What is Wi-Fi "channel saturation" and why is it bad?

"Channel saturation" happens when too many Wireless Access Points ("WAP") have a Wi-Fi Network SSID operating on the same channel and are too close together.  This causes interference which in turn causes network slowness and network disconnects.

Any SSID from any WAP will conflict if it is on the same channel.  The name of the SSID does not prevent this interference from happening.  In fact, WAP that are broadcasting the same SSID should be on different channels to prevent interference.  There are three channels (1, 6, 11) that do not overlap and should be used effectively for channel management by WAP that are located physically close to each other. 

See also Wi-Fi Channels and Frequencies

Please see For Dummies for more information.

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