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Forum Discussion
Adding 2.4 ghz devices to Orbi
I have the Orbi RBR20 which is not listed in the model drop down. I also have an Android phone runing Oreo. I have bought two wi-fi plugs to connect to Alexa and a La Crosse weather station that us...
Generally these types of WiFi devices connect like this:
1. The phone connects to the device by either Bluetooth, or more likely by a private WiFi network. You can see this in setup as your phone will connect to an SSID that usually has the device's brand name in it. This step does not involve the Orbi at all.
2. The phone programs the device with the connection info for your WiFi. In this step you are still connected to the device's private network and you enter your WiFi SSID and passsword. The device uses its 2.4 Ghz Wifi to connect to your network.
3. Your phone switchs back to your WiFi network and confirms it can see the newly setup device.
What part of the setup are you failing on?
Step one only involves your phone directly connecting to the device. If this is not working you should troubleshoot the phone's ability to directly connect to it. The Orbi is not involved yet.
Step 2 only involves the device connecting to your WiFi and as it only has a 2.4 Ghz radio it does not even see the 5 Ghz signal. If this is failing, then the device is having problems connecting to your Orbi. As the device only has a 2.4 Ghz radio nothing you do to the 5 Ghz signal will affect this. Troubleshoot the 2.4 Ghz network, possibly change the channel or look for something that could be interfering.
Step 3 involves your WiFi. The Orbi should be able to bridge the two networks and allow a phone on 5 Ghz to talk to a device on 2.4 Ghz. You can prove this by your ability to connect to any 2.4 Ghz resource on your network.
This is true stuff. I have connected up many 2.4 GHz devices while using Orbi without any hiccups whatsoever. What is so strange is that reading the device instructions is where many panic and begin trying to figure out how to separate the Orbi SSID into two networks (and by design if you want two separate network SSID why did you buy Orbi? The single SSID is a feature. There are other solutions for coverage for dual band with SSID differences.)
For example of confusing Orbi customers, from one TP Link Kasa instruction with some italics and some colored bold (same type of blurb for lights and switches and plugs)
"Connect your mobile device to a 2.4GHz Wi-Fi network. NoteThe Smart XXX only support the 2.4GHz network."
In this case I plunged ahead anyway and hooked up my lights. Later my switches. Later plugs. Same was true with the garage door opener hub.