How to pick the clearest Wi-Fi channel

Channel Clear is a free Wi-Fi channel planner that runs entirely in your browser. Open your phone's Wi-Fi settings, read the networks around you and their channels, and type them in above. The chart draws how far each signal spreads across the band, then marks the least-congested channel left for your own router. There is no app to install, no login, and nothing you enter leaves your device.

Why your channel matters

On 2.4GHz there are really only three channels that do not overlap: 1, 6, and 11. When the routers around you crowd onto the same channel, or onto one a few numbers away, their signals bleed together and your throughput drops, which shows up as buffering video and choppy calls. Moving your router to a quieter channel is often the single fix that helps the most, and it takes about a minute.

How the overlap is calculated

Most tools just list which channels are in use. Channel Clear goes further: it models each network as an energy curve the width of a real Wi-Fi channel (about 22 MHz on 2.4GHz), so two routers three channels apart still register as partial interference rather than "unrelated." That is what makes it a genuine 2.4GHz channel overlap calculator, and why the recommendation lines up with what you would measure with a spectrum analyzer.

2.4GHz vs 5GHz

5GHz has far more room, and its 20 MHz channels do not overlap, so congestion there is about who shares the exact same channel rather than adjacent bleed. Use the band toggle to plan each band on its own; the recommendation and chart update for whichever band you are looking at, and the networks you entered on the other band are kept.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best Wi-Fi channel checker?
A useful Wi-Fi channel checker shows the reasoning, not just a verdict. Channel Clear draws every neighbor's overlap curve so you can see why a channel is busy, then recommends 1, 6, or 11 on 2.4GHz (the non-overlapping channels) or the quietest 5GHz channel for the networks you enter.
Which 2.4GHz channel is least congested?
On 2.4GHz, stay on channel 1, 6, or 11, because they are the only channels that do not overlap each other. Channel Clear's 2.4GHz channel overlap calculator scores those three against the networks around you and marks the clearest one with the amber pointer.
Do I need to install an app to plan my Wi-Fi channel?
No. A browser cannot scan Wi-Fi directly, so you read the network names and channels from your phone's Wi-Fi settings and type them in. That keeps the whole thing a single web page with no permissions and no account.
Does Channel Clear work for 5GHz?
Yes. Switch the band toggle to 5GHz to plan the common non-DFS channels (36 to 48 and 149 to 165). Each band is tracked separately with its own recommendation and chart.

View the source on GitHub More by Charlie Krug