AirPort Utility for Windows 5.6.1 does not have the option for turning of the 2.4 GHz WiFi band. Can we get an software update for this?

Apple last updated AirPort Utility for Windows when Windows 7 was introduced. Nothing has been done since that time, so I doubt that an update for a Windows version was ever even on the back burner, especially since Apple discontinued the AirPort line a couple of years ago.

Ask a friend who has a Mac, iPhone or iPad to let you use it for 10-15 minutes to adjust the settings on the AirPort router. Apple is not going to invest any time on an application for a discontinued product to run on a PC.

I have confirmed that the default settings on the AirPort Extreme does set up both bands as two distinct frequencies.

.....and assign the same wireless network name to each band. Optionally, you can assign different names to the 2.4 GHz band and 5 GHz band

I can also see that the devices that support the higher frequency seem to choose that frequency by default

.....if they are close enough to the AirPort.

but I can only guess this by the type and rate listed in the Wireless Clients list on the router.

......no guessing should be needed if you look at the PHY Mode in Wireless Clients. If a device connects using "ac", then ac will be displayed as part of the connection. For example, my iPhone displays as 802.11a/n/ac.

Example of my iPhone display in AirPort Utility:

A 2.4 GHz only device displays as 802.11b/g/n. Keep in mind that 5 GHz can also be an "n" connection, even though a device is not "ac" capable. Example of a 2.4 GHz only device:

But, I don't have a PC here, so I can't check AirPort Utility using AirPort Utility for Windows. And.....I don't think "ac" even existed when AirPort Utility for Windows was offered 10+ years ago, and Apple never updated the utility from that time, so you might see 802.11n, but I doubt that you will see 802.11ac in the Windows version of the utility.

I glance at Wireless Clients from time to time, but the only thing that I really much attention to is the connection quality........"excellent", "good", "fair", "poor". The only time that I check this, is when a device seems to be slower than normal.

Although, my WiFi test from my PC, which allows me to select the preferred WiFi band does indicate that the router shows an AC connection when 5 GHz is selected.

As I said before, 5 GHz can also be an "n" connection.....it is not automatically or necessarily an "ac" connection. A device that is capable of connecting to "n only" at 5 GHz will still display as 802.11n in AirPort Utility. It won't display as an "ac" connection, and it won't display as an "802.11b/g/n" connection.

Also, interesting is that despite being right next to the router, 2.4 GHz band produces a 6 Mbps download speed and 5 GHz gets about 30 Mbps, whereas my iPhone gets about 100 Mbps on 5 GHz.

Interesting because I have a security device that connects at 802.11b/gn, which is 2.4 GHz....(it cannot connect at 5 GHz), and it will connect to the network at 130 Mbps. But, I can't test the Internet download speed on this device because there is no means to do so.

It sure would be nice if there was a free utility (somewhere out there) that would give me a list of 2.4 GHz clients and 5 GHz clients.

If you can post back with your list of Wireless Clients and the PHY Mode for each, I can probably tell you whether each device is connected at 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz.

Otherwise, maybe another user is familiar with a PC Application that will provide detailed information on WiFi connections over a network. Good luck!

The 5.6.1 client does not have the nice interface of the later version but actually has plenty of info.

I am running the Mac version but it is very close to the PC version.

Open the first screen.

The actual wireless channels used is here.

The word wireless clients is actively linked to the log wireless clients page under advanced. If the PC version is missing the link you can still open the advanced logs and statistics area.

So you can see my computer linked to 2.4ghz shown by b/g/n .. as well as giving signal strength and speed.

Anyway I am the school Bob mentioned where I simply have a different name for 5ghz.. so I choose which I want to join.

The AC version does show up as a/n/ac

5 GHz is usually a better connection to use if a WiFi device is in the same room or close proximity to the AirPort router. But.....keep in mind that 5 GHz signals are much weaker than 2.4 GHz signals, so they will not work well when a WiFi device is a few rooms away from the AirPort router. It is better to use 2.4 GHz in this case because the 2.4 GHz is stronger and probably faster than the weaker 5 GHz signal at that location.

I don't use separate 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz networks, so both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands are using the same wireless network name. When devices are close to the AirPort router, they connect at 5 GHz and when they are a few rooms away they connect at 2.4 GHz. In other words, if you use Apple's default setting, WiFi devices will choose the best signal with which to connect.

Just because the iPhone was forced to connect at 5 GHz, that does not mean that it was the best connection available. Chances are, the 5 GHz connection might even be slower than the 2.4 GHz connection at that location because 5 GHz signals are significantly weaker than 2.4 GHz signals.

That is why I use the same wireless network name for both the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands and let devices choose the best connection quality to use. Isn't that really what you want......for devices to use the best connection quality based on their location and distance from the AirPort router?

Some users swear by setting up separate 5 GHz and 2.4 GHz networks, but this has never worked well for me. If it works fine for you, that is great.

It appears you were not aware that the default factory setting for the AirPorts is to broadcast a dual band 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz signal using the same wireless network name.

If you enter a check mark in the box next the 5 GHz name using AirPort Utility, then the 2.4 GHz network has one name and the 5 GHz network has another name. Then, you have to manually choose using each of your WiFi devices which network that you want to connect to. So, if a device is close to the AirPort, you can use the 5 GHz signal. But, if you move that device a few rooms away from the AirPort, then you will have to manually switch the device to use the 2.4 GHz network. It will stay connected to the 2.4 GHz network even when you move the device back close to the AirPort, so you have to manually switch the device back to 5 GHz to pick up the faster signal.

If you use an updated version of AirPort Utility for the Mac or iPhone / iPad, then it is also possible to turn off the 2.4 GHz band so that only 5 GHz is broadcast. This might make sense if all of your WiFi devices are in the same room or close proximity to the AirPort. But.....if you move a device a few rooms away from the AirPort, then the 5 GHz signal will be much weaker and probably slower than a 2.4 GHz signal would be at that location.

So, the simplest setting for most users to use is make use of Apple's default settings for the AirPort. Of course, some users do not agree with this......they prefer to stay busy manually switching their WiFi devices between 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz.