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[Bob Faulkner]

A question not so much about the Senn. D1 mic, but more about the 2.4GHz range they say it operates in.

Anyone know if this GHz range is in response to the FCC selling off the mid MHz range?  We're still looking at the Senn EW 345 G3 series mics; however, if Senn is planning to move to the GHz band for their mics, we may hold off till they move.

Thoughts?

[Keith Broughton]

A question not so much about the Senn. D1 mic, but more about the 2.4GHz range they say it operates in.

Anyone know if this GHz range is in response to the FCC selling off the mid MHz range?  We're still looking at the Senn EW 345 G3 series mics; however, if Senn is planning to move to the GHz band for their mics, we may hold off till they move.

Thoughts?

I can't say if this is in response to the sale of other UHF blocks but the 2.4 gig range can be pretty crowded in some venues.

[TJ (Tom) Cornish]

A question not so much about the Senn. D1 mic, but more about the 2.4GHz range they say it operates in.

Anyone know if this GHz range is in response to the FCC selling off the mid MHz range?  We're still looking at the Senn EW 345 G3 series mics; however, if Senn is planning to move to the GHz band for their mics, we may hold off till they move.

Thoughts?

The 2.4Ghz band is totally different than the UHF 400Mhz - 800Mhz bands that the FCC has been dealing with in the last 10 years.  The 2.4Ghz band is intended for unlicensed devices and was so from the beginning, unlike the legacy UHF TV bands where wireless mics have "squatted".  Wireless mic manufacturers are indeed exploring other options due to the FCC's actions in the traditional UHF bands, the 2.4Ghz band being one of them.

While nothing is ever impossible, the likelihood of the 2.4Ghz band going away in the next 15-20 years is very small due to the incredible number of devices operating in that band, especially WiFi devices.

That being said, the 2.4Ghz band may or may not be a good place for wireless mics.  I own 4 Line6 mics and can usually make them work, but I have more dropout issues than with my UHF mics.  If you only need a couple channels, it's likely fine.  If you need more than 4, I would suggest looking elsewhere.

[Bob Faulkner]

Thanks for the replies guys.  A few (less than 5) is what I'm looking at.  Perhaps (at least for now), I'll stay out of the 2.4GHz range.

[Scott Carneval]

Thanks for the replies guys.  A few (less than 5) is what I'm looking at.  Perhaps (at least for now), I'll stay out of the 2.4GHz range.

I just spec'd a pair of Sennheiser EW D1's for a small event venue.  I spent about 20 minutes on the phone with Sennheiser tech support asking the same questions you're posing here.  He basically said that even though they state that up to 15 units can be used together, they don't recommend using more than about 4-6.  The reason for this is that when you combine the mics and the wifi devices operating in the same space, the 2.4ghz band can get quite crowded.  They are smart enough to consistently hop to the clearest channel without any user interaction.  Luckily we are doing the network for this venue, so we have some control over the wifi channels being used as well.  I'll start a new thread if we have any major issues with it.

[Bob Faulkner]

I just spec'd a pair of Sennheiser EW D1's for a small event venue.  I spent about 20 minutes on the phone with Sennheiser tech support asking the same questions you're posing here.  He basically said that even though they state that up to 15 units can be used together, they don't recommend using more than about 4-6.  The reason for this is that when you combine the mics and the wifi devices operating in the same space, the 2.4ghz band can get quite crowded.  They are smart enough to consistently hop to the clearest channel without any user interaction.  Luckily we are doing the network for this venue, so we have some control over the wifi channels being used as well.  I'll start a new thread if we have any major issues with it.

Interesting... thanks Scott.

[Keith Broughton]

, they don't recommend using more than about 4-6.  The reason for this is that when you combine the mics and the wifi devices operating in the same space, the 2.4ghz band can get quite crowded.  They are smart enough to consistently hop to the clearest channel without any user interaction. 

At least they were honest!
I have worked some venues where the 2.4 gig band was absolutely packed!
There is a nifty little program called InSSIDer that uses your computers WiFi card to scan and display 2.4 and 5 gig WiFi activity.
http://www.inssider.com/inssider4/
Looks like you have to pay for it now.
When I got it a while back, it was free for the basic version.

[John L Nobile]

At least they were honest!
I have worked some venues where the 2.4 gig band was absolutely packed!
There is a nifty little program called InSSIDer that uses your computers WiFi card to scan and display 2.4 and 5 gig WiFi activity.
http://www.inssider.com/inssider4/
Looks like you have to pay for it now.
When I got it a while back, it was free for the basic version.

I got the free version a while back. I saw that it's not free when I tried to install on a different computer. There's a ton of those apps for phones now. WiFi analyzer for Android is my pick.
I think that the only advantage 2.4 ghz has is that it's cheap. My venue is full of access points and we had to get the guitar/bass off their Line 6 units.
My understanding of the 2.4 band is that there's only 3 clear channels. 1,6 and 11. There's overlap in the other channels and you have to worry about cordless phones, microwaves and who knows what else.

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