On 8 January 2016 at 19:46, Owen DeLong <owen@delong.com> wrote:
OTOH, since the WiFi consortium took away the ability for consumers to easily differentiate (it’s all “n” or “ac” now regardless of frequency) and you have to really read the fine print on the side of the box to find a 5Ghz capable WAP at your local big box store, most consumers end up on 2.4Ghz because those are the least expensive routers on the shelf.
ac = 5 GHz. The only dual frequency standard is 802.11n. But that has resolved itself by now: any router only advertizing "n" is going to be a 2,4GHz only router and even if you find a rare old model that was 5 GHz "n" it still sucks for lacking "ac". In our market everyone delivers "ac" routers by now. One reason for that is that DSL now needs VDSL2 with vectoring and channel bonding, and this brings you to a price point where you also want to get "ac" for little or no extra. Or you are selling high speed internet and the user experience is simply lacking without "ac". But 5 GHz usage is still low because people have a ton of devices that are 2,4 GHz only. Even brand new laptops are sold without a 5 GHz radio. People don't know that they have to check - it is oh but it has wifi and it is brand new, therefore it must have support for the new standard you are talking about! Sometimes we have to send someone out to the customer to demonstrate how crappy his new purchase is. Regards, Baldur