Sorry to bring up an old thread but it’s important to clear up that 5Ghz is very short range. 2.5Ghz is the only option with usable range for walking around a mid to large size venue.
If you’re having range problems there’s probably some equipment creating interference. A crowd of people with phones shouldn’t be a problem – cell networks use a different frequency. Try moving the wifi router away from the sound desk… also most of them have directional antennas – a good model will detail this in the manual.
The best wifi gear is Ubiquiti Uni-Fi range in my experience. They’re reasonably priced enterprise gear with models to suit every situation. Setup is reasonably easy despite being so advanced.
