Smart Home devices like outlets that are controlled by Alexa require a 2.4 band, but the ORBI is a tri-band router with both 2.4 and 5.0. When I try to connect a smart home device, I get an error message saying that it only works with 2.4. How do I configure the ORBI to work with these devices?
This is neither an Orbi nor any other wireless router/wireless access point problem - much more this is caused caused by stupid information and bad product set-up procedures and even worse error handling by the IoT (garbage) product makers.
A 2.4 GHz IoT can always work with any vendor 2.4 GHz device, including Orbi. It does not even know about the 5 GHz, or even 60 GHz or other wireless bands/technologies, and the 2.4 GHz IoT devices won't care.
I've read many explanations by IoT makers "requiring" dedicated SSID by band - a complete dated approach. Nowadays one does configure a single SSID for all bands. Orbi is perfectly right.
There were few (also Netgear) routers creating difficulties for discovering devices announcing (Bonjour, Broadcase, any other Multicast) on 2.4 GHz which can't be discovered on a mobile or computer is connected to the 5 GHz - most of these issues are addressed nowadays.
Complain to the maker if your IoT garbage, not the maker of the wireless router/mesh system.
