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Forum Discussion
RAX80 Smart Connect connecting devices incorrectly
I set up my RAX80 yesterday (V1.0.1.64_1.0.27 firmware) and enabled Smart Connect. All of my devices are connecting, but some (media streamers and laptops) that support and require 5GHz connections a...
plemans wrote:Not using smart connect. To force it, seperate out the ssid's. Many prefer this option so they can ensure their high bandwidth devices are using the 5ghz. i know they're refining smart connect so it might be better in the next firmware version.
It's odd. This is the first router I've used with similar functionality that's had this problem. My previous Asus and TP-Link routers handled this perfectly -- devices that could make use of 5GHz connected to 5GHz and otherwise they connected to 2.4GHz.
Hopefully this is something Netgear will fix, and soon. It's a rather basic capability with modern routers and should be bulletproof.
The device might switch from 2.4ghz to 5ghz based upon usage. Not sure the exact mechanism within the RAX devices but my orbi devices would switch from 2.4ghz to 5ghz based upon bandwidth needs. Provided the device was close enough to the router/satellite.
I know they adjust the formula that decides which radio they connect to based upon bandwidth, rssi, and device load. not sure exactly how.
plemans wrote:The device might switch from 2.4ghz to 5ghz based upon usage. Not sure the exact mechanism within the RAX devices but my orbi devices would switch from 2.4ghz to 5ghz based upon bandwidth needs. Provided the device was close enough to the router/satellite.
I know they adjust the formula that decides which radio they connect to based upon bandwidth, rssi, and device load. not sure exactly how.
Hmmm, that's an interesting concept and it does make some sense. I'll keep an eye on whether devices are switching accordingly.
plemans wrote:The device might switch from 2.4ghz to 5ghz based upon usage. Not sure the exact mechanism within the RAX devices but my orbi devices would switch from 2.4ghz to 5ghz based upon bandwidth needs. Provided the device was close enough to the router/satellite.
I know they adjust the formula that decides which radio they connect to based upon bandwidth, rssi, and device load. not sure exactly how.
Actually, I just did a test with one of my laptops, and it's not connecting to the 5GHz band as it should based on my bandwidth needs. So, if this is how it's supposed to work, it's not doing its job.
again, my understanding is it takes multiple factors into account when it bases which band to be on. Mine would stick to 2.4ghz for some speedtesting but after repeated speedtesting, would bounce to the 5ghz. I'm not sure of the exact formula so I can't tell you what exactly you need to do.
One thing you can try doing with the RAX devices though is upgrade/downgrade firmware. They are netgears newest line of routers as well as they're a new wireless standard. They change/optimize things and sometimes those optimizations don't help or make things worse. If the version your on made things worse, downgrade over a hardwired connection, reset the device, and see how it functions.
It's not the router that decides which band the client connects to it's the client itself.
The router itself doesn't choose which band the device connects to its the device that looks
for whatever bands are available and connects itself.