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Forum Discussion
Orbi mesh want 5Ghz only
I purchased an Orbi mesh system (RBK50 which comes with one satellite and one router). It works brilliantly when my devices are on 5GHz and I get my full internet speed. Sometimes, however, my devi...
Orbi does not provide a convenient method to turn off any of the radios. It is not clear (to me) that there is actually "anything wrong" with this particular Orbi. However, if you want devices to connect only to the 5G radio, then this is the procedure:
- On the Orbi web interface, uncheck the box "Broadcast SSID" on the 5G channel.
- On every device that is connected to the Orbi at 2.4G, go into "Settings" and "forget" the Orbi SSID.
Search for available networks. Aha. Here is the Orbi WiFi SSID on a 5G channel.
Enter the password and connect to it. - Any devices that are already connected at 2.4G and are not told to "forget" the Orbi WiFi network, will stay connected at 2.4G.
Just as a personal note, I seriously doubt that disabling 2.4G is a desirable outcome. What about all those products which have only 2.4G radios? (thermostats, smart plugs, garage door openers, IP cameras, pool controllers, microwaves, the list goes on and on)
I understand the desire to have "full speed". My question is, "Are devices working correctly?" i.e. My smartphone can connect to the Orbi at 866mb. Cool. Does this change how fast web sites or emails appear? I think it is impossible for me to detect any difference.
- Thank you very much for such a comprehensive response. Basically, if I'm on 5ghz on my laptop in my room, it is about 330 Mb/s but on 2.4GHz connected to the same orbi main router, it falls down to about 50- 60 Mb/s. It's weird, sometimes when I check, both my phone and laptop are connected to 5Ghz but then sometimes suddenly they are switched to 2.4Ghz.
I'm going to do what you've suggested. Where you've said unchecking the box to do with broadcasting SSID, do you mean under the 2.4Ghz band instead of the 5ghz band?
Once again, many many thanks for responding so quickly and comprehensively.- Thanks a lot once again. I tried doing that and disabling 2.4Ghz and then forgetting the network. Unfortunately, some of the devices reverted back to 2.4Ghz once connected back to Orbi. However, I realised my wireless printer was in same room as orbi router and was broadcasting WiFi direct at 5ghz as well. Disabled that and now most devices on 5Ghz, although one laptop and mobile on the first floor are still on 2.4Ghz.
I take your point about not just looking at raw speed but also at the connection and if the devices are working which is a good point. At the moment in my household I have no 2.4Ghz devices so by disabling the 2.4Ghz radio wouldn't be a problem for me. Would be good it Netgear could add the option in a firmware update or allow you to split the 2.4 and 5 GHz bands.You can try Voxels FW for Orbi:
https://community.netgear.com/t5/Orbi/Voxels-FW-available-for-50-series-Orbi-only-available/m-p/1883615#
You can revert back to stock FW if it doesn't work out for you.
mun_96 wrote:
Thanks a lot once again. I tried doing that and disabling 2.4Ghz and then forgetting the network. Unfortunately, some of the devices reverted back to 2.4Ghz once connected back to Orbi. However, I realised my wireless printer was in same room as orbi router and was broadcasting WiFi direct at 5ghz as well. Disabled that and now most devices on 5Ghz, although one laptop and mobile on the first floor are still on 2.4Ghz.
I take your point about not just looking at raw speed but also at the connection and if the devices are working which is a good point. At the moment in my household I have no 2.4Ghz devices so by disabling the 2.4Ghz radio wouldn't be a problem for me. Would be good it Netgear could add the option in a firmware update or allow you to split the 2.4 and 5 GHz bands.
