How to turn on 5GHz on Xiaomi phone: a complete guide to error solutions

Did you buy a new router with dual-band Wi-Fi support, but your Xiaomi stubbornly clings to only a slow 2.4GHz network? Or notice that the smartphone does not see the 5GHz network at all, even though neighboring devices connect without problems? This problem is familiar to many owners of Redmi, POCO and Mi phones - especially after a MIUI update or a setting reset.

In this article, we’ll look at all the possible reasons why Xiaomi isn’t connecting to 5GHz, and give you step-by-step instructions for models on MIUI 12/13/14. You’ll learn how to force a range, update Wi-Fi drivers, check router compatibility, and even manually add a network if the automatic connection isn’t working, and if the problem is hardware constraints, we’ll tell you how to determine this without going to the service.

We warn you right away, some solutions require developer rights or unlock the bootloader, but most problems are solved with standard settings, so you know where to look. Let's start with the simplest one!

Why Xiaomi doesn’t see or connect to 5GHz Wi-Fi

Before we treat the symptoms, we'll look at the causes. TOP-7 Factors Why Xiaomi Can Ignore 5GHz Network:

• 🔄 Automatic range selection in router settings (many models by default hide 5 GHz under a common network name).
• 📵 Lack of support 5 GHz in your smartphone model (relevant for budget Redmi) 4A/5A or old Mis or A1).
• 🔧 Outdated Wi-Fi drivers in firmware MIUI (especially after the "over-the-air" update").
• 🛡️ Region restrictions: some countries (e.g. Japan) block certain 5GHz channels.
• ⚡ Energy conservation: MIUI Can turn off 5 GHz to save battery.
• 📡 Incorrect router settings: channel width, type of security or signal power.
• 🔌 Hardware malfunction of Wi-Fi module (rare, but occurs after falls or moisture).

And you can see that there are many causes, from the trivial to the serious, but 90 percent of the time, the problem is solved in software, and then we'll go from the simplest to the most radical.

Check 5GHz support for your Xiaomi model

Before digging into the settings, make sure your smartphone is physically capable of running at 5GHz. Some budget models (especially those released before 2018) only support 2.4GHz.

Here is a list of popular Xiaomi models and their 5GHz compatibility:

If your model isn’t in the table, check the specifications on Xiaomi’s official website or in the device’s documents. Look for lines like Dual-band Wi-Fi or 802.11a/b/g/n/ac – the letter a indicates 5GHz support.

⚠️ Note: If your smartphone doesn’t support 5GHz at the hardware level, all further instructions are useless, in which case you just have to buy a new phone or use an external Wi-Fi adapter (via a Wi-Fi adapter). OTG).

Method 1: Forced range selection in Wi-Fi settings

The easiest method is to manually specify which range the smartphone should connect to, which is hidden in MIUI, but can be activated through a hidden menu.

Instructions:

1. Open the Settings. → Wi-Fi.
2. Click on the current network (to which you are connected) and select Change the network.
3. Scroll down and activate the option Additional settings (or Advanced settings).
4. Find Wi-Fi (or Band) range and select 5 GHz.
5. Save the changes and reconnect.

If there's no Wi-Fi range, your version of MIUI is hiding it, and an alternative method will help:

Add a new network manually (don’t select from the list)

Specify the exact network name (SSID) for 5 GHz

Select the security type (WPA2/WPA3)

Save and connect.-->

You can also use a Wi-Fi analyzer app (like WiFi Analyzer) to see which 5GHz networks are available nearby, and if your smartphone sees them in the app but doesn't connect, the problem is with the MIUI settings.

Method 2: Set up a router to work correctly with Xiaomi

Sometimes the problem isn’t with the phone, but with the router settings that aren’t right, especially if other devices (laptops, tablets) are connecting to 5GHz without any problems.

Here are the router options to check (instructions for TP-Link, Xiaomi Mi Router, ASUS and others):

• 📡 Separation SSID: Make sure the networks 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz have different names (for example, MyWiFi_2G and MyWiFi_5G). This will allow you to manually select a range.
• 🔒 Type of security: Use WPA2-PSK or WPA3. Xiaomi may not be connected to networks with WEP or mixed-regime.
• 📶 Channel width: For 5 Select GHz. 20/40/80 MHz (auto) Some smartphones don't work with 160 MHz.
• 🌍 Region: Set the right country in your router settings (e.g. Russia or Europe) and this affects the available 5GHz channels.
• 🔄 Mode of operation: Turn off 802.11r (Fast Roaming – It can be a conflict with the MIUI.

If you have a Xiaomi router (e.g. Mi Router 4A/4C/AX3600), go to the web interface at 192.168.31.1 and check:

Wi-Fi Management → 5G Settings → Enable 5G Wi-Fi (checkmark)


Wi-Fi Management → Basic settings → Frequency division (enable)

⚠️ Attention: Some Xiaomi routers have 5GHz disabled by default to save power. Turn it on manually and restart the device.

💡

If after the changes, the 5 GHz network is lost, reset the router to the factory settings (reset button for 10 seconds) and configure again.

Method 3: Update Wi-Fi drivers via MIUI or ADB

If a smartphone sees 5GHz networks but doesn’t connect (or connects, but the speed is low), the problem may be with outdated drivers. MIUI You can update them in two ways:

Method 1: Updating the system

Often, Wi-Fi patches come along with monthly security patches.

1. Go to Settings → About the phone → System update.
2. Click Check Updates and install the latest version of MIUI.
3. After the update, reset the network settings: Settings → Wi-Fi → ⋮ → Reset the settings.

Method 2: ADB (for Advanced)

If the update doesn’t work, you can manually restart the Wi-Fi driver via ADB:

adb shell


su




rmmod wlan




modprobe wlan

This command restarts the Wi-Fi module. If after it 5 GHz earned - the problem is precisely in the drivers, and it is worth considering flashing on custom firmware (for example, PixelExperience or LineageOS).

Method 4: Enable 5GHz through the Engineering Menu (MTK/Qualcomm)

If standard methods don’t work, you can try activating 5GHz through an engineering menu that’s available on all Xiaomi smartphones, but the paths to it vary depending on the processor.

Instructions for Qualcomm Snapdragon (most Redmi/POCO):

1. Open the Phone app and enter the combination: ##4636##.
2. Select Wi-Fi (or Wi-Fi Information) information.
3. Scroll down to the Wi-Fi frequency band.
4. If it only says 2.4 GHz, try changing it to 5 GHz or Dual Band.

For MediaTek processors (e.g. Redmi 9/10):

1. Enter the dialer: ##36446337##.
2. Go to Connectivity → Wi-Fi.
3. Find the Band Selection option and activate 5G.

⚠️ Warning: Changes to the engineering menu may disrupt the network. If Wi-Fi stopped working after editing, reset the network settings (Settings) → System system → Resetting settings → Reset your Wi-Fi, mobile network and Bluetooth settings).

💡

The engineering menu is a powerful tool, but it's dangerous. Don't change the settings if you're not sure what they're supposed to do.

Method 5: Solving connection problems (authentication errors, low speed)

Even if the smartphone is connected to 5 GHz, there may be various errors:

• 🔄 "Connection → Authentication → Shutdown” (endless cycle).
• 🐢 Low speed (e.g., low speed, 1-5 Mbit/s instead of 100+).
• 📵 Permanent communication breakdowns.

Here is a list of solutions for each problem:

If nothing helps, try forgetting the network and connecting again:

1. Go to Settings. → Wi-Fi.
2. Click on the problem network and select Delete (or Forget).
3. Connect again by entering the password.

FAQ: Frequent questions about 5GHz on Xiaomi