Why is my WiFi network shown twice with different SSIDs on my tablet?

I have a ASUS VivoTab Smart Windows 8 tablet and a home WiFi network (the router is a TP-LINK WR1043ND). The Internet hardly works on the tablet - it drops the connection, sometimes cannot connect, etc.

Recently, I have figured out that it shows two networks with the same signal strength. It is 100% certain that this "new" network one is not one of my neighbors', but mine. The SSID set at the router is myNetwork, and the copycat SSD is dc65dc.

Why does this happen, and how do I solve both the double-SSID issue and my lack of connection quality?

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1 Answer

You might have a dual-band router. Dual-band routers operate on both the 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz frequencies. To do so there are actually two separate radios in the router, one for each band. The 2.4Ghz band is the older of the two and has to share the band with other common devices such as cordless phones. The 5Ghz band is more recent and there tend to be fewer other devices that use that band which theoretically means that if you can use it exclusively (connecting to that one and disabling the 2.4Ghz band) then you should do so to improve your connection.

Edit: Also the 5Ghz band may have been turned off until a recent event enabled it. The device connecting to the router must also support the 5Ghz band. You have to have it on both ends. Practically everything supports the 2.4Ghz band but not a whole lot supports the 5Ghz band. If your device shows both, your tablet, then it likely supports both bands and a recent event in your router activated the 5Ghz band.

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