Could you inform me about the supported wifi channels on the 5ghz band, does the V5 also has support for DFS channels ?
The supported 5Ghz channels on the V5 are:
- CH36 (recommended for indoor/outdoor)
- CH40 (recommended for indoor/outdoor)
- CH44 (recommended for indoor/outdoor)
- CH48 (recommended for indoor/outdoor)
- CH52 (DFS/recommended for indoor only)
- CH56 (DFS/recommended for indoor only)
- CH60 (DFS/recommended for indoor only)
- CH64 (DFS/recommended for indoor only)
- CH100 (DFS/recommended for indoor only)
- CH104 (DFS/recommended for indoor only)
- CH108 (DFS/recommended for indoor only)
- CH112 (DFS/recommended for indoor only)
- CH116 (DFS/recommended for indoor only)
- CH120 (DFS/recommended for indoor only)
- CH124 (DFS/recommended for indoor only)
- CH128 (DFS/recommended for indoor only)
- CH132 (DFS/recommended for indoor only)
- CH136 (DFS/recommended for indoor only)
- CH140 (DFS/recommended for indoor only)
- CH144 (TX power limited to 25mW/not recommended)
- CH149 (TX power limited to 25mW/not recommended)
- CH153 (TX power limited to 25mW/not recommended)
- CH157 (TX power limited to 25mW/not recommended)
- CH161 (TX power limited to 25mW/not recommended)
- CH165 (TX power limited to 25mW/not recommended)
The Ezhotspot Extender compiles with EU regulations of the 5Ghz usage. In simple terms, DFS is always enabled, cannot be disabled and must be complied. Channel 52 onwards are either subjected to DFS or limited transmitting power.
DFS - it is mandatory in EU for Ezhotspot Extender to verify that any radar (weather/military) in proximity is not using DFS frequencies. This process is called Channel Availability Check, and it’s executed during the boot process of the Ezhotspot Extender as well as during its normal operations.
If the Ezhotspot Extender detects that a radar is using a particular DFS channel, then it will exclude that channel from the list of available channels. This state will last for 30 minutes, after which the Ezhotspot Extender will check again if the channel can be used for WiFi transmissions.
If the Ezhotspot Extender detects, during normal operations, that a radar is using a particular channel that is currently in use, then it may communicate to associated WiFi clients to stop transmitting on that channel. The AP will then switch to another available DFS channel within the Channel Move Time, which is generally set to 10 seconds. This behavior will cause connected WiFi clients to be disconnected from the network for a period of time before re-connecting to a different channel.
In summary:
- For Indoor usage, any channels 140 and below are recommended as there are normally no radar disturbances unless you are staying in close proximity to a weather station, airport or a military installation.
- For outdoor usage, it is recommended to use only Channel 36, 40, 44 or 48 to prevent DFS radar avoidance. Most campsites are aware of DFS and would avoid the DFS frequencies. In a outdoor campsite, the EZhotspot Extender can scan the hotspot's SSIDs and also indicating the channels which are available. In this case, only select Channel 36, 40, 44 or 48 to prevent accidental disconnection due to DFS.