Android AP and band selection criteria

[Kueller]

How does android select and prioritize which AP and band to use?

I ask because my Note 4 w/5.1.1 can be sitting on top of my router and it will camp out on the 2.4GHz band. Only way to get it on the 5GHz band is to disable the 2.4GHz radio or use separate SSIDs. Is there some setting I'm missing that can prioritize connecting to 5GHz AP's without resorting to separate SSIDs?

 

[Deleted member 245375]

In some versions of Android (meaning that each manufacturer's devices tend to be slightly different than others) you can usually - again, given the differences - go into the Wi-Fi advanced properties (not the connection itself, I mean the general properties for the device) and there might be a setting to pick which band you prefer. I know on my Droid MAXX I have such a setting so I left it for 5 GHz and it will still grab on to 2.4 GHz APs when required but it does prioritize 5 GHz connections over those when available.

Can't hurt to tinker around in the settings I suppose, each phone is different.

 

[Kueller]

I wasn't sure if band/AP selection was Android revision or manufacturer specific (or some combination of the two) which is why I included the device model and android version.

The only option I've found in settings is the "Smart Wifi Switch" option, which claims to switch between networks as well as 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands to "maintain a stable connection"...But in reality, it just gets on the strongest signal (2.4GHz) and camps there until it loses it, regardless of whether there is a 5GHz channel with 4-10x the throughput available or not. I mean, sure the 2.4GHz network is stable, but I'd prefer to leave 2.4GHz for devices that don't have 5GHz capability.

 

[T4rd]

I had the same issue at home. I ended up just forgetting my 2.4GHz network so it will only connect to 5GHz no matter what. My SSIDs for both networks are different too though, so not sure if that's the case or an option for you for whatever reason. It seems that BT interferes with 2.4GHz wifi on any device I try to use both at the same time on too, which is one reason why I only want it on 5GHz.