5 GHz not working using 20 MHz channel width

[King-Kash]

Twiddled a little with the network - it said the strength was a bit iffy on the 5 GHz channels and suggested changing to a more narrow channel width, so I chose 20 MHz. 

Cue Omen not being able to connect. Known issue? 

[Kuroi_Kenshi]

Hi @King-Kash,

Welcome to the HP Support Community!

Thanks for reaching out!

We're thrilled to have the opportunity to assist you and provide a solution.

I understand your OMEN laptop can no longer connect to the 5 GHz Wi-Fi after the channel width was changed to 20 MHz. Let’s go through a few steps to check what could be causing this.

Restore the 5 GHz channel width to Auto or 40/80 MHz
Many Intel and Realtek Wi-Fi adapters struggle to detect 5 GHz networks locked to 20 MHz.
Set the channel width back to Auto or 40/80 MHz and save the router settings.

Manually select a supported 5 GHz channel
Choose a common channel such as 36, 40, 44, or 48 instead of DFS channels.
Some laptops fail to connect when narrow widths are combined with certain channels.

Restart router and laptop after changes
Power-cycle the router after applying Wi-Fi settings.
Restart the laptop to force the Wi-Fi adapter to rescan available networks.

Check Wi-Fi adapter advanced settings
Open Device Manager > Network adapters > Wi-Fi adapter > Advanced.
Ensure “Preferred Band” is set to Auto or 5 GHz and Channel Width is not forced to 20 MHz.

Update the wireless driver
Install the latest Wi-Fi driver for your OMEN model from HP’s support site.
Older drivers often have compatibility issues with non-default 5 GHz configurations.

Test visibility from another device
Check whether other devices can see and connect to the 5 GHz network at 20 MHz.
If multiple devices fail, the issue is router configuration rather than the laptop.

Temporarily split SSIDs (if applicable)
Give 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz different network names.
This helps confirm whether the laptop is failing only on the 5 GHz band.

Use 2.4 GHz as a fallback if signal is weak
If 5 GHz strength is poor at your location, 2.4 GHz may be more stable.
Narrowing 5 GHz to 20 MHz often reduces compatibility without improving reliability.

I hope this helps.

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Best regards,

[King-Kash · Accepted solution]

I'll just assume that the hardware doesn't support narrow-band 5 GHz connections.