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Because macOS treats the list of nearby Wi-Fi networks as location data — network names can reveal where you are. It is the only way any Mac app is allowed to see network names, and it is the only reason the dialog appears. Openband never requests, reads, or stores your actual location. If the network list looks empty with names hidden, allow Openband under System Settings → Privacy & Security → Location Services — the app picks up the change immediately, no relaunch needed.
Physics, usually. Higher frequencies fade much faster through walls than 2.4 GHz — a neighbor whose 2.4 GHz network reaches you clearly may have 5 GHz and 6 GHz radios that arrive at the noise floor or not at all. A short list on those bands is normal, and it's good news: those bands are effectively yours.
Channels 52–144 on 5 GHz share frequencies with radar. A router using one must listen for radar for about a minute before transmitting and must switch channels if it ever detects any — which is rare unless you live near an airport or weather station. Because most routers avoid the dance, DFS channels are usually the emptiest part of the band. Openband includes them in recommendations by default, labels them clearly, and lets you exclude them with one switch.
No — that's the point. Openband includes your current channel when scoring, so it can tell you your router already chose well. Apple's built-in tool structurally cannot say this. A move is only suggested when it clearly beats staying, because changing channels reconnects every device in your home.
Free, forever, unmetered: the channel verdicts for every band, the network list in plain language, the walk-around meter, and everything about your own connection. Openband Pro ($14.99, once) adds the evidence: the channel-overlap spectrum, the sortable per-radio table with manufacturer names, dBm for every network, and signal history with the roaming log. No subscription, and nothing free ever moves behind the paywall.
Open any locked view and click Restore Purchase on the unlock screen. Openband Pro is tied to your Apple account and includes Family Sharing.
macOS strips the Wi-Fi 7 information elements from the scan results it gives sandboxed apps, so no Mac App Store app can reliably identify other networks as Wi-Fi 7 or show 320 MHz widths. Openband reports up to Wi-Fi 6/6E and 160 MHz — the part it can actually measure — rather than guessing.
macOS 14 or later. 6 GHz scanning additionally needs a Mac with a Wi-Fi 6E or Wi-Fi 7 radio and a 6 GHz network in range.