The 2450 MHz or 2.45 GHz frequency sits at the heart of the 2.4 GHz ISM band—one of the most universally recognized and widely utilized sections of the radio spectrum. It plays a critical role in modern wireless communication, serving technologies from Wi-Fi to Bluetooth, Zigbee, and industrial automation. Unlicensed yet globally harmonized, 2450 MHz exemplifies spectrum efficiency through innovation and coexistence.
ITU Allocation: Industrial, Scientific and Medical (ISM) band
🌍 Regional Use Breakdown
🌐 Region
Frequency Allocation
Primary Use
Licensing
🌍 Region 1 (Europe, Africa)
2400–2483.5 MHz
ISM / SRD / Wi-Fi / Bluetooth
License-exempt
🌎 Region 2 (Americas)
2400–2483.5 MHz
ISM / Wi-Fi / Bluetooth / IoT
License-exempt
🌏 Region 3 (Asia-Pacific)
2400–2483.5 MHz
ISM / Wireless LAN / Zigbee / BLE
License-exempt
🟢 Harmonized use: The 2.4 GHz ISM band is globally available for unlicensed operation across ITU regions.
📱 Applications and Use Cases
Application
Description
Wi-Fi (802.11 b/g/n)
Core band for home and office wireless LAN networks
Bluetooth / BLE
Personal area networking and low-power wireless peripherals
Zigbee / 802.15.4
Wireless mesh networks for smart homes, meters, and IoT devices
Microwave Ovens
Non-communication use that introduces incidental interference
Industrial Telemetry
Factory automation, robotics, and wireless sensors
Cordless Phones / Video
Older analog wireless devices (now phased out in many countries)
🔐 Licensing & Access
License-free use under local Part 15 / ETSI / SRD regulations
Operates on a non-interference, non-protection basis
Must comply with emission limits, duty cycle restrictions (in some regions)
⚡ Power and Modulation
Parameter
Typical Values
Max Power (ERP)
100 mW (Europe); up to 1 W (USA/Canada)
Common Modulations
DSSS, FHSS, OFDM, GFSK, QPSK
Bandwidth
Varies: 1–22 MHz (depending on technology)
Channel Spacing
1, 5, or 20+ MHz (application dependent)
📊 Regulatory Insights
Europe (ETSI EN 300 328): Limits on duty cycle and channel occupancy apply
USA (FCC Part 15.247): Requires frequency hopping or spread spectrum compliance
Japan: Additional 2471–2497 MHz band used with some regulatory conditions
📡 Adjacent Band Use
Band
Frequency Range
Use
2300–2400 MHz
Mobile / Fixed / Military (Region dependent)
2400–2483.5 MHz
ISM band (Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Zigbee)
2483.5–2500 MHz
Mobile satellite service, restricted use
2500–2690 MHz
LTE Band 7 and Band 41 (TDD), broadband wireless
🛰️ Spectrum Sharing & Interference Considerations
Extremely crowded due to overlapping wireless tech
Microwave ovens, video transmitters, and older analog gear can cause interference
Coexistence strategies include:
Channel hopping (Bluetooth)
Adaptive frequency selection (Wi-Fi 802.11h)
Mesh network routing (Zigbee, Thread)
📚 Historical Context
Introduced for ISM use long before wireless communications
Became central to early Wi-Fi and Bluetooth development in the 1990s
2.4 GHz spectrum unlocked low-cost, global consumer electronics growth
Remains essential for short-range and low-power wireless systems
📝 Notes for Engineers
Ideal for short- to mid-range communication (1–100 m line-of-sight)
Highly accessible and easy to integrate in SDR platforms (HackRF, LimeSDR)
Careful antenna tuning required due to crowded band and multipath
Band is susceptible to interference, but offers global deployment advantage
🔗 Related Technologies
Wi-Fi 4/5/6 (802.11 b/g/n/ax)
Bluetooth 2.0–5.3 / BLE
Zigbee / Thread / 6LoWPAN
LoRa 2.4 GHz (Semtech SX1280)
Wireless USB, RF keyboards/mice, RC devices
🔍 Summary
Attribute
Value/Details
Center Frequency
2450 MHz
ITU Region Use
Globally harmonized (Regions 1, 2, 3)
Primary Use
Wireless LAN, Bluetooth, IoT
License Required?
No (license-exempt, with rules)
Typical Power
10 mW to 1 W depending on region
Modulation Types
DSSS, OFDM, FHSS, GFSK
Harmonized?
Yes
Key Benefit
Ubiquitous, low-cost, global spectrum access
Mobitex
📶 Mobitex helps engineers, regulators, and innovators navigate radio frequencies, decoding MHz to GHz with engineering-grade spectrum insights, tools, and clarity for better decisions.
