What is channel bonding and what widths are typical in 802.11ac/ax?

• A. Combining non-adjacent channels to form a wider channel.
• B. Using only 20 MHz channels in all cases is optimal.
• C. Combining adjacent channels to form a wider channel; common widths 80 MHz and 160 MHz.
• D. Channel bonding is only possible on 2.4 GHz.

Answer: (C)

Channel bonding is the practice of merging adjacent Wi‑Fi channels into a single wider channel. This provides more spectrum for a single link, boosting potential data throughput. In 802.11ac and 802.11ax, the widths you’ll see most often are 80 MHz and 160 MHz. An 80 MHz channel comes from joining two 40 MHz blocks, while a 160 MHz channel comes from four 40 MHz blocks. This wider spectrum is used in the 5 GHz band where there’s enough contiguous spectrum available; the 2.4 GHz band has limited room for such wide channels, so high‑throughput bonding is primarily a 5 GHz/ax feature. Bonding must involve adjacent channels to form a continuous spectrum; non-adjacent bonding isn’t how this works because it would create gaps and disrupt transmission.