How much does dual band N matter?

[Deleted member 4644]

How much does dual band N matter in the world of wireless?

Is it stupid to get a single band router today when it seems that decent dual band routers are available for pretty cheap?

 

[Emulex]

5ghz is great - less interference - but 1/2 the distance range at the same power output.

highly recommended if you can deal with much less range

 

[YBS1]

It depends upon your circumstances. Dual band (or really the 5GHz radio) could be very useful if the area you're using it in is crowded on the 2.4GHz spectrum. Alternatively, if you have a lot of wireless devices simultaneous dual band may come in handy. For instance I've got three pc's that are in frequent use, three network media player set top devices, a wii, playstation 3, networked Blu-Ray player, wi-fi aio printer, Ooma Telephone system and a media server/NAS. The main pc I use has the 5GHz radio's bandwidth all to itself with nearly everything else pulling from the 2.4GHz radio or homeplug av.

 

[JackMDS]

It depends upon your circumstances.

+1.

802.11n in essesne is Not Really new technology.

The 5GHz part is in essence the old 802.11a

The 2.4GHz is the old 802.11g that was augmented by MIMO and some potential to provide better bandwidth.

The one thing it does for sure is providing smoother HD streaming for short distance.

Every thing else New that is stated in the Data Sheets is "Optional". :hmm:

 

[Madwand1]

How much does dual band N matter in the world of wireless?

Single-radio dual band is generally not worth having in access points, as you're likely to have some gear or distance / conditions now or in the future which needs 2.4 GHz, making 5 GHz only not usable. (You could however combine an existing 2.4 GHz only device with a dual-band single radio device to get simultaneous dual-band support.)

Dual radio, or simultaneous, dual-band is nice to have but not generally cheap. In crowded areas, getting off the 2.4 GHz can be a boon if you don't have much distance / obstructions to deal with and significant amounts of data to transfer.