NETGEAR is aware of a growing number of phone and online scams. To learn how to stay safe click here.
Forum Discussion
Installing Apps/Devices that cannot connect on 5g when trying to use Orbi and Pixel Phones
Scenario: 1. Orbi Mesh network installed where we cannot manually differentiate (i.e., name SSID separately our 2g and 5g) network bands because the mesh supposedly handles this in the background...
TButcher wrote:4. So, what to do? This is the issue many people are having I'm seeing. I'm about to actually scrap this network and go back to a "normal" router and hope that it covers my house. One that allows me to "see" separate bands and, therefore, connect apps that can only "see" 2g. Because I'm not getting rid of Pixel and Google WiFi just yet. Saves me too much money each month.
Before following the great advise by CrimpOn (appreciated!!): Head out and complain to the makers of this junk on all channels requesting a workable solution not requiring a dedicated 2.4 GHz connection for the set-up. It's their job to provide their customer with a workable solution - without ripping reliable Mesh system, being a proprietary Orbi or a Wi-Fi EasyMesh standards compliant Nighthawk Mesh into pieces.
This is neither a Netgear (Orbi, Orbi Pro, Nightawk Mesh, Netgear Mesh Extender, Insight wireless*), nor a Google issue, nor a Pixel phone problem, nor an ISP provided Wi-Fi router problem - it's an IoT and App junk issue only! Only they can and must change thier crap designs.
Dropping e.g. the Pixel in favour of any other mobile will not give you the option to disable the 5 GHz band either. This is because of operating 2.4 and 5 GHz networks concurrently with the very same SSIDs and security for connecting into that very same layer 2 and layer three network is the de-facto and industry standard today.
*On Netgear Insight, it's a question of a few clicks to create an additional SSID serving both or just one band only, for connecting to the same LAN, or to a dedicated VLAN. With an Insight router, creating a dedicated VLAN and subnet for the IoT is a piece of cake, too.
schumaku wrote:Before following the great advise by CrimpOn (appreciated!!): Head out and complain to the makers of this junk on all channels requesting a workable solution not requiring a dedicated 2.4 GHz connection for the set-up. It's their job to provide their customer with a workable solution - without ripping reliable Mesh system, being a proprietary Orbi or a Wi-Fi EasyMesh standards compliant Nighthawk Mesh into pieces.
Please everyone who lands here, follow this suggestion. The solution really is in the hands of the people who devised this junk and wrote sloppy set up systems.
It might help if there was a list somewhere of things that do not work with Mesh (single SSID) 2.4/5 GHz systems and that do not work with the standard "hide the 5 GHz SSID" strategy.
Along with CrimpOn's growing pile of IoT devices, such a list could help to shame some of the failures.
Someone could make up a post here in the forums or someplace and keep a up to date list of IoTs.
I have one suggestion of another location if someone is interested.
So, first off, I'm back from travel and came straight to the office to try CrimpOn's solution since, this was the fist time after scouring the Web I saw an actual solution I could try (note: this is after contacting both Netgear PAID support and Amazon's support departments, mind you, as well as searching the Web, before I stumbled across some sort of post here that led me to try posting/searching here).
Let me say, KUDOS. It worked. Mostly. It got the smart plugs I was trying to get installed right off the bat. That pesky Amazon Echo that just will not see my network no matter what, well, whatever..maybe it's just an old one (it is actually a first generation). So, I'm just scrapping that damn thing. Anyway, thank you very much.
I don't disagree with the sentiment that it's the App developers that are the issue. Because it is quite the pain in the butt to have to do this each time I will say. However, I will also say, the fact that I contacted Netgear Support first who had no clue and the fact that there is no Knowlege Gear article (I'm a tech writer and know this should be one) is an issue as well.
Finally - I want to address Michael's comments:
<<It is surprising how many people insist that it is impossible to set up IoT gadgets without separating 2.4 GHz and 5 Ghz. They bang on without even bothering to try this well known strategy for getting things to work.>>
Well known to whom? Networking gurus such as yourself? I know just enough to get into the Admin section and that's it. And that's only because I'm "sort of" in the tech world. The fact that I called Netgear support and THEY didn't know makes this statement suspect.
So they turn up here with complicated scenarios that have nothing to do with the real world. The pity is that Netgear has failed to come up with a KnowledgeBase article that explains what to do.
<< Oh, and if anyone does encounter a reluctant device, tell the people who made the IoT device that they need to get their act together: also tell people here so that @plemans can buy some new toys. Netgear is not the only maker of Mesh stuff and Orbis are not the only Netgear devices that combine SSIDs. >>
Can't disagree here.
<<Finally, when trying anew device, search this community for it. You might be surprised to learn that it has already cropped up here, along with advice on how to get it to work.>>
First thing I did. As well as the Web before here. However, unless the Subject line/text is very specific it is often hard to find. And people do not know what is wrong. Case in point: When I first started researching this subject, it was because I was being told my network password was incorrect even though I knew I had not changed it. Which, in the end, led me here but had nothing to do with the issue (Amazon Support told me my network was open and then never got back to me). Even though I've been a bit more specific in my Subject line, I'm not sure it will help. Because I'm not sure people know what they are actually looking for at first.
