Sony PS5 and Wi-Fi is a whole story. Let it use the 5GHz band for better throughput.
You know your Wi-Fi is fast – if you have it at home and on your home network – but for some reason, downloading games on PS5 is still very slow. Why? Why do you see such a lag when playing online? Why can’t you play with PS Remote Play? The culprit is probably not your Wi-Fi or your PlayStation. It’s just that you’re not using the correct connection.
Sony PS5 and Wi-Fi, the whole story
Your home Wi-Fi network is divided into two bands: 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz. The 2.4GHz band is slower but offers more range. This means that you can access it from other rooms without problems, but you don’t have the best speeds. The 5 GHz band, on the contrary, is faster, and it is with it that you will have the highest speeds. The problem is its short range. The farther you are from the router, the more unstable the connection will be.
In other words: 2.4 GHz for distance, 5 GHz for speed. If your PS5 is near a router, it’s best to use the 5GHz band to maximize bandwidth and take advantage of the highest speeds.
If your router splits its bands into two separate connections and you connect your PS5 to a 5GHz network, you’re fine. If your router only offers one network, you’ll need to make sure the PS5 is actually using the 5GHz band. That’s the problem.
Use the 5 GHz band for better throughput.
Sony does not use the 5GHz band by default. But sometimes it will connect to the latter. Sony likely made this choice to limit connectivity issues for gamers who place their console too far from their router. By choosing the default 2.4GHz band, it’s easier to connect from anywhere, but at the cost of speed.
Forcefully connecting your PS5 to the 5GHz band isn’t easy, but the process is fairly straightforward. Go to “Settings”, then “Network”> “Settings”> “Set up Internet connection”. Go to your current network, click the Options button, and select Advanced Settings > Wi-Fi Frequency Bands. Select “5GHz”(instead of “Auto”) and you’re done.
While the 5GHz band offers the fastest speed for a wireless connection, it’s still Wi-Fi. In terms of speed and reliability, a wired connection is clearly superior. If you really want to get the most out of your connection on your PS5, connect it directly to your router via an ethernet cable.