5GHz Wi-Fi network not showing up in Windows while phone connects fine
Dual-band router broadcasts 5GHz Wi-Fi, but PC only sees 2.4GHz network or cannot find SSID.
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Common Symptoms & Tells
- Phone and tablet see the 5GHz network, but PC only lists the slow 2.4GHz network
- Wi-Fi card supports 802.11ac / 802.11ax but fails to detect 5GHz channels
- Router configured with DFS channels (Channels 52-144) unsupported by PC card
Interactive Fix Checklist
0 of 3 steps completedChange router 5GHz channel from DFS to standard channel 36 or 149
Log in to your Wi-Fi router admin page (e.g. 192.168.1.1). Navigate to Wireless 5GHz settings. Change Channel from 'Auto' to Channel 36, 40, 44, or 149. Avoid DFS channels (52 to 144) which many PC Wi-Fi cards ignore.
Set Wireless Mode to 802.11a/n/ac in Device Manager
Open Device Manager -> Network adapters -> right-click Wi-Fi adapter -> Properties -> Advanced. Set 'Wireless Mode' to '802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax' (dual-band mode) instead of '2.4GHz only'.
Separate 2.4GHz and 5GHz SSIDs in router
If your router uses 'Smart Connect' / band steering (single SSID for both bands), turn it off. Name them separately: 'MyHome_2.4G' and 'MyHome_5G'. Manually connect PC to 'MyHome_5G'.
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