How to make 5 ghz connect instead of 2.4 ghz

[wynford]

I have my printer set to 2.4 ghz and my laptop, iphone and amazon firestick set on 5 ghz... with different SSID and passwords in the setup on my Gateway XB7. Sometimes my laptop connects to the 2.4 causing a reduction in download speeds. How can I make it so that my laptop always connects to the 5 ghz instead of having to change it manually in Windows wifi setup? Is something like that done through the router or Windows?

[mdk]

@wynford -- it can be done through Windows on your computer.  Since you have 2 SSIDs, click the "i(nformation)" icon beside the SSID of the 2.4 network. Choose "forget this network".  This should leave your computer unable to select that SSID.

If this suggestion works for you, please click "accept as answer".

[wynford]

What I'm trying is, in Windows, under Settings - Network - Internet - Wi-fi... I have unchecked Connect Automatically. So far that seems to be working and the 2.4 (my printer) still prints with it unchecked. If I tried it your way, by forgetting the 2.4 (I couldn't see an i(information) icon), forget this network, would my printer still work?

[withheld]

Telling your laptop to "forget the network" will remove the authentication information for that SSID (so it won't know how to connect to that SSID) only on your laptop,  which should not affect your printer connecting to the network (it has its own connection info).

Doing it the way you have (unchecking "connect automatically")  keeps the authentication information for the 2.4 SSID, which allows you to manually connect without re-entering the info. 

If you never want to connect your laptop via your 2.4 SSID, the "forget" method is more certain (but you could still re-enter the auth info and connect).  This does not affect your printer, or any connections you laptop might make to other 2.4 GHz networks outside of your own.

Either way, you should end up with your laptop connecting via 5 GHz and the printer doing its own thing.   What matters for printing to work is that the router allows the connection between the different SSIDs (and perhaps any devices you have on wired connections) so your laptop can see the printer - for example, you might have a "guest" SSID which the router allows to connect to the outside world but not to your own network where the printer is connected, so a laptop connected to that SSID couldn't print.

To get to the "forget" option, you should be able to right-click on the SSID name in the same place as you unchecked "connect automatically".  "Forget" only shows for SSIDs that you have saved connection info for - but you only need to do this if it connects when you didn't want it to.

[wynford]

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@withheld wrote:

To get to the "forget" option, you should be able to right-click on the SSID name in the same place as you unchecked "connect automatically".  "Forget" only shows for SSIDs that you have saved connection info for - but you only need to do this if it connects when you didn't want it to.

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I must be missing something... I see an information 'i' icon beside the 5 and there's no 'i' icon beside the 2.4 and there is no forget option for either...

Just did a google search and the 'forget' is under Wi-Fi - Manage Known networks.

I'll try it my way (so far so good), but if my laptop starts to connect 2.4, I'll try the forget way.

When I first got this printer (dual band) it automatically connected to the 5 ghz, the printer worked no problem but all the control panel lights were flashing. I contacted HP and they said to create a new network for the printer (2.4) with a different SSID and password, that's what I did and the lights stopped flashing, except once in a while my laptop would connect to 2.4 instead of 5

[mdk]

@wynford wrote: once in a while my laptop would connect to 2.4 instead of 5

This happens to me every time that I return home, because the 2.4 network covers a larger area. So, my iPhone auto-connects to that network. If I remember, I disconnect from that SSID, and connect to the SSID of the (smaller range) 5 Ghz band. Stronger signal, but less range.  When outside my home (gardening, at the BBQ, washing the car), the 2.4 network is "good enough", and "better than no WiFi".

[mdk]

@wynford wrote:  there is no forget option 

Connect to that "bad" network, and then on the "I-inside-the-circle" to the right of the SSID name, there will be the "forget" option.

[withheld]

I don't ever see the i-in-a-circle info Icon you speak of - but maybe I have a different version (older? - I have WIn10) of windows than you.  I think the right-click on the name that I mentioned is effectively the same thing. 

You are likely correct that "forget" only shows up there if you are actually connected to the SSID (I know you at least need to have saved credentials for it).  But there is a different place that @wynford mentions where you can control all the networks you have ever connected to and remembered info for (even if they are not currently in range), so that should work too.