Question about having name for 5 Ghz network

Question

The subject title sounds stupid, but the question is straightforward. Do you tend to give your 5 Ghz network a different, separate network name in your Airport Extreme? In the "Wireless" options you are presented with the choice to give the 5 Ghz network a different name, thereby giving you the option to connect to the 5 or the 2.4. Is there any benefit to this? And if you don't give it a separate name, to which frequency does your computer automatically connect?

Answer 1

I think most users tend to use the same network name with "5 GHz" added to indicate which band they are using. The idea here is to simply identify the 5 GHz band, so Apple adds the "5 GHz" by default unless you change this yourself.
The benefit to assigning a separate name to the 5 GHz band is that you can "force" a computer to connect to this band. Surprisingly to many users, this can also be a negative (see information below). Or, if you plan to "extend" your wireless network with an AirPort Express, you can choose to extend either the 5 GHz band or the 2.4 GHz band.
If you don't assign a separate name to the 5 GHz band, your computer will automatically connect to the signal with the best combination of strength and low noise.
Because 5 GHz signals are absorbed by walls, ceilings and any other obstructions much more quickly than 2.4 GHz signals, your computer will likely connect to the 5 GHz band when it is the same room as your wireless router or it has close to line-of-sight with the wireless router. Once you are a few rooms away, or down the hall and around the corner, your computer will likely connect to the 2.4 GHz band because these signals "travel" better.