The Channel Congestion panel provides a real-time spectrum visualization of all visible access points across the 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, and 6 GHz bands. It shows you exactly which channels are crowded, where interference exists, and which channels are best for your environment.
2.4 GHz Spectrum
The 2.4 GHz chart displays spectral curves showing the 22 MHz footprint of each access point. In this band, only channels 1, 6, and 11 are non-overlapping — any other channel choice will create adjacent-channel interference with neighbors. When curves overlap visually on the chart, that overlap represents real interference between those APs.
Because there are only three non-overlapping channels, 2.4 GHz is often the most congested band. Use this chart to quickly see how many APs compete on each channel.
5 GHz Spectrum
The 5 GHz chart displays narrow bars for each access point, organized across the UNII-1 through UNII-3 bands. The shaded regions correspond to each UNII band, and the gaps between them represent real reserved frequencies that cannot be used for Wi-Fi.
Wider channels (40, 80, and 160 MHz) are shown proportionally wider in the chart. A single 160 MHz AP occupies the same visual space as eight 20 MHz channels, making it easy to see how much spectrum a wide-channel AP consumes.
6 GHz Spectrum (Wi-Fi 7)
The 6 GHz chart covers the UNII-5 through UNII-8 bands — 1200 MHz of clean spectrum with no legacy Wi-Fi devices. Wi-Fi 7 access points using 320 MHz channels appear as very wide curves on the chart, but even these ultra-wide channels leave plenty of room in 6 GHz.
Because only Wi-Fi 6E and Wi-Fi 7 devices operate in 6 GHz, this band typically shows little to no congestion. If your environment supports it, 6 GHz is the best choice for interference-free connectivity.
Channel Table
Below each spectrum chart, a channel table summarizes the congestion data numerically:
- Congestion bar — A visual bar showing the relative congestion level for that channel.
- AP count — The number of access points operating on or overlapping with this channel.
- Overlap count — The number of APs on adjacent channels whose signals overlap into this channel.
- Strongest signal — The highest signal strength (dBm) seen on this channel.
- Rating — An overall congestion rating of Low, Medium, or High.
Channel Detail Card
Click any row in the channel table to expand a detailed card for that channel. The detail card includes:
- Co-channel score — Interference from APs on the exact same channel.
- Adjacent overlap score — Interference from APs on neighboring channels.
- Total congestion — Combined co-channel and adjacent interference score.
- Standards breakdown — Distribution of Wi-Fi 4/5/6/6E/7 APs on this channel.
- Width distribution — How many APs use 20, 40, 80, 160, or 320 MHz widths.
- Client counts — Total associated stations reported by APs on this channel.
- Airtime — Channel airtime utilization percentage.
- Signal distribution — Range and distribution of signal strengths across APs.
- Overlap breakdown — Which specific APs are overlapping and by how much.
- Security breakdown — Distribution of security types (Open, WPA2, WPA3, etc.).
- AP tiles — Individual tiles for each AP on this channel with full details.
Recommendations
At the top of each band section, the panel displays a best channel recommendation computed from the lowest interference score. This is the channel with the least co-channel and adjacent-channel interference, making it the best choice for a new AP deployment or channel change.
All Access Points Table
Below the per-band sections, a consolidated table lists every visible AP sorted by signal strength. Each row shows:
- Signal strength with a visual bar
- Channel badge (color-coded by band)
- Width badge (20/40/80/160/320 MHz)
- Wi-Fi standard label (Wi-Fi 4/5/6/6E/7)
- SSID
- Security type
Tips
- Check the 6 GHz band for clean spectrum if you have Wi-Fi 6E or Wi-Fi 7 access points — it often has zero congestion.
- Watch for high airtime utilization percentage even on channels with few APs. A single busy AP can saturate a channel.
- Use the channel recommendations as a starting point, then verify with the detail cards to understand the full picture.
- In dense environments, prefer 5 GHz or 6 GHz over 2.4 GHz for better performance.
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