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Forum Discussion
Disable 5GHz
Hi, I an Orbi Tri-Band Mesh WiFi System 3 Gbps model # RBR50V2. One band is 2.4 GHz and the other two bands are 5GHz. I can’t set-up a Netatmo Smart Video Doorbell with my iPhone. The doorbell is ...
schumaku wrote:At no point (!!!) having the mobile mobile phone connected by 2.4 GHz radio is required. This strange idea comes from the time where people had different SSIDs and security configs for the different radio bands - that's why some crappy Apps check if-connected-by-2.4GHz-go-ahead-else stop code in place. .
I find these two statements inconsistent.
My experience with at least two smart plugs is exactly that: the setup app "stops code in place". What then can the user do?
In both instances, I forced the phone to the 2.4 connection, did the setup, and went on my way.
Its due to the fact that this IoT mfrs don't allow there sofware to work on phones that are dual band. There stuck on 2.4Ghz only on there code and mfrs don't take into consideration that 2.4 and 5Ghz are on the same network. If the Mfrs of the software allowed for both bands to be used, this would not be an issue.
We both know that there aren't any serious ones:
- Making the 5 GHz invisible [hide], forget and reconfig the wireless on the mobile, quickly try to IoJ config paired with hope & pray the mobile device does not quickly roam to the hidden SSID,
- wrapping the router in tin foil (a little bit difficult on a Mesh system),
- simply make distance form the Mesh location to hope the mobile device can see the Mesh only on 2.4 GHz (not that easy if you have an AC connected IoJ where you might have to press a button, too; or
- the engineer's solution temporally connect a crappy old router with the 2.4 GHz configured to the same SSID, security key/passphrase, and security setting instead of the Mesh system (yes, this is the only one which isn't a hack), and
- last but not least try to convince Netgear for adding this ill-fated split garbage (which Netgear prayed to be the standard for almost two decades - disallowing the same SSID for much to long...).
If the consumers don't complain the it IoJ makers NOW, this "disable 5 GHz", "split SSID", "connect mobile on the 2.4 GHz"... nonsene will continue for years.
Well, another consumer marketing disinformation. Providing a single SSID to connect to a single network using two or more WiFi radios isn't Mesh - it's 802.11k, 802.11v, and sometimes 802.11r where seamless roaming is available what the industry does designate as Mesh system, regardless if it's a single box (like a WiFi router or ISP provided WiFi CPE), or when the marketing message is a little bit louder if there are two or more boxes involved. Every middle-class to top-of-the-line consumer router and CPE does implement this for a longer time. Only very basic routers or AP don't allow this config.
Said that - even the (few) WiFi systems listed on the Wikipedia Mesh Networking page are technically not Mesh systems. Most WiFi "Mesh" are hub-and-spoke (if a wireless backhaul is in place). The most popular example which is really a Mesh is ZigBee as used for smart bulbs/lights..
This must be enough excursion into this off-topic subject.
This thread (among many) points to a problem that has, and continues, to cause me unnecessary hassle and frustration. My experience mirrors others here w.r.t. setting up 2.4GHz devices. The contortions to get this simple thing done are ridiculous! And I have several such devices, including a brand new La Crosse alarm clock that gets current weather over wifi.
The fact is we're stuck with 2.4GHz devices. NG must give us the tools we need to easily deal with them. I was in IT for 25+ years and developed software for Fortune 50 companies. Logically, I know there is a reason for NG's decision to remove functionality, like the ability to disable 5GHz. Pessimistically, the only one that comes to mind is bad -- frustrate us into spending $500 on the new MK83 (make sure you can disable 5GHz before you buy!). That's a terrible(!) strategy and it will force me, a NG customer for decades, to look elsewhere for my next router.
Apologies for the rant, I don't usually go there. Hope someone from NG monitors their own forum (but I doubt it).
IDK, but right now I'm stuck. Looking at going back to older firmware, maybe 2.6 or 2.5. Recommendations?
