I would like to disable my default 2.4ghz network and only use 2.4 Ghz for guest network to connect smart devices in the home and prevent any home network intrusion attempts. For other home devices such as computers, I use the 5ghz bands.
Model: R8000P|Nighthawk X6S AC4000 Tri Band WiFi Router
Scratch the idea that 2.4GHz or 5GHz or Guest_24G anf Guest_5G are network.
Essentially you have a kind of two networks:
The primary, normal one with the LAN ports plus wireless devices associated to the router network by the "normal" SSID(s).
The second, intended for guest usage, where wireless guests (or for the sake wireless IoJ) devices can associate to the guest network. By default, these devices can't see each other, and each device can connect to the Internet only. There is an optional control for the guest network(s?) where you can enable "Allow Guests to see each other and access my local network". This is not what you want of course, so the only choice is operating the guest network without this additional allowance. This does lead to the situation that each device on the guest network can only access the Internet, the IoJ cloud only. Making it little bit difficult if the IoJ need to communicate - especially if it's for home automation and the Internet is down.
To be technically exact, these devices have only one network, one LAN, one IP subnet. The guest network MAC addresses are just L2 filtered, so (by default) these guest devices can reach only the Internet, but not the other devices on the WLAN and the LAN ports. Be aware for testing that the devices on the "two" networks can ping each other, also the DHCP service is the very same. Any other services are not reachable
There is no reason to operate the IoJ guest network only on one wireless radio. There is no added security. You are only crippling the wireless availability and coverage for your "normal" devices. Said that: For these reasons, there is no such software control available.
Both the normal and the guest SSID run on the same radio interface, the same channel and other wireless radio settings. One more or one less does not mach much of an advantage in a dense wireless environment.
The wise decision for the normal WiFi is using what Netgear does designate as Smart Connect - one SSID for all radios anyway, so the clients have a choice to use the best one.... Unfortunately, this is not available for the guest notwork settings.
I don't want to use Smartconnect because we use higher speed connections on 5Ghz band for work getting upto 750Mbps on wifi.
We have duplex gigabit fibre.
What's the point? If conditions allowing, the clients will use the 5 GHz band anyway. If you walk away from the router, the mobile device will roam smoothly to 2.4 GHz, the same when you return to your site. The mobile client will connect first to the 2.4 GHz band, and then roam to the 5 GHz band (Mesh-capable devices required of course). I can't understand why people are crippling their capable wireless networks - operating environments with one router or wireless access point up to venues and businesses with some hundred access points in 802.18k/v (nicked "Mesh" or "Smart Connect" modes)...
What will happen if I enable 2.4Ghz guest network with the same SSID / pwd as 2.4Ghz non-guest network? I understand radio is same.
No idea. In my opinion the router should not allow this config. Even if both connections would link to the same network (with the guest one restricted LAN and other wireless restrictions). Simply a mess, just like operating multiple APs connecting into the same LAN, or even different LANs.
