Changing channels within 5GHZ band

[robertB]

Hello community, I'm experiencing a lot of freeze frames/lags during Zoom meetings. Running an wifi analyzer shows many users on 36-48 channel range. Range 52-64 is open, I'd like to move but nothing I've done seems to work.

Google Home app, logging into my router both fail...everything I've read leads me back to Google Home app but to no avail. Maybe I'm missing somthing...please advise and thank you in advance.

[RXShorty]

Hi @robertB 

Did you already tried to give video streaming a priority? 🙂

Check out this link: https://support.google.com/googlenest/answer/9541371

[robertB]

Yes RXShorty video conferencing has been given priority...thanks

[MichaelP]

Hello @robertB 

Google/Nest WiFi systems do not dynamically assign 5GHz channels. It turns out there aren't actually that many options in the 5GHz band without running into the onerous and complex DFS rules that restrict much of the band. If your Google/Nest WiFi system is on channel 36/42 (for 20MHz/80MHz operation), then it's likely you are outside of the U.S. where 149/155 would be used (again, for 20MHz/80MHz operation). I'm not surprised there are more systems sharing that spectrum in that case, since it's just about the only range available.

That said, I'm not sure I'd jump to the conclusion that competition / congestion are the root cause of your issues. I'd run a mesh test and make sure any secondary / mesh points get a "great" rating. I'd also run an internet speed test from within the Google Home app and make sure it is in the expected range. Then, I'd pick a device you are using and run a device speed test (in that device's detail screen, tap the "Info" tab and scroll down to the bottom).

The internet speed test will help prove the issue isn't your internet service connection. The mesh test will help prove the issue isn't the mesh link between secondary / mesh point(s) and the primary/router. The device speed test will help understand what that device is capable of over just that last-hop WiFi link. Once you have those results, we'll be happy to help interpret them here.

It may be you can improve things by adjusting the placement of your primary/router or secondary/mesh point units (for example). Or, it may indicate you have another source of interference of some kind.

[Jhonleanmel]

Hey folks, 

Thanks again for helping here, @RXShorty and @MichaelP. 
@robertB, I hope you've got the answer you're looking for. If you're still in need of any assistance, feel free to let us know. 

Best,
Mel

[robertB]

Thank you MichaelP for your response/reply.

1. I am using channel 36-42 but Im in the US...so confused about your thought regarding that. 

2. Running a mesh test-I have a single wifi point, running the speed test from Home app shows

98 Mbps Down 97 Mbps Up > Phone and pretty much the same from laptop(which is where my Zoom issue

arise.

I had the router right next to my TV so I moved it about 2 ft away still no joy. I checked my Zoom settings and didnt see any adjustments that would make a difference. Google put me at 36-48, wish I could figure out how to change to 52-58...wifi analyzer shows them wide open

[MichaelP]

Hello @robertB 

1. Did you purchase your Google WiFi or Nest WiFi system in the US?

2. It's not clear what test you've run here – reporting both up and down numbers implies you've run an internet speed test from a WiFi client device. That's useful, but since it tests end-to-end, it doesn't help understand where in the chain any issue might be. If you can use the Google Home app to run all three tests (internet speed test, mesh test, and device speed test) then we can get detailed numbers for all three links in the chain.

If you do have a sound bar, moving your router 2 feet away isn't going to help much. 20 feet might be enough to make a difference, though.

As I said earlier, channel 52+ isn't available due to DFS rules.

[Jhonleanmel]

Hey folks, 

Thanks again for helping here, @MichaelP.

@robertB, I wanted to follow up and see if you are still in need of any help. Please let me know if you are still having any concerns or questions from here, as I would be happy to take a closer look and assist you further.

Thanks,
Mel

[robertB]

Thanks again MichaelP. I bought my Google Wifi in the US, no sound bar.

Laptop DL 94 Mbps UL 75

Network DL 100 UL 97

Family Room Wifi Nest Router 100 DL UL 97 Mbps

Forgot about your previous message about DFS rules

For what its worth, I turned off any device that I thought might be interfering...no change.

[MichaelP]

Hello @robertB 

If it's a US system, it should be using channel 149/155 (above the DFS range), not 36/42 (below the DFS range). So, it's odd that it would be running on that channel. How are you confirming that?

Are you running an internet speed test from the Google Home app? That's the only one that reports separate up and down numbers, and that test would not have anything to do with the WiFi part of the system – only the internet connection. What internet service speed do you expect to get? If you're paying for more than 100Mbps, but only seeing just under 100Mbps, it's possible you have an Ethernet cable issue between your Google WiFi router and your internet service, though it could be other issues.

Could you launch the Google Home app, tap on the "Wi-Fi" circle at the top, then the "Devices" circle, and then pick one of the devices you expect to have a good WiFi connection (like a laptop), then tap the "Info" tab, scroll to the bottom, and finally tap "Test device speed". That will run a test of just the WiFi link between that device and the Google/Nest WiFi access point it is currently connected to.

[Jhonleanmel]

Hi folks,

@MichaelP, thanks for the help.

@robertB, checking back in if you've read the questions above. Still need help?

Best,

Mel

[robertB]

MichaelP, I'm using a wifi analyzer from Google Play Store. Channel 34-48 is where my network is located along with many others, 52-62 open then 100 - 165 occupied.

Following your instructions, from Home app Internet speed = 101 Mbps Device speed 375 Mbps. I'm $30 monthly for 100Mbps.

[MichaelP]

Hello @robertB 

A device speed of 375Mbps over WiFi is an excellent result. If your internet connection is provisioned for 100Mbps, then the end-to-end speed tests you reported earlier make sense to me, since they are all in that same ballpark. This feels like an internet service problem, not a WiFi problem.

[robertB]

"Internet service problem"? Coming into my apartment?

[MichaelP]

Yes. At this point, all of the internal tests and even the internet speed benchmarks are looking fine as far as I can tell. But, if you're still having performance issues, I'd get the internet connection itself checked out. One way to do that would be to connect a laptop directly to the Google/Nest WiFi unit's LAN Ethernet port through a short Ethernet cable and test your Zoom meeting performance to see if it still exhibits the issues you have been seeing.

[robertB]

Yes MichaelP, I will hook directly into my ethernet and go from there...will post if further assistance is needed. Thank you for all your ideas/info. 

[robertB]

MichaelP....one thought I had I wanted run by you. I was wondering if replacing my Google router/point with another Wifi 6 router would make a difference? 

[MichaelP]

If the real issue is your internet service, then no, replacing the router is unlikely to help. But, if the real issue actually is congestion on the channel you're using, and if the replacement router you select lets you pick a different channel manually, then yes, it might make a difference. But, keep the packaging and receipts in case you decide to return it!

[robertB]

Thank you MichaelP, judging by the wifi analyzer that I've been using shows alot of congestion (channel 34-42) so that was my first thought from the very start of this conversation. Manually selecting the channel is definitely going to be a feature I will look for if I go that route. Yes on the packaging and receipts. Thank you again for all your great advice. 

[Jhonleanmel]

Hey everyone,
 

@MichaelP, thanks for the help.
@robertB, we appreciate your interest however, we don't have any news to share about a way to manually select the channel in your network. We're always looking for ways to improve and we'll take it as feedback.

I also suggest that you send feedback by following this link. Let me know if you have other questions or concerns, otherwise I’ll be locking this thread after 24 hours. 

Best,

Mel