Your Orbi router is smart enough to change Wi-Fi channels when it senses interference. However, sometimes, you may need to take things into your own hands. When that’s the case, you will need to know how to change the channel on your Orbi router.
To change your channel on an Orbi router, head to www.orbilogin.com, select “Wireless”, then choose the Wi-Fi channel you wish to save. After doing so, select “Apply”. Your router will restart, and you will be on your preferred channel.
In this article, we’ll go over exactly how you can change the channel on your Orbi router, some Advanced settings you should be aware of, and why you should change your channel in the first place.
Changing Your Channel on an Orbi Router
Here are all the steps you’ll need to undertake to change your channel on an Orbi router.
- Head to your default gateway (www.orbilogin.com).
- Enter your username and password (the default username is admin, whereas the password is the one that you set up when you first logged in.
- After doing so, head to “Wireless”.
- You’ll first need to select a particular Wi-Fi channel; this can be 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz, depending on your preference.
- After doing so, select a particular number from the channel.
- Hit “Apply”, and you’ll have connected to your router with a new channel after it restarts.
Changing your channel may lead to your device not discovering your Wi-Fi SSID. Suppose that’s the only way you’ve connected to your router. In that case, it will immediately be disconnected, and you will not be able to change those settings unless you reset your Orbi router or connect with a LAN cable to your router instead.
Can I Broadcast 2 Channels at the Same Time on My Orbi Router?
No, you currently cannot broadcast a 2.4 GHz network and 5 GHz networks with different SSIDs on an Orbi Router. While this feature is apparently under the works, we doubt it’ll be implemented. For now, your router will automatically determine whether your device can support 5 GHz and automatically switch from one band/channel to the other, depending on its perceived limitations.
Enabling Advanced Features
If you switch to some channels, you may get error prompts that alert you that you’ll suffer from low speeds. If that happens to you, move to Advanced Wireless Settings and enable the following options.
- Enable 20/40 MHz Coexistence.
- Enable SSID Broadcast (5 GHz).
If you still have slow network speeds or are suffering from interference, you should change your channel back to what it was or pick a new one and then disable 20/40 MHz Coexistence once again. If you do not get a warning, keep the setting turned off. Otherwise, we recommend turning it back on once again.
Why Should I Change My Channel on an Orbi Router?
You should change the channel on your Orbi router if you are experiencing interference, have slow Wi-Fi speeds, or cannot see your Wi-Fi network on your device. Your channel, in essence, dictates what exact frequency your network will be broadcasted off of.
For instance, a 2.4 GHz network has 11-12 channels separated by 5 MHz each. So, the total band available is 100 MHz. Depending on where you live, you may experience interference if you and your neighbor have chosen the same channel.
On the other hand, if you choose a relatively isolated channel, you’ll be able to experience better Wi-Fi speeds as there’ll be less interference. Moreover, your channel also dictates your network discovery.
For instance, certain regions only allow for specific 5 GHz channels. If you were to choose a channel that isn’t supported, your mobile phone/Wi-Fi device would not show your router’s Wi-Fi SSID. This too is an instance where a channel change is paramount for you to be able to access your Orbi router.
Do You Need To Change the Channel on Your Orbi Router?
No, you do not need to change the channel on your Orbi router. Your router is smart enough to automatically scan the environment and identify the best channel for that particular instance.
However, if you are in a static environment with a lot of interference, your router may not always make the best decision. This is where a manual change makes more sense.
Conclusion
Changing the channel of your Orbi router is quite an easy process. We recommend enabling a 5 GHz network regardless of whether most of your devices can support them or not, as you’ll always have the 2.4 GHz band to fall back to.
