How to Fix Xiaomi Phone Not Connecting to 5GHz Wi-Fi Band

5GHz Wi-Fi is faster and less congested than 2.4GHz but has shorter range. If your Xiaomi phone refuses to connect to your 5GHz network, here's how to fix it.

Step 1 – Confirm Your Phone Supports 5GHz

Not all budget Xiaomi/Redmi phones support 5GHz Wi-Fi:
1. Settings → About phone → Specifications — look for "Wi-Fi 5" or "802.11ac/ax".
2. Or search your model on gsmarena.com → check WLAN spec.

Budget models like Redmi A-series may be 2.4GHz only — if so, 5GHz simply won't appear.

Step 2 – Check Router 5GHz Is Broadcasting

1. Log into your router admin panel (usually 192.168.1.1).
2. Confirm 5GHz band is enabled and broadcasting with a visible SSID.
3. If using band steering (same SSID for both bands), temporarily separate them into different SSIDs to force 5GHz connection.

Step 3 – Forget and Reconnect

1. Settings → Wi-Fi → tap the 5GHz network → Forget.
2. Re-scan → select the 5GHz network → enter password.
3. If both bands share the same name: rename your 5GHz to "HomeNetwork_5G" to distinguish it.

Step 4 – Reset Network Settings

1. Settings → Connection & sharing → Reset Wi-Fi, mobile & Bluetooth.
2. Confirm → all saved Wi-Fi networks and Bluetooth pairings are cleared.
3. Reconnect to the 5GHz network.

Step 5 – Check Wi-Fi Channel (Router Side)

Some channels in the 5GHz band require DFS (Dynamic Frequency Selection) — certain Xiaomi models don't support all DFS channels:
1. In router settings: change the 5GHz channel to 36, 40, 44, or 48 (non-DFS channels).
2. Save and reconnect.

Quick Diagnosis Table

Pro Tips

• 5GHz has shorter range than 2.4GHz — if you're far from the router, 2.4GHz may actually be more reliable.
• Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) Xiaomi models automatically prefer the least congested band.