Can't Setup Separate 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz When in Bridged Mode

[CitizenPrayer]

Hey folks, so here's how my network is configured and setup, let me describe that first, and then I'll walk through what the issue I'm having is.

My internet is a Fiber connection, when comes through my modem (which is set to bridge mode) and then goes to my PFSense Firewall. Then I have my Netgear Mesh WiFi MR60 router, which is also in bridge mode, connect to my PFSense Firewall. Then my devices connect to my wifi, which go through my firewall, and then out to the world beyond.

On wifi I'm getting a solid 400MBps connection. On wired I'm getting a solid 1GBps connection. Yet I have devices on my wifi that are incredibly slow, spotty connection, and won't give me what I need. Turns out, they need to be on a 2.4Ghz connection and not a 5Ghz connection.

But when I go into my router settings to configure a separate 2.4GHz connection, I can't. They're combined, and the option to separate them just isn't there and I can't find it. I've gone back and forth with support on this and they haven't been much help. Even by taking my router out of bridge mode doesn't allow me to separate the two bands. Does anyone else have any solutions here, short of buying a completely new system? This was expensive for me to setup and I don't want to have to replace it with something else, but I need my security cameras to actually work, or else they're useless too.

[FURRYe38]

Are you referring to AP mode on the MR? 

So you don't see this in AP mode by going to the web portal (http://routerlogin.net), click the Advanced tab -> click the Administration area -> click Advanced Setup -> click Customize WiFi Setup and click "Customize 2.4 GHz WiFi Network" and "Customize 5.0 GHz WiFi Network"?

[CitizenPrayer]

Let me see what I can do with that. I'm trying to do this away from home on a VPN connection on my phone. Not ideal, but if I can login to my network maybe I'll get lucky.

[plemans]

What firmware are you on for the router and the satellites?

When you say bridge mode, do you mean access point mode on the MK system?

[CitizenPrayer]

I don't know why but every time I try to respond to you, I don't see my post and it seems to be rejected -_-

[CitizenPrayer]

Yeah this is getting ridiculous. I'm trying to show you all of my settings, and all that jazz, but the system on this stupid forum keeps blocking it. I've triple checked it, there's nothing inappropriate in what I've commented. Is there someplace else we can chat?

[CitizenPrayer]

Here. I'm going to just post each part individually and see if maybe that'll play nice.

No joy from what I can see. For the record, I'm using an MR60 system, on firmware 1.1.6.122_2.0.58. Yes, it's in AP mode to prevent double NATing.

On my router configuration, here's what I see:

[CitizenPrayer]

Advanced > Advanced Setup (This is not tucked under Administration, it's a separate 'tab'), and then only these options are available:

• Wireless Settings
• Wireless AP
• Dynamic DNS
• Static Routes

While these options are grayed out:

• Port Forwarding / Port Triggering
• VPN Service
• Remote Management
• UPnP
• IPv6
• Traffic Meter
• VLAN / Bridge Settings

[CitizenPrayer]

The only reasonable place to go from here is "Wireless Settings", and here's what I see there:

• Region Selection
• Region: North America
• Advanced Wireless Settings (2.4GHz b/g/n/ax)
• Enable 20/40 MHz Coexistence
• CTS/RTS Threshhold (1-2347): 2347
• Preamble Mode: Short Preamble

[FURRYe38]

Possible that in AP mode, Customizing and separating SSID isn't supported though not sure why that would be. 

So you don't see this in AP mode by going to the web portal (http://routerlogin.net), click the Advanced tab -> click the Administration area -> click Advanced Setup -> click Customize WiFi Setup and click "Customize 2.4 GHz WiFi Network" and "Customize 5.0 GHz WiFi Network"?

If you really need SSID separation, you could configure the MR for router mode and then put the IP address the MR gets from the host router into the host routers DMZ to avoid double NAT problems. 

[CitizenPrayer]

I'm sorry, I'm not following, but I'm trying to. What's the difference between Router mode and AP mode?

[CitizenPrayer]

Negative, I don't see that in Access Point Mode.

[FURRYe38]

AP mode is just the WiFi system running, ALL other router mode functions are disabled. 

Try back in router mode, if you see that feature there, the you could use router mode. I don't know why it's not available in AP mode. 

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@CitizenPrayer wrote:

I'm sorry, I'm not following, but I'm trying to. What's the difference between Router mode and AP mode?

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[CitizenPrayer]

Ok, I could try that. But how do I avoid getting a double NAT in this situation then?

[FURRYe38]

You could configure the MR for router mode and then put the IP address the MR gets from the host router into the host routers DMZ to avoid double NAT problems. 

[CitizenPrayer]

Ok. I need to do some more research on this. I'm not familiar with avoiding double NAT with a DMZ, or how that would effectively operate. I'll reply back soon.

[FURRYe38]

https://kb.netgear.com/30186/What-is-Double-NAT
https://kb.netgear.com/30187/How-to-fix-issues-with-Double-NAT

[CitizenPrayer]

After some research I don't think that's a great idea. Putting my wifi network on a DMZ would mean my entire wifi network would be open to the wild internet with no firewall to manage it. And even if Nighthawk has its own firewall, I prefer my own pfsense firewall. So a DMZ is a no go for this.

[FURRYe38]

If you configure the MK system for router mode, there would be a firewall in place at the MR so you would be secure and safe to use the DMZ. Your just moving the firewall duties from the host router to the MR in router mode.