Convert radio frequencies between Hz, kHz, MHz and GHz and calculate wavelength.
Frequency units differ only by powers of 1000 (Hz, kHz, MHz, GHz), so converting between them is a simple multiplication or division. Wavelength is derived from frequency using the universal relation wavelength = speed_of_light / frequency, which for radio waves traveling through air/vacuum uses c ≈ 299,792,458 m/s. Higher frequencies have proportionally shorter wavelengths — 2.4 GHz WiFi has a wavelength of about 12.5 cm, while 5 GHz WiFi's wavelength is about half that, around 6 cm.
Wavelength from frequency
wavelength = speed_of_light / frequency
Wavelength determines antenna size (efficient antennas are typically a fraction or multiple of the wavelength) and affects how signals interact with obstacles — shorter wavelengths (higher frequencies) are more easily blocked by small objects and penetrate walls less effectively than longer wavelengths.
2.4 GHz has a wavelength of about 12.5 cm (299,792,458 / 2,400,000,000 ≈ 0.1249 m), roughly the width of a hand.
5GHz's shorter wavelength (~6 cm vs ~12.5 cm) attenuates faster over distance and is blocked more easily by walls and obstacles, a direct physical consequence of its higher frequency — see the WiFi Coverage calculator for the quantified path-loss relationship.
The wavelength formula (λ = c/f) applies specifically to electromagnetic waves traveling at the speed of light (radio, microwave, light). Sound waves travel much slower and use a different speed constant, so this calculator is intended for RF/wireless use cases.