dual-band router

A wireless router that supports both frequency bands of the 802.11 wireless standard. Dual-band a/b/g routers handle 11a users in the 5 GHz band, while simultaneously supporting 11b/g users in the 2.4 GHz band.

Dual-Band N Routers
Dual-band a/b/g/n routers support both bands for 11n. They enable 11a and 11n users to transmit at 5 GHz and 11b/g and 11n users to transmit at 2.4 GHz; however, both bands may run simultaneously or only one band at a time. Simultaneous support provides load balancing and offers the most compatibility with all four standards (a, b, g and n). With simultaneous bands, data transfers could be configured, for example, on the 2.4 GHz network (SSID #1), while users who do video streaming could be configured on the 5 GHz network (SSID #2). See wireless router, 802.11n, 802.11 and SSID.

     802.11      Frequency
     Standard    Band

     11a         5 GHz

     11b         2.4 GHz
     11g         2.4 GHz

     11n         2.4 GHz and 5 GHz

Simultaneous Routing in Both Bands

Buffalo Technology's Nfinity Dual Band router simultaneously runs 11n and 11a in the 5 GHz band along with 11n and 11b/g at 2.4 GHz. Since the unit supports 11n in both bands, network administrators must determine which network (which band) 11n users should use to balance the load on the network. (Image courtesy of Buffalo Technology Inc., www.buffalotech.com)