Band Steering

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• many devices has dual band (2.4 GHz and 5 GHz) or tri-band (2.4, 5, and 6 GHz) radios
• In a site where multiple access points support dual-band or tri-band networks,
  • a client device will use a combination of
    • beacon messages from the access point
    • a measure of signal strength
  • to determine which band to use
• network designer may want to exert more control over this process

Band steering is a feature of Wi-Fi that allows an access point to try to ensure that clients use a particular frequency band, such as 5 GHz rather than 2.4 GHz.

• does this by reducing the number of beacons used to advertise the 2.4 GHz network
• goal is to restrict the use of the 2.4 GHz band to devices with no 5/6 GHz capability

Info

• another approach is to use different network names for 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz networks
• alternatively, network designer may prefer to allow client devices to select the best band
• AP does not use signal strength as a factor in band steering
  • can lead to poor performance