WLAN planning - 2.4GHz or 5GHz?

WLAN networks in companies are increasingly in demand.
For example for:

• Guests in hotels and restaurants
• Customers in waiting areas
• Conference rooms
• Employees with laptops
• Home automation
• Internet of Things (IoT)
• Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT)
• Logistics (hand-held scanners, real-time positioning)

The areas of application are extremely diverse. No deployment is like the other. Therefore, good WLAN planning is indispensable. Every WLAN planning has its own challenges. There are static "sources of interference" such as walls, (high) shelves, cabinets, magnetic whiteboards or metal pipes. There is a wide range of dynamic sources of interference. From microwaves to Bluetooth to large power consumers such as those found in manufacturing and processing industries.

The question then "almost" becomes whether to focus on 2.4GHz or 5GHz when planning. The simple answer is, both. The advantages are obvious. You have more bandwidth, which even enables VoIP telephony via WLAN. You are less affected by dynamic sources of interference. For example, microwaves, whose radiation strongly interferes with the 2.4GHz band. But devices connected to the computer via USB 3.0 can also have a negative effect on the signal quality of a 2.4 GHz WLAN. A 5GHz WLAN is less affected by such dynamic sources of interference, but has somewhat less range and is more affected by static sources of interference.

Planning that takes both 2.4GHz and 5GHz into account is therefore more complex, but more future-proof. To be future-proof, you should definitely plan with 5GHz. Since a WLAN network that has been set up can easily be operated for several years, you should also take into account the increasing demands on a WLAN. What looks excessive today may still be just about sufficient in 5 years.

The cost factor in 5GHz planning is also not as serious as one might think. Yes, due to the lower range of the 5GHz WLAN, more access points are needed, but on average it is just 5-10% more. For projects with 100 access points, this means just 5-10 more. For a rather small additional cost, there is a very strong return. While a high-end 802.11ac access point provides around 800Mbit on the 2.4GHz band, at 5GHz it can easily be up to 1,800 Gigabit. With 802.11ax or Wifi6 high-end access points, even 1,200Mbit at 2.4GHZ and 4,800Mbit at 5GHz are possible. This ensures nationwide and future-proof coverage even with a high density of end devices.