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Forum Discussion
Chromecast not connecting to 5ghz band
I recently purchase an RB50 setup with 1 satelite. Quite honestly, I’m less than impressed. I’ve had more dropped connections and resets in the last week than 3 years with my nighthawk. Im hopeful to ...
Flausfsu wrote:So I created a ticket with the Netgear support team, and here was their suggestion: DISABLE THE 2.4GHZ BAND ENTIRELY!!!!! ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!?!?! What an insane idea for a dang near $400 router system.
It's not possible to to completely disable 2.4, but you can manage the overall transmisssion level (Tx) for 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz...
I'm not at home right bow, so I'm not able to recall exact details, but I believe these settings are manged from the "Wireless" settings section in the GUI - the available options aren't very robust - just 100%, 75%, or 25% (if I recall correctly).
I keep my 5Ghz network at 100% Tx, but I reduce my 2.4 down to 25%. 25% still provides plently of reach for my 2.4-only devices, and I feel that lower setting helps reduce the likelihood of my other devices from "clinging" to 2.4 (instead of eventually settling down on 5G where I want them).
As I mentioned above, I keep my MUMIMO, Beamforming, Fast Roaming, UPnP, and Daisy-Chain options all disabled.
This combination of settings has worked very very well for me in recent months - all of my devices consistently connect on the desired band (2.4 vs 5) and also the desired device (router vs sat). I have not had any disconnectt issues, and my wifi-calling (which I'm very dependent on!) has been working great.
Thanks for the help. I'll give it a shot and see how it goes. Oddly, this morning when I did the firmware update, the Chromecast connected to the 5GHz band...it has since settled back onto the 2.4GHz band but the TV its connected to (LG OLED) is on the 5GHz band. So frustrating.
May I ask the size of your house and number of levels? I think setting the transmission down to 25% on the 2.4GHz band could help, but I'm concerned with reach/throughput outside on my deck.
My house isn't very big, but it's 3 levels and has pretty thick plaster walls (older house). My Orbi router is in a basement corner (where cable drop is) and my only satellite is on my main/middle level -- I'd estimate there's about only ~20 feet distance between them, but also a the floor and couple of those plaster walls too. I rely on Orbi's wireless backhaul between them, since I do not have any easy option to put ethernet bewteen those two locations
According to my admin page GUI, the wireless connection between my router and sat is "Good".
Try experimenting with reducing that 2.4 Tx setting... As long as any 2.4-only devices you may have can still connect, it may help reduce the tempation for your other 5G-capable devices to stick to that 2.4 band.
Ok thanks. We moved into a new house which is much bigger (and newer) than our previous home, which is why we went with Orbi. We had similar plaster walls in our previous home, but the new one is more recently constructed to standard drywall/joists.
I enabled all the settings as you have above, and the Chromecast now connects to the 5GHz band.....oddly, the same TV its connected to that was on the 5GHz band before the changes is now on the 2.4 band......ARGGGH
Give it some time to for things to settle down - my devices usually sort themselves out pretty fast, but it may take 30 minutes or longer for the network and devices to all settle in.
Devices usually grab the first routing device and band they "see" (often the router itself, since that tends to boot up first, and often the 2.4 band since that also seems to initially have the farthest reach).
But given a bit of time, devices should eventually settle down on the nearest device (router vs sta) and the best band (2.4 or 5). But that process can take a while, depending on the size and breadth of your overall network... I've heard some folks even recommend waiting a day to let it all settle.
It's kind of like a crowd of people rushing into a room. Yeah, everyone gets in there initially but it's kind of a mess, yet given some time, everyone settles down in their own little space.