NETGEAR is aware of a growing number of phone and online scams. To learn how to stay safe click here.
Forum Discussion
Solved
Best way to add 2.4 gHz ONLY devices to Orbi mesh network?
I have many different devices on my network that can connect only to 2.4gHz. Obviously, with a mesh network, the broadcast frequency is automatically chosen in the background. Because I have such g...
I had the same problem when trying to connect my ring doorbell and Anova Sous Vide. I ended up throwing up an old airport express and have been running my temperamental 2.4ghz devices off that.
This topic seems to "never die". If a device has ONLY 2.4G radios in it, it literally "doesn't matter" that some router is broadcasting 5G SSID's. The device CANNOT "talk 5G." I have all sorts of devices in my home (Nest Thermostat, Reolink Argus cameras, Simiplisafe base unit etc. that only do 2.4G, and had zero issues installing them. Most of those devices have a way for the user to input the SSID and password, either a keyboard or scanning a smart bar code. There are other devices, like "smart plugs", which rely on a smart phone app for setup. Their designers actually set them up to act as WiFi access points so that the smart phone app can find and connect to them. Once connected, the we key the SSID and password of the network we want them to connect to into the app and the app tells them to the device. From then on, they work like any other device (until we change the SSID and/or password, and everything stops working until we reconnect every device). Even though our smart phones are connected to the Orbi at 5G, when we run the app, it finds the 2.4G smart plug and configures it. On the other hand, when the device app is poorly written, it can be impossible to install the device at all. (See the thread about Whirlpool microwave.)
There is no need to turn off the 5G radio (or turn the signal down) to install 2.4G devices.
With that said, it is abundantly clear that some Orbi owners HAVE PROBLEMS getting 2.4G devices to work and are trying all sorts of things to get them installed. My (personal) belief is that the fault lies with the combination of the device and/or their smart phone, not with the Orbi.
I would REALLY like it if some some expert could figure out exactly what is going on that keeps this question coming up over and over.
- It’s a common problem with some 2.4Gjz only devices trying to connect to ssid’s that broadcast on 2.4 and 5ghz. It’s very common in the enterprise world especially among hvac controllers, medical devices, and debit card terminals. To address this many wifi vendors allow you to spin up a separate SSID on only one channel.
I don't know this for sure, but I have a theory that the problem lies with the apps for the smart devices. I'm probably not an "expert" within the scope of how you meant it.
Something like, when you're configuring a smart device via the accompanying app, it's possible that the app is looking at the BSSID, BSS, etc., the phone is using (e.g., 5GHz), and, while the app (should) obviously know that the device is only 2.4GHz-capable (not always the case, as some apps may work for multiple devices, only a subset of which are 2.4GHz-only), the app may be collecting and transmitting to the smart device settings the device is physically incapable of putting to use. This could be happening due to sloppy programming on the app devs' part, due in part to the unanticipated use of the same SSID for both the 2.4GHz and 5GHz WLANs, which I don't believe was very common prior to mesh systems (e.g., my previous router, when naming the SSID as [arbitary name X], would apply that to the 2.4GHz WLAN, and then also create X-5G and X-guest by default, resulting in three WLANs with unique names).
This could be happening because, during the configuration, the user tells the app which WLAN to use, and then the app queries the phone for the details of that WLAN, referenced by SSID, and the phone replies with the 5GHz details, since that's what the phone is connected to, not realizing the app actually needs the 2.4GHz details instead, since the SSID is ambiguous, existing on both the 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands.
Alternatively, it could be something like, the app asks the user for the (2.4GHz) SSID, sees that it's a valid 2.4GHz WLAN, despite the phone being connected to the matching 5GHz WLAN, and then tells the phone to connect to the smart device via this SSID, without specifying that the phone use the 2.4GHz version of the WLAN. The app sees that X is a 2.4GHz WLAN, but the phone transmits the configuration settings over the 5GHz WLAN by the same name, thus never reaching the 2.4GHz-only device, and resulting in a configuration failure.
I appologize for having hijacked the original thread. Perhaps we could be more helpful if robsquatch identified the specific 2.4G devices which are difficult to connect. That information may provide helpful clues.
When devices come "out of the box", they can wake up and detect SSID's, but they have no idea which SSID should be connected to, and they have no password to supply. Somehow, they have to get that information in order to connect successfully. With devices that offer an "input mechanism", such as a keyboard, camera, or ethernet port, the user can provide the SSID and password through that input. (My Reolink battery camera app creates a smart bar code which I hold in front of the camera. The cameras with ethernet have to be connected to a computer the first time. My security system uses the key pad to select the SSID and (tediously) input the password.)
I doubt that a smart phone app providing SSID and password for the Orbi connection (somehow) to a device can be the problem. Orbi uses the same SSID and password for both 2.4G and 5G. The device would know, "look for this SSID and give it this password." The device sees only 2.4G networks. Finds the Orbi 2.4G signal. Gives it the password. And, "voila. connected."
Something about the device firmware, the smart phone, and the app isn't working. Maybe some phones restrict what apps can do in regard to WiFi, so the app fails to find the device. Maybe..... (a lot of things). When it works, it's slick. My TP-Link smart plug setup was complete in under 10 minutes using an Android phone connected to Orbi at 5G, including setting up the Kasa account and updating the plug firmware. But then, TP-Link makes computer devices, not doorbells or food cookers.
I Googled the Ring doorbell and found comments wondering if (a) some devices can connect only on channels 1, 6, or 11, or (b) some devices may "stick" to their first channel and not realize that the WiFi access point has changed to another. Seems pretty dumb (to me), but might be the case.
Again, sorry I haven't done anything to help.
- Any feedback is helpful :)
The specific devices giving me problems are as follows:
1) La Crosse WiFi weather station
2) Amazon cloud cam
Both manuals specially call out 2.4 only and these are the only two devices giving me problems.