NETGEAR is aware of a growing number of phone and online scams. To learn how to stay safe click here.
Forum Discussion
Forcing a device to 2.4 ghz
I am not seeing this an option in the settings, so may not be possible - that is, have a number of devices that i am sure can handle 2.4 & 5 ghz, so can i assign 2.4 to a specific device or am I stuc...
There is no official way to force the Orbi to connect your device to 2.4Ghz. You you could go into the devices' settings and disable the 5Ghz band, if possible.
You mention weak 5Ghz signal. That is usually distance based between device and router or satellite. Is there a way to move a satellite closer to your work area? You could also run a program like Netspot and see how strong your signal is and how much traffic is on your WIFI channel and change to another channel.
Your suggestions are absolutely correct. I've used NetSpot and WiFi Analyzer to see what's going on, and while the 2.4GHz channel broadcasts clearly all the way to my desk, the 5GHz shows incredibly weak, and sometimes completely interrupted.
Now, I've put my desk in the only available place to be able to complete my work without interruptions throughout the day. However, here are the things that I have that are interfering with the signal:
1) Previous owners used a lot of plaster on the walls to faux paint everything, it seems. The material they used is similar to concrete (stucco).
2) There is an old Dish satellite mounted on the roof directly above my desk. (Hubs says he will remove it)
3) The breaker box, incoming cable box, gas meter and everything are literally on the other side of the wall from my desk.
4) The brand bew neighbors just got WiFi that is on different channels than ours, but has the same signal strength as my Orbi mesh network does at my desk, if not stronger.
I realize I should just move my desk, but that's not an option at this time. So sadly, I will have to follow the link I pasted above to force these 3 of my devices onto the 2.4GHz channel for now.... until the Fall comes and it's bearable in the attic.
(Can COVID be over already? Wishful thinking...)
Also try turning down the power output of the RBRs wifi radios from 100% to 50% and see if this changes anything. Under Advanced Tab/Advanced Settings/Wireless Settings
Thx all for the suggestions.
im assuming its the 5ghz that im lowering to 50%.
will this affect speed of my 5 ghz devices?
sethm1 wrote:im assuming its the 5ghz that im lowering to 50%.
will this affect speed of my 5 ghz devices?
Very good chance that it will.
In message 4 of this thread, Mstrbig mentioned using a Windows 10 setting to restrict a laptop to only 2.4G connection. My Windows 10 laptop Device Manager->Network Adapter, on the Advanced tab has options under "Preferred Band" for 2.4G and 5G. Do your laptops have similar settings?
Also, if "desperate times call for desperate measures", how hard would it be to string a temporary ethernet cable outside (rather than in the attic) until the weather cools off?
