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Forum Discussion
Forcing Guest SSID to be 2.4
Hi - I have seens lots of posts to talk about how you can manually go into debug mode and setup separate SSID's for various purposes. However, I've been unable to force my Guest network to only suppo...
Mayhugh1 wrote:If it's just a one time set up issue for a 2.4 gHz device that requires the mobile device to be on 2.4 GHz, wouldn't just walking away from the router until the mobile device switches to 2.4 Ghz work? ...
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That's creative and simple! :smileyhappy:
Creative and simple, yes. Going to work? Maybe not.
These Internet of Things devices get set up when they create their own WiFi access point, usually featuring the brand name to make it easy to recognize. Getting the phone far enough away from the Orbi to make the phone switch to 2.4G may also take the phone so far from the device that it cannot join the device WiFi access point. For example, to get my Sony phone to switch from 5G to 2.4G, I had to walk outside and out of my own yard.
I still favor this strategy:
- Avoid purchasing devices which have lots of user reviews complaining about how difficult they were to connect to WiFi.
- If somehow I get a device that simply will not connect, even when I ignore warning messages about 2.4G and keep pressing "Continue", then do the "Disable 5G SSID broadcast" process.
Right - Just one minor point to be aware of.
One potential annoying problem with disabling 5GHz broadcast is that it could knock all other IoT and streaming devices to 2.4GHz if they're dual bands capable. When that happens, you might have to play the same trick by disabling 2.4GHz broadcast to force them back on 5Ghz. Then reenable 2.4Ghz broadcast afterward. Your WiFi network might take a while to settle down from such chaos.
Alternately, I can also reboot all NEST thermostats/streaming/gaming devices manually, but it's not easy to reboot NEST doorbell camera once it's switched to 2.4GHz. I have to take it off the wall with a tiny pin, stick/hold the pin through its tiny hole in back to reboot it, then tug the wiring back and snap it back on.
With separate SSIDs, we only need to change the SSID to force/steer them manually from one band to the other or even to nearest satellite if needs be. Disabling 5GHz broadcast is definitely simpler!
(Caveat: I have not tried this because all my IoT devices connected without problems.)
Temporarily stopping the 5G SSID broadcast should not affect any 5G devices that are already connected and working. There are instructions on many platforms for how to join a "hidden" WiFi network. That implies (to me) that once joined, they keep working.
Guess I can experiment with this (when the family is out of the house!)
Good point!
That will depend on how Orbi implements that feature. If Orbi doesn't disable the 5GHz radio and merely hides 5GHz SSID from clients, then it's a hidden 5GHz network and should continue to work normally as you've described.
CrimpOn wrote:
Temporarily stopping the 5G SSID broadcast should not affect any 5G devices that are already connected and working.
True. The SSID broadcast exists to make life easier for wifi clients to find the source. Disabling SSID broadcast does not mean that the SSID is not there for devices to connect to it.
This is easily tested. Disable the SSID broadcast, then connect to the SSID by entering its name and password. Voila!
Some people use this as security feature. That may be why it exists.
The bottom line is that disabling SSID broadcast is not the same as turning off the 5 GHz wifi.
Disabling SSID isn't going to knock off existing wifi clients unless the people who wrote the software for the thing are terminally incompetent. Sadly, the skills of some of these people make this an all too likely event.
SW_ wrote:
If Orbi doesn't disable the 5GHz radio and merely hides 5GHz SSID from clients, then it's a hidden 5GHz network and should continue to work normally as you've described.
The clue is in the "button" you have to press.
It says Enable SSID Broadcast.
The manual makes it even clearer:
If you clear this checkbox, that creates a hidden network.
Thanks michaelkenward & CrimpOn!
I'll use this to hide all my IoT devices from the public. I'll disable SSID broadcast on my Guest Network and see how it goes.
Thanks again to all with suggestions. I wasn't able to test further because my network was too busy with family using it (at least during my waking hours). Next time I am home and can take down the network, I will backup my current settings and try to determine the correct interface so that I can determine how to create the separately named Guest network SSID. But honestly at this point, following one of two suggestions made above may actually be less hassle:
- Buy different bulbs that are easier to configure.
- Buy a cheap 2.4 access point to use just while configuring.
I will still just so I can close this out see if i can get SSID Guest broadcast disabled for 5G network only and report back.
Yes - Those two options are definitely simpler and less risky.
temporarily stopping the 5G SSID broadcast should not interfere with other users. Remember, the "key" step is to tell your smartphone to "forget" the Orbi WiFi and then search for nearby WiFi networks. The Orbi 2.4G will pop up, and the smartphone should connect at 2.4G.
michaelkenward wrote:
CrimpOn wrote:Temporarily stopping the 5G SSID broadcast should not affect any 5G devices that are already connected and working.
True. The SSID broadcast exists to make life easier for wifi clients to find the source. Disabling SSID broadcast does not mean that the SSID is not there for devices to connect to it.
This is easily tested. Disable the SSID broadcast, then connect to the SSID by entering its name and password. Voila!
Some people use this as security feature. That may be why it exists.
The bottom line is that disabling SSID broadcast is not the same as turning off the 5 GHz wifi.
Disabling SSID isn't going to knock off existing wifi clients unless the people who wrote the software for the thing are terminally incompetent. Sadly, the skills of some of these people make this an all too likely event.
I put this theory to test last night with my Orbi setup and disabled SSID broadcast on my Guest Network. The result is a mixed bag!
After disabling SSID broadcast last night, it has knocked one of my NEST thermostats offline this morning. Even after a manual rebooting the thermostat, it didn't connect to the hidden network either. After manually entering the SSID/password info again, it's able to connect and has been back online since.
I just manually rebooted the other thermostat to see if it'll automatically reeconnect to the hidden SSID, it didn't. Bummer!
