When I switch my time capsule to 5.0ghz mode the range of my wireless network drops significantly. Near the Time Capsule my Macbook Pro works fine, in my bedroom I have almost no signal. In mixed mode it works fine. Any ideas on how to get 5.0 working?

Question

When I switch my time capsule to 5.0ghz mode the range of my wireless network drops significantly.  Near the Time Capsule my Macbook Pro works fine, in my bedroom I have almost no signal.  In mixed mode it works fine both placed.  Any ideas on how to get 5.0 working?  I thought 5.0Ghz was supposed to have a wider range.  Do I need to change a setting on the Macbook Pro?
Thanks, W

Answer 1

I'm not sure if you understand that 5 GHz has some upsides, but also some very significant downsides.
The upside is that the 5 GHz signal will allow faster speeds.
The downside is that you must always give up something in order to gain something else.Unfortunately, the marketing hype about 5 GHz does not go into very many details about this.
In the case of 5 GHz, the 5 GHz signals are much weaker than 2.4 GHz signals, so they do not travel as far or penetrate any obstructions like walls or ceilings nearly as well as 2.4 GHz signals. In many cases, in order to get good 5 Ghz performance, you literally have to have almost a line-of-sight relationship between your computer and the wireless router.
If you have a new dual band router, which broadcasts both a 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz signal simutaneously, your Mac will connect to the best signal quality automatically depending on its location in relation to the router. In the same room, without any obstructions, it will connec to 5 GHz. But, take the laptop down the hall a few rooms and around the corner and the Mac will connect to the 2.4 GHz signal because at that location, the 2.4 GHz signal is not only stronger, it is also faster.