How to Set Your Fire Stick to Use Your 5GHz Network

Evan Gower February 22, 2021

Amazon’s Fire Stick is one of the most popular streaming devices available, thanks to its wide array of apps and an openness unmatched by nearly every other streaming gadget on the market today. Amazon has made sure to update all three models of its acclaimed gadget regularly, ensuring that they’re always up to date with the latest tech. That includes support for 5GHz networks, a must-have for increased speeds and performance.

How to Set Your Fire Stick to Use Your 5GHz Network

For individuals who stream and play games, these network speeds are highly beneficial. This means fewer hiccups and shorter buffering times in your videos. You’ll also have fewer peripheral “noises” at 5GHz, such as from microwaves or Bluetooth devices.

Let’s look at this topic in more detail.

How to Set up Your Fire Stick

If you are brand new to using the Amazon Fire Stick, you will first have to set it up. To link your Fire Stick to your 5GHz follow these simple steps:

Connect your Fire Stick to the power adapter.
Plug your Fire Stick into your TV’s HDMI port.
Turn on your TV and hit the Home button on the remote.
Press the Play/Pause button to advance to the next screen.
Select your language.
Select your Wi-Fi network. Make sure you have a dual router set to 5GHz.
Type in your password.
Select the Connect button.
If you don’t have an Amazon account, select the “Create an Account” option and create your Amazon account. If you have a registered Amazon account, go with “Register.”

What Is 5GHz?

5GHz refers to the strength of your router. Routers have two speeds, 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz. 5GHZ is the faster on the two, 2.4 GHz is a slower speed. Single-band routers only generate 2.4 GHz, while dual-band routers permit you to select your speed. GHz refers to gigahertz per second. One gigahertz equals one billion cycles of a microprocessor.

5GHz is newer and faster. If speed is your primary concern, then go with the 5GHz speed. This allows you to download more files, stream more media, and pair more devices to your WiFi. 2.4 GHz can do those things, but you will find that the download speed is much slower, and having multiple devices on your network bog it down. 2.4 GHz has a broader range, which means you can use the WiFi a farther distance away from the routers.

Not all devices are built to handle 5GHz speed at this time. If you use an older computer or phone, it will not be compatible with that speed on the router. Older TVs may struggle with this, as well. Newer devices are built to run on either but may work best on 5GHz.

How to Switch Your Router to 5GHz

If you want faster streaming speeds or you want to avoid congestion from neighboring Wi-Fi networks, it’s time to make the switch to 5GHz speed. There are a few steps you will need to take to make this switch.

Open the browser on your computer or mobile device and enter http:/192.168.1.1 into the address bar. If you have Ubee router, the address should be http:/192.168.0.1. Other brands might have other default addresses. Alternatively, you can go to Fire Stick’s Settings, open the Device section, and then go into the About section. There, under the Network section, you’ll find the Gateway IP Address. Write that address down and enter into your browser’s address bar.
Log in with the password and username provided on your router’s sticker. If you’re unable to locate them, contact your ISP.
Once logged in, look for the Change Wireless Settings or another similarly named button. Click on it.
You should now see 5GHz settings. Switch to 5GHz and select a channel. 36 is the most commonly chosen option.
Save your changes.
Restart the router and it will automatically switch to the 5GHz network. Your Fire Stick should connect automatically.
Go to the Fire Stick’s Wi-Fi settings and check whether the 5GHz network is available.

2.4GHz vs 5GHz

Conventional wisdom says that faster is always better. In this case, however, the choice should depend on what you need your Wi-Fi for. 5GHz is faster, and there is no question about it.

If you stream heavily and want to connect multiple devices, then 5 GHz is the way for you to go. You will be able to stream online content to your TV and browse the web on your phone or computer at the same time. You’ll also be able to do other activities that require a great deal of bandwidth.

As stated above, 2.4 GHz is the slower option. If you stream extensively or have multiple devices on your network, you may notice that it is somewhat slow and sluggish. However, if you have a single device and a moderate streaming habit, 2.4GHz connection might work.

Tying up Any Loose Ends

5GHz network is much faster than its 2.4GHz counterpart. That means faster streaming with lower buffering time, ability to have more connected devices, and fewer hiccups. There is also far less interference from other devices like Bluetooth and microwaves at this speed.

Have you switched to 5GHz? If not, why? Tell us all about it in the comments section below.