What is the recommended method to avoid co‑channel congestion when deploying 2.4 GHz access points?

In the 2.4 GHz band, only three channels (1, 6, and 11) are truly non-overlapping. Using these specific channels for adjacent access points prevents interference and co-channel congestion, which degrades Wi-Fi performance. If access points operate on overlapping channels (e.g., channel 3 and channel 6), their signals interfere with each other, causing retransmissions and slower speeds for connected devices. Using only one overlapping or non-overlapping channel across multiple APs would lead to severe congestion as all APs would contend for the same airtime, negating the benefits of multiple access points.