
Launch NetSpot and make sure Discover mode is selected.

Sort the discovered WiFi networks by their channel.

Sort the discovered WiFi networks by their channel

Determine which non-overlapping channel (1, 6, and 11) is utilized the least.
Configure your router to use the least used channel.

As you can see, NetSpot is much simpler to use than netsh, and it offers considerably more features that make troubleshooting WiFi issues a breeze.

macOS

macOS comes with a built-in WiFi channel scanner, and you can access it by clicking the WiFi network icon in the menu bar and selecting the Open Wireless Diagnostics option. Don’t pay attention to the prompts and, instead, click Window > Scan in the Title Bar.

You should see a list of all WiFi networks available in your local area. To obtain the most accurate results, click the Scan Now button in the bottom-right corner to refresh the list. The left pane displays a convenient summary of the scan results, including the best WiFi channels.

Alternatively, you can use a third-party WiFi analyzer app like NetSpot and make your life a bit easier while obtaining more comprehensive results. With NetSpot, finding the most suitable WiFi channel is a matter of a few simple clicks, and you don’t even need to spend any money because you can use NetSpot’s powerful Discover mode for free.

Follow the steps below to use NetSpot as your Mac WiFi channel scanner:

Download and install the NetSpot app on your Mac.
Launch NetSpot and click Discover in the top-left corner.

Sort the discovered WiFi networks by their channel.

Determine which non-overlapping channel (1, 6, and 11) is utilized the least.
Configure your router to use the least used non-overlapping channel.

NetSpot wireless channel scanner Mac app can also visualize WiFi channel distribution, allowing you to see at a glance which channels are used the most by selected WiFi networks.

To visualize WiFi channel distribution with NetSpot, select each WiFi network you want to plot on a graph and click Details in the bottom-left corner of the main window. Finally, switch to the Channels 2,4 GHz tab. These and other features make NetSpot the best Mac WiFi channel scanner available.

Linux

If you’re using a popular Linux distribution like Ubuntu, you don’t need to install a third-party WiFi channel scanner to find the best WiFi channel in your area. You can just use a command-line utility called iwlist, whose purpose is to display useful information from a wireless network interface, such as the WiFi card in your laptop or the USB WiFi dongle connected to your desktop computer.

Follow these steps to find the best WiFi channel using iwlist:

Open Terminal.
Check what interface you are using the “ip link” command.
Enter the following command to see a summary of what is being used:

sudo iwlist wlan0 scan | grep Frequency | sort | uniq -c | sort -n

Make sure to replace wlan0 with the interface specified after running the “ip link” command (such as wlp3s0).

Android

Unfortunately, the Android operating system doesn’t let you see which channel a WiFi network uses, so it’s impossible to determine which WiFi channels are suitable and which are not without a third-party WiFi channel scanner app.

There are several WiFi channel scanner apps for Android that helps find the best WiFi channel using a smartphone or tablet, but we recommend the Android version of NetSpot because you can download it for free directly from Google Play Store to see important WiFi parameters, including WiFi channels, in real-time. NetSpot for Android is just as easy to use as its desktop counterpart, and it supports both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz channel bands.

To find the best WiFi channel using NetSpot for Android:

Download NetSpot for Android from Google Play Store.
Launch the app.
Switch to the Comparison tab and instantly see which channels in the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands are used the most.

By swiping the graph from right to left, you can switch from the 2.4 GHz to the 5 GHz band. NetSpot’s simplicity is just one of many things that make it the best WiFi channel scanner for Android.

You can exclude a certain channel from the comparison by tapping the small checkbox next to it.

iOS

Not many iPhone and iPad users know that AirPort Utility, whose purpose is to manage WiFi network and AirPort base stations, contains a fairly capable WiFi scanner that you can use to discover the best WiFi channel available in your area.

This is how to activate and use it:

Download AirPort Utility from the App Store.
Open Settings and go to the AirPort Utility Settings screen.
Turn on the Wi-Fi Scanner feature at the bottom.
Launch AirPort Utility and tab the blue Wi-Fi Scan button in the top-right corner.
Set the desired scan duration and tap Scan.

While AirPort Utility does get the job done when used as an iOS WFi channel analyzer, there are more capable and more convenient WiFi channel scanners for iOS out there. Perhaps the best example is NetSpot, which is available from the App Store and designed to work with the WiPry 2500x dual-band spectrum analyzer (2.4 & 5 GHz).

Here are the steps you need to follow to use NetSpot WiFi channel analyzer on iPhone:

Connect the WiPry 2500x dual-band spectrum analyzer to your iPhone.
Download NetSpot for iOS from the App Store.
Launch the app.
Look at the list of available networks.
Switch to the comparison tab for a visual representation of WiFi channel distribution.

In addition to making it easy to find the best WiFi channel, NetSpot iPhone WiFi channel scanner can also be used to perform deep analysis and troubleshooting of WiFi networks with color-coded visual heatmaps, and it also has a built-in internet speed test feature that you can use to verify if you’re getting the download and upload speeds that you were promised by your ISP when you first signed up.

How to Change Your Router’s Wi-Fi Channel

To change WiFi channel, you first need to enter its admin interface. This is usually done by entering a specific IP address in your web browser (it should be printed on the bottom of your router), but some newer routers come with a companion smartphone app.

The IP address should take you to the login page to your router’s admin interface. Unless you’ve changed the default login name and password to something else, you should be able to log in by entering “admin” as both the username and password. If it doesn’t work, consult the manual that came with your router or get in touch with the manufacturer directly.

Once you’re inside the admin interface, you need to find the WiFi channel setting so that you can change it to your preferred channel. Because all routers are different, we can’t give you detailed instructions here, but it should be located under Wireless Settings or Advanced Settings.

After you’ve changed the WiFi channel, the only thing left to do is to restart your router. As you can see, learning how to change a WiFi channel on your router is easy, and the whole process takes just a few minutes.

Select the right Wi-Fi channel with NetSpot — the top WiFi channel analyzer

As explained in this article, channel overlapping leads to co-channel interference, which can dramatically degrade WiFi performance and cause annoying slowdowns and other issues. Without a WiFi analyzer like NetSpot, it can be very difficult and tedious to solve issues created by channel overlapping and determine which WiFi channel would be more suitable.

The good news is that co-channel interference can be easily eliminated by proper WiFi channel planning. NetSpot is very good at visualizing the networks to help you make the right decision. With NetSpot's visualization you will immediately see the cause of the wireless issues and how to eliminate them.

You can get the recommendation on which channel to use and the best thing about it — you don't have to be a WiFi professional to choose the optimal channel for your network. All you need to do is just open NetSpot app and click Discover. Click the "Channels 2.4 GHz" header to see where Wi-Fi channels are overlapping. Look for the channel (out of 1, 6 and 11) with the least number of networks present on it.

The “Show average value for inactive networks” option is enabled by default in NetSpot, which means you'll see even currently inactive networks and their average values. You can disable this option when you don't need the data for currently inactive networks. The active networks are shown in solid lines on the graph.

WiFi channel analyzer

In the above graph the selected network is operating on channel 5, and overlaps with channels 2 and 8. You can see that channels 6 to 9 have the smallest number of networks and overlapping is not that bad at all. So in this particular case if you need the best WiFi channel, choose from channels 6 to 9.

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WiFi Channel Scanner — FAQs

Which WiFi channel analyzer is best?

The best WiFi channel scanner and analyzer is easy to use, it supports both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz channel bands, and delivers accurate data in real-time. When choosing a WiFi analyzer, you need to make sure that it supports your operating system and offers all the features you need to solve all kinds of WiFi-related issues. We could recommend you NetSpot for macOS, Windows, and Android.

Which channel is best for WiFi?

Channels 1, 6, and 11 are the best channels for WiFi in the 2.4 GHz band because they are the only non-overlapping channels available. Follow our best practices for WiFi channel planning .

How do you analyze WiFi channels?

You can easily analyze WiFi channels using a free WiFi channel analyzer app, like NetSpot, for Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, or iOS.

What does WiFi analyzer do?

The purpose of a WiFi channel analyzer is to gather as much information about surrounding WiFi networks as possible to help you troubleshoot WiFi-related problems and improve the performance of your network.

What is the best channel for WiFi 5 GHz?

UNII-1 channels (36, 40, 44, 48) are often considered to be the best 5 GHz channels for home use, but most 5 GHz routers are capable of automatically selecting the best channel.

Which WiFi channel is the fastest?

All WiFi channels are more than capable of providing the maximum data transfer rate your router is capable of achieving, but only if they are not too crowded. That’s why it’s important to use a WiFi analyzer to determine which WiFi channel is utilized the least and thus likely the fastest.

Which is better 20 or 40 MHz?

Both 20 and 40 MHz channels have their pros and cons. Because 20 MHz channels are narrower, they don’t suffer from as much interference as wide 40 MHz channels. On the other hand, 40 MHz channels allow for greater speed and faster transfer rates.

Which WiFi channels are faster than the others?

Finding the most suitable WiFi channel can improve your wireless experience tremendously. But it's not just the speed you should be looking at, the overlapping is an important factor as well. The most popular WiFi channels for 2.4 GHz frequency are 1, 6, and 11, because they don’t overlap with each other. Use these channels with a non-MIMO setup (i.e. 802.11 a, b, or g).

What are the Three main reasons for WiFi interference?

The three main reasons for wireless interference are:

In some networks devices wait for their turn to talk, and when there are a lot of devices, the waiting times grow really long. As a result the co-channel interference is created by Wi-Fi routers giving one another way to transmit data.
When clients in overlapping channels start talking at the same time, an adjacent-channel interference takes place. Choosing a proper Wi-Fi channel can help you mend this issue. Using such software as NetSpot helps identify the most cluttered channels and choose more suitable ones. Upgrading your routers is a solution as well.
Interference caused by the devices not related to Wi-Fi is called non-WiFi interference. Security cameras, Bluetooth devices, baby monitors, smartphones, and microwave ovens can emit a large amount of electromagnetic radiation and cause signal interruptions. Place your Wi-Fi router away from all such sources.

What are the advantages of using a 5 GHz channel band?

Starting with the 802.11n standard, wireless technology became very advanced. If you purchased your router within the last couple of years, chances are you have either a 802.11n or 802.11ac one.

The 5 GHz band offered with these specifications provides lots of free space at the higher frequencies — 23 non-overlapping 20MHz channels — and the router will choose the best wireless channel for your connection automatically. Using the 5GHz band in a space with thick walls usually means very little WiFi interference.

What Channel Band Should I Use?

There are two frequency bands that you can choose from: 2.4 GHz and 5GHz. Newer routers support both of these bands and it's up to you to decide which one works better for your connection. The 2.4 GHz band goes longer distances, but transmits data slower. The 5 GHz band coverage doesn't travel far, but is very fast and can penetrate obstacles better than 2.4 GHz.

How to select the right Wi-Fi channel?

NetSpot can visualize your network coverage to help you see the possible reasons for any wireless issues. NetSpot can also help you choose the best channel for your network. Simply open the NetSpot app and click Discover; then click the "Channels 2.4 GHz" header to see where Wi-Fi channels are overlapping. Look for the channel (out of 1, 6 and 11) with the least number of networks using it.

How do I scan for WiFi channels?

You can easily scan for WiFi channels using a wireless channel scanner like NetSpot. NetSpot can scan WiFi channels in the 2.4 GHz and the 5 GHz band, giving you a comprehensive overview of all wireless activity in your area.

Which WiFi channel is best for 2.4 GHz frequency?

There are three non-overlapping channels in the 2.4 GHz frequency band (1, 6, and 11). The best non-overlapping channel is always the one that’s used the least by other wireless networks in your area, and you can determine which channel that is using a WiFi channel analyzer app.

Does it matter what channel my WiFi is on?

Yes, it does. Using a channel exposed to too much signal interference can dramatically degrade your WiFi experience, causing slowdowns and even connection drops.

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