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I have a Linksys router with dual-band networking. I set the 5ghz band to WirelessN and the 2.4ghz band to wirelessG. If I set them both to the same SSID, will the Mac automatically chose the faster WirelessN band? Is there a preference I need to set for this?

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Doesn't dual-band networking only create one network accessible on two different wave lengths? (5 and 2.4 ghz) – XAleXOwnZX Aug 5 '11 at 1:12
@XAleXOwnZX true, but accessing it over N will be faster than over G. – Rich Homolka Aug 5 '11 at 1:25
correction to my previous comment: – XAleXOwnZX Aug 5 '11 at 3:45
Doesn't dual-band networking only create one network accessible on two different wave lengths with the EXACT same specifications on both wave lengths? (5 and 2.4 ghz) – XAleXOwnZX Aug 5 '11 at 3:46

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No - the timing of the beaconing signals and whichever is the strongest SSID in the limited window it looks gets chosen. It's a flip of the coin most times. The N does win out more than the G - but it's not a surefire thing by any stretch.

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I've come to just make a second SSID with the word fast in front of the name and set that to be higher in the precedence. Then the mac seems to shift up much more reliably. – bmike♦ Aug 5 '11 at 3:32

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