During a wireless site survey for a small warehouse, you discover heavy shelving and several concrete support pillars that will obstruct radio signals. Management prefers reliable coverage over maximum throughput and wants to minimize the number of access points that must be installed. Which Wi-Fi frequency band should you recommend for the client devices to use?
Lower-frequency signals travel farther and penetrate solid obstacles more effectively than higher-frequency signals because they experience less free-space path loss and better diffraction. The 2.4 GHz band therefore offers the best range and wall penetration, making it the logical choice when coverage is the primary goal. The 5 GHz and 6 GHz bands provide higher data rates but their shorter wavelengths attenuate more quickly and are blocked more easily by shelves and concrete. A 60 GHz millimeter-wave band would have even poorer range indoors and is not part of standard Wi-Fi deployments for warehouse coverage.
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Why does the 2.4 GHz band penetrate obstacles better than higher-frequency bands?
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What are the trade-offs of using 2.4 GHz over 5 GHz or 6 GHz?
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Why wouldn’t the 60 GHz band be suitable for warehouse Wi-Fi coverage?