RBK763

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lipnerlaw wrote:

If I am connecting a device that only works with 2.4 networks, how do I direct my Orbi to use only that bandwidth.

I had a light switch that was automatically trying to connect via 5.2 which would not work.

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Would you mind disclosing the brand/model of this light switch?  (If it costs under $30 I'll order one today.)

This is one of the most frequent discussions on the forum, and it helps to know which brands to avoid.

As you are probably aware, when a device has only a 2.4G radio chip (the least costly and having the longest range), it is physically impossible for  the device to "attempt to connect to 5G".  That's like saying, "My record turntable keeps trying to play music CD's".  What is happening is the smartphone app that is being used to set up the device is written incorrectly.  Some engineer years ago thought he was being smart (when he wasn't) and did one of two things:

1. He found the hardware MAC address of the WiFi access point that the phone was connected to and told the device to "look for that specific access point (which it cannot see because it has no 5G radio), or
2. He detected that the smartphone was connected to a 5G access point and refused to let the program go any farther.  Every time a setup app tells me, "Must connect to 2.4G", I just keep pressing "Continue" until it works.

Once the device actually connects to the WiFi system, of course, it works just fine no matter how the smartphone app is connected. The smartphone can often be "elsewhere". (I can turn my Christmas lights on/off when out of town - well, not today since I took them down.)

As you have discovered, when the setup portion of the smartphone app is garbage, the only solution is to somehow get the phone connected to a 2.4G WiFi.  There are several popular methods:

• Keep an old WiFi router on hand (maybe the one that was replaced by the Orbi system) that can create separate WiFi networks for 2.4G and 5G (or doesn't have 5G at all!).  Turn off the primary WiFi system and power up that old WiFi router with exactly the same WiFi credentials (SSID/password) as the Orbi system.
• Connect the smartphone to this WiFi router and open the smartphone app.
• Go through the device setup process.
• Once the device is working, power off the old router and power up the Orbi system.
• The device and the smartphone will connect automatically.

I keep an old smartphone around for this purpose. (The "trade in" offer was insulting, so I kept it.)  Activate a WiFi hot spot on my regular phone with the Orbi SSID/password, connect the old phone to the Hot Spot and go through the device setup.  After the device is working, shut down the Hot Spot and power up the Orbi.