The original Nintendo Switch had a notoriously weak network card. Nintendo hasn’t explicitly mentioned any improvements made to the Wi-Fi tech in the Nintendo Switch 2, but users have certainly noticed it’s able to achieve much faster speeds than its predecessor. Still, you may need to make use of a few key tweaks to get the most out of your Switch 2’s Wi-Fi capabilities.
It’s all in the frequency
We’re not going to get too ‘techy’ here, but you do need to have some level of understanding for this process, as you’ll be taking a gander at your router’s backend settings to get this all situated. That said, it’s not too involved.
Before checking your router, let’s start on the Switch 2 itself. Navigate to System Settings > Internet. There, take note of the “Frequency Band” line under “Connection Status.” Hopefully, it should already say “5 GHz.” If not, then here’s where we’ll start implementing some tweaks.
Most routers are capable of distributing their network signal on either a 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz frequency band. Many can even split these bands into separate networks: i.e., “WifiHere2.4” and “WifiHere 5.”
If your router does this, then make sure you connect your Nintendo Switch 2 to the 5 GHz Wi-Fi network. 5 GHz frequencies offer a higher speed at the cost of being weaker, and therefore cannot travel as far. Thus, the position of your router relative to the console will play a big factor.
On the other hand, some routers have a feature where they broadcast these bands under the same network, allowing devices to migrate between the bands on their own. While most modern devices will handle this just fine, as it stands right now, the Switch 2 seems to struggle with this.
Again, specific network conditions will play a big part in how this works. Yet, the following tweaks should help to ‘force’ the Switch 2 onto the 5 GHz as much as possible, if not always.
How to force the Switch 2 onto a 5 GHz frequency band
This is where getting into your router’s backend is needed. First, check the brand and model number of your router. If the system login page isn’t listed on the unit, then you should be able to quickly search for it. This page is usually in the form of an IP address, i.e., 192.192.192.
Once you’ve navigated there, head to the “Radio Management” (or an equivalent.)
After that, you should see a list of your frequency bands and what ‘channel’ they’re broadcasting on. Much like how an AM/FM radio works, the trick is to find a channel that has the least amount of interference. Everyone’s situation will be different, such as having to compete with nearby Wi-Fi networks.
Modern routers have the ability to find and adjust these channels as needed. But, you can deploy a Wi-Fi analysis, such as using an app with such functionality, to determine what channel is best for your 5 GHz band. If that’s a little out of your wheelhouse, then feel free to experiment with different channels. That said, make sure you take a picture or write down what your settings are before you change them!
Once you’ve determined the best channel, set it and then “Save.” Your devices, including the Switch 2, will likely disconnect for a few brief moments before reconnecting automatically.
After that’s all said and done, head back to your Switch 2 and once again, check the network settings. Verify that the “Frequency Band” line now reads ”5 GHz.”
Further tweaks
Some tweaks inherited from the original Switch can also be used on the Switch 2 to improve Wi-Fi speeds. Or, at the very least, help ensure a more stable connection.
Going back to your Switch 2, return to the “Internet” tab in the “System Settings” menu. Click on “Internet Settings” and then click into your current Wi-Fi network. A sub-menu will open, where you will then select “Change Settings.”
Once that new page opens, scroll down to the DNS section, and click on “DNS Settings.” Change “Automatic” to “Manual.” After, you can set the “Primary DNS (IPv4)” and “Secondary DNS (IPv4).” Google has public DNS servers that anyone can use. So, set the “Primary DNS” to “8.8.8.8” and the “Secondary DNS” to “8.8.4.4”
Lastly, scroll down to the bottom of the page, and then you’ll see the last section, titled “MTU.” Change the default value of “1400” to “1500.”
These tweaks are not mandatory, but as mentioned before, just may help smooth things out for your system.
The Nintendo Switch 2 does possess a better Wi-Fi card than its predecessor. It even supports the more advanced (and speedier) Wi-Fi 6 protocol. Even still, it doesn’t seem to be as robust as the average modern smartphone or modern laptop.
Hopefully, these tweaks will help to maximise its effectiveness—especially if your setup makes it tricky to connect the Switch 2 via Ethernet. It would be truly grand if Nintendo updates the system to improve Wi-Fi connectivity, or at the very least, adds a “5GHz Only” toggle in the future.
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