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Forum Discussion
Orbi 850 how to add 2.4ghz device?
I have a device that only connects to 2.4 Ghz. I found the discussion linked below and followed the instructions.. however the instructions to "Uncheck the box "Broadcast SSID on 5G Channel" does not apply as the "Broadcast SSID on 5G Channel" box is not on my interface (see attached). I tried unchecking the "Enable WMM (Wi-Fi multimedia) settings (5 GHz a/n/ac/ax)" and applying but it did not work
https://community.netgear.com/t5/Orbi/How-to-connect-2-4GHZ-Devices/m-p/2020739
6 Replies
You are correct. The original Orbi ac products had an option to enable/disable broadcasting the SSID on both the 2.4G WiFi and 5G WiFi channels (and still do!) This option was helpful in those rare cases when devices were difficult to connect. The newer AX product never offered that option.
My experience has been that the vast majority of Internet of Things (IoT) devices that SCREAM OUT, "MUST have 2.4G WiFi" will connect just fine provided that the user just opens the smartphone app and follows the directions, ignoring all that 2.4G paranoia. I have connected over a dozen brands of smart plugs, cameras, and other gizmos and had only one that required a workaround.
The gist of the problem is that the smartphone app is poorly written Either the app discovers that the phone is connected to the house WiFi at 5G and obstinately refuses to proceed, or the app tries to push the MAC address of the 5G WiFi channel to the gizmo when what it should be doing is simply providing the SSID and password.
What is this device?
For those devices that cannot be made to connect, there is another workaround: Use a cell phone Hot Spot.
- Temporarily power off the home WiFi system.
- On one smartphone, set up a WiFi Hot Spot. (By default, most cell phone Hot Spots are 2.4G WiFi.)
- Give this Hot Spot exactly the same WiFi SSID/password as the home WiFi system.
- On a second smartphone, open the WiFi settings and connect to the Hot Spot.
- Open the smartphone app for the device and follow the directions to set up the device.
- Once the device is connected (to the Hot Spot) and working:
- Turn off the Hot Spot.
- Power off the device.
- Power the home WiFi system up again.
- Power on the device. It will connect to the first 2.4G WiFi system that it knows the SSID/password for.
- On the smartphone running the app, reconnect to the home WiFi system.
This sounds complicated, but will take less than 5 minutes.
ziknos wrote:
I have a device that only connects to 2.4 Ghz.
In brief: Nothing to worry. Even if you had 5 GHz, 5.6 GHz, 6 GHz or 60 GHz WiFi: These wont connect to any other band than 2.4 GHz. 8-) Very few exceptions require 802.11ax disabled for 2.4 GHz.
Truth is that there is nothing that stops connecting these 2.4 GHz "only" devices!
All issues are coming from junk hardware, junk description by these vendors. Complain to the makers of such junk - force them so they they are going to make their homework. it's just about poor app design and implementation (for device discovery). Sent them to this community and I'm happy to have yet another lecture for these ignorant device makers. It's a shame (on them) these issues still exist in late 2022!
Sorry: Yes, Sure, this is not what you want to hear. it's just the truth.
Happy holidays!
-Kurt
I really wish that during the past 3-4 years I had accumulated a list of specific devices that have poorly written apps and absolutely will not connect unless the user does some workaround. Would love to publish a "Hall of Shame" list and bombard Amazon with horrible product reviews.
I can sympathize with customers who are in this predicament. All they want is to get on with their life, and are stuck. Can't really tell someone, "replace your furnace controller". Hard enough to say, "Send it back to Amazon and order something else". Those Christmas lights are not getting hooked up TODAY.
My personal loyalty to the customers of such junk systems is limited. Especially because the questions are very similar for years, like this "how to add 2.4ghz device" had been answered hundreds times. This is why my tolerance on this subject is between limited and exhausted.
While I like the idea for a wall of shame, for how many years are we asking the community members to provide exact product details, make, firmware, software versions, photos of labels, products, .. so potential customers can identify this junk? It still does not happen.
A possible solution would be the ability to introduce a junk-device-SSID. This would require software enhancements, documentation changes, and education. No, it won't be difficult. However, Netgear does play a bad role in this context. not the only are where Netgear is ignorant for years.
