The 6 GHz wireless band was introduced with the WiFi 6E standard and is exclusive to devices that support WiFi 6E and newer standards, including WiFi 7 and successive future WiFi versions.
To use the 6 GHz wireless band, you must have a router, mesh system, or access point that supports 6 GHz WiFi, like a Nighthawk Tri-Band WiFi 7 Router, Orbi Quad-band WiFi 6E Mesh System, or Cloud Managed WiFi 6E Access Point. Your client device must also support 6 GHz WiFi.
If you have a router, mesh system, or access point that supports 6 GHz WiFi and your device can't detect or connect to the 6 GHz wireless band, try the following:
Make sure that your device is 6 GHz WiFi capable
Because the 6 GHz wireless band is newly certified, only the newest devices support it. For more information about 6 GHz WiFi device support, see the following articles:
- Does my Android mobile device support 6 GHz WiFi?
- Does my Apple iPhone, iPad, or Mac support 6 GHz WiFi?
- Does my Microsoft Windows PC support 6 GHz WiFi?
Enable WPA3 security
Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA) 3 is the latest Wi-Fi Alliance security certification. WPA3 security is mandatory for devices operating in the 6 GHz wireless band. If your router, mesh system, or access point is set up to use a different WPA security version, devices cannot connect to the 6 GHz band. For more information about WPA3 security, see the following articles:
- What is WPA3 security and how does it work with my NETGEAR router or Orbi mesh system?
- How do I enable WPA3 security on my NETGEAR router?
Change your router's 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz band settings
We typically recommend that you use the same WiFi network name (SSID) and password for all WiFi bands on your router, with WPA3-PSK security for the 6 GHz band and WPA2/WPA3-PSK security for the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands. These settings allow your devices to determine which band is best at any given time.
However, you might want to force your devices to connect to the faster 6 GHz band instead. To do this with your Nighthawk router, use a different SSID for the 6 GHz band and set that network up as the preferred WiFi network on your devices. For more information about changing these settings, see the following articles:
- How do I change my NETGEAR router’s WiFi password or network name (SSID)?
- How do I enable WPA-PSK on my NETGEAR router or access point?
Use a preferred scanning channel (PSC)
Preferred scanning channels (PSCs) are a group of WiFi channels that are prioritized within the 6 GHz WiFi band. Instead of scanning the entire 6 GHz spectrum for an optimal channel, 6 GHz WiFi devices scan PSCs for efficient connectivity. Setting your router, mesh system, or access point to use a PSC can improve device connectivity.
NETGEAR devices that support 6 GHz WiFi either default to PSC 37 on the 6 GHz band or automatically select a PSC band based on the network environment. You can also manually select a different PSC channel from the web interface.
If you can connect on the 6 GHz band but can't access the Internet, or if your devices experience problems discovering your 6 GHz SSID, you might want to try using a different PSC. For more information about changing WiFi channels, see How do I change the wireless channel on my NETGEAR router?
Move closer to your router, mesh satellite, or access point
The 6 GHz band has a shorter range than the 5 GHz band. This means that you must be closer to your router or access point, or use a higher density of Orbi or mesh satellites for complete 6 GHz coverage.
Because of this shorter range, 6 GHz WiFi routers, access points, and satellites must be positioned close to where you actually require the high-speed 6 GHz connection. We recommend that you avoid placing your router, access point, or satellites in places like your basement, attic, or closet.
Some devices might roam off of the 6 GHz band to the 5 GHz band when they are out of the 6 GHz range and might not automatically reconnect to the 6 GHz band when they are back in range. This is dependent on the individual device and not the router, access point, or satellite.
Reset your client device's network settings
Some WiFi client devices might experience trouble connecting to the 6 GHz band due to previously configured and saved network settings. If your device can't detect or connect to the 6 GHz band, try resetting its network settings to the factory defaults, and then reconnect to your WiFi network. For instructions on resetting your network settings for common 6 GHz WiFi-capable phones, see the following external links:
For more information about 6 GHz WiFi:
- NETGEAR WiFi 7 page
- What are the major enhancements delivered in WiFi 7 (IEEE 802.11be)?
- What is WiFi 6E?
- What are the benefits of WiFi 6E?