Paul Morris on July 18, 2017, 9:33 pm

New In iOS 11: 5GHz WiFi Networks Now Preferred Over 2.4GHz For Automatic Connection

Apple’s executives may have taken to the stage during this year’s Worldwide Developers Conference to show off iOS 11 and all of the major improvements which are being brought to the table, but that didn’t include an exhaustive overview of every single refinement.

We’ve continually tried to find new changes in iOS 11 as they appear in new beta versions and as released by Apple, with one of the latest being that the platform now appears to prefer 5GHz wireless networks over the standard 2.4GHz option when joining WiFi automatically.

This is a change that doesn’t instantly appeal to everyone who has iOS 11 installed on their device. In fact, it isn’t actually an outward-facing feature or one that will be offered on a per device basis. This feature instead will appeal to those home and business owners who have a router installed in their property capable of broadcasting both 5GHz and 2.4GHz wireless networks simultaneously.

In previous versions of iOS – such as the latest public version of iOS 10 – the system would have overlooked 5GHz network as the preferred option and instead opted for the 2.4GHz variant. In iOS 11 though, this now appears to have changed.

This change is generally going to be classed as a good news for most users who have this type of network available due to the potential increase in network speeds and bandwidth, but it could also prove problematic for some. It’s a well-known problem that 5GHz doesn’t reach as far as 2.4GHz, and that specific building structures, such as doors and walls, can be a problem for signal penetration. If there is little interference in terms of doors and walls in the building, then this is a welcome new change.