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Forum Discussion
Calling Netgear Out
So, i just read though a thread related to people needing to turn off 5g so that some 2.4g devices can connect. Telnet? really? The earlier version of the os permitted the user to just turn it off ...
I have had my Orbi since Fall, 2016 and do not remember ever seeing a 'button' to turn off the 5G WiFi. The solution that has worked for many users is to temporarily disable the SSID broadcast of 5G WiFi, connect the smartphone to Orbi at 2.4G, set up the device, and be done. I personally use two devices because it makes things easier, but it can be done on one device.
The specific steps are:
- Connect to the Orbi web interface, Advanced Tab, Advanced Settings and uncheck the box "Broadcast SSID on 5G" and "Apply"
All devices that are already connected to Orbi at 5G will remain connected. - On the smartphone holding the device "app", go into Network settings and "Forget" the Orbi WiFi.
- Search for WiFi and connect to Orbi. The connection will be at 2.4G, but the Orbi Attached Devices screen takes ages to update and may continue to show the phone connected at 5G.
- Open the app and configure the device.
- Once the device is connected to Orbi (and it has to be at 2.4G because it has no 5G radio), reverse the steps.
- On the Orbi web interface, check the box "Broadcast SSID on 5G" and "Apply".
- On the smartphone, either leave it connected as is or go through the "Forget" and "Connect" process again.
In practice (a) this is superior to killing the 5G signal because other device connections are not disrupted, and (b) it takes about the same length of time.
I agree completely that Netgear could have eliminated half the posts on the community forum if they had allowed customers to do whatever the hell they wanted with the Orbi WiFi. Turn radios on/off. Split SSID's. Whatever. But, they didn't, haven't, and probably never will.
Thank you for the reply, but no bueno. I found this setting under Advanced, Advanced Setup, Wireless Settings. I tuned off the SSID Broadcast and even reduced the power to 25%. Forgot both ssids on my phone, turned the network off and back on and it still finds both ssids. Even after I reconnected to the guest network which is where I want to load these IOT items, I still can't get it to connect and I have three stitches in two different modes. None of them can be found. Oh, and yes, I have rebooted the router and disconnected the satellites.
Be sure that you distance your wifi device from the RBR, even though you may have disaable the SSID broadcast and turned down the 5Ghz power to 25%, your device, if if it's close enough can still connec to 5Ghz. So you'll need to put more distance between the device and the RBR to make sure it connects to 2.4ghz as 2.4Ghz travels farther then 5Ghz. Again, this is a IoT software issue which they should fix.
Thank you for the info. However, these happen to be light switches in a wall about 15' above where the Router is. Our house is a ranch with a basement and the primary router is roughly centered in the basement with metal hvac ducting above it.
mellokevt wrote:Thank you for the reply, but no bueno. I found this setting under Advanced, Advanced Setup, Wireless Settings. I tuned off the SSID Broadcast and even reduced the power to 25%. Forgot both ssids on my phone, turned the network off and back on and it still finds both ssids. Even after I reconnected to the guest network which is where I want to load these IOT items, I still can't get it to connect and I have three switches in two different modes. None of them can be found. Oh, and yes, I have rebooted the router and disconnected the satellites.
(I sometimes lose track of which post someone is responding to... so I copy it when I respond)
This has introduced a new wrinkle in the problem: use of the Guest SSID. (I will have to research whether "Broadcast SSID" applies to both primary and guest SSID's).
Yes, after unchecking "Broadcast SSID" on 5G (and "Apply") the Orbi SSID will still appear. It is the 2.4G radio that is still broadcasting the SSID and which the smartphone should connect to.
CrimpOn wrote:
This has introduced a new wrinkle in the problem: use of the Guest SSID. (I will have to research whether "Broadcast SSID" applies to both primary and guest SSID's).This has been another "learning experience". The option to Broadcast SSID on 2.4G and 5G do not appear to affect the Guest SSID. It remains active no matter how that option is checked if it is enabled. This (to me) is sort of the point. Guest SSID is optional. If we don't want it broadcast, then turn it off.
So, I have no obvious Orbi only solution to connect an IoT device with a defective smartphone app to the Orbi. This is not a problem for IoT devices, such as TP-Link Kasa and Leviton that "work".
A solution that does work is to use an WiFi extender that provides only 2.4G WiFi, such as the TP-Link N300 ($20 on Amazon).
- Turn off the Orbi Guest WiFi.
- Connect the to the Orbi primary SSID and have it broadcast the Orbi Guest SSID/password. (The N300 has only 2.4G, so that's what it will be.)
- Connect the smartphone to the N300.
- Use the smartphone app to configure the IoT device.
- Power off the N300.
- On the Orbi, activate the Guest SSID again.
- Power cycle the IoT device. It will look for the SSID it has learned (the Orbi Guest SSID) and connect.
- The smartphone app can control the IoT device because it connects through the Orbi (or mabe through the "Cloud") so it no longer matters what band the smartphone is connected to.
Would I spend $20 to get this stupid switch to connect to Orbi, or would I purchase a switch that has a decent smartphone app? I would buy a different switch and toss this one in the parts bin. (Actually, I already have an N300 in my collection of random stuff, but I'd still toss the switch.)
I also see no reason to put IoT devices into a separate SSID, but I acknowledge that these days it is politically correct to do so.
