[Performance] Optimizing Channel Widths

Ensure you use the correct channel width for your network considering your wireless environment.

Description:

WiFi channels are each allotted a 20 MHz segment in the frequency band they're in, and can also be bonded together to form wider segments. The width of a WiFi channel dictates how much data can pass through and at what speed, where the wider channels are usually associated with more data transferred at faster speeds.

Investigation:

Use WiFi Scanner to determine the channel width of your network.

Mitigation:

The dashboard offers the ability to set a default channel width, which will be factored into the Auto Channel algorithm for 5GHz. A default setting of 80 MHz width can be configured to allow for optimal wireless throughput. However, using an 80Mhz width may cause more co-channel contention. The setting may be reduced to 40 or 20 MHz to reduce channel overlap in high-density deployments. The default channel width can be specified on the radio settings page in the dashboard. The width may be set differently on a per-AP basis either using the overrides by selecting an AP or by opting to use Auto.