Connection issues to 2.4ghz

[Zo18]

I am having a problem connecting my Traeger Silverton to my ORBI. The traeger says it can only connect to a 2.4ghz. Every time I try and connect my device it connects on 5ghz and it will not work. How can I change my devise to connect to a 2.4ghz?

[CrimpOn · Accepted solution]

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@Zo18 wrote:
I am having a problem connecting my Traeger Silverton to my ORBI. The traeger says it can only connect to a 2.4ghz. Every time I try and connect my device it connects on 5ghz and it will not work. How can I change my devise to connect to a 2.4ghz?

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We should clear up one issue first.  A device with only a 2.4G WiFi radio cannot connect to a 5G WiFi signal.  That is like saying, "I bought a black and white television, but when I turn it on the programs are in color."  The grill cannot connect to 5G.

Traeger mentions several times that customers may have problems with WiFi having both 2.4G and 5G:

https://www.traegergrills.com/support/wifire-troubleshooting   Apparently, their app is written poorly and requires the phone to be connected at 2.4G while running the initial setup.  (After that, it won't matter.)

A procedure that has worked for many Orbi owners is this:

method has worked for many people on the forum:

• Access the Orbi web interface (http://orbilogin.net) using the admin credentials user "admin" and the Orbi router password (not the WiFi password)
• Navigate to the Advanced Tab, Advanced Settings, Wireless Settings
• Uncheck the box "Broadcast SSID on 5G Channel"
  This will not affect any devices which are currently attached to the Orbi at 5G.
• On the smartphone settings, "forget" the Orbi WiFi
• Search for WiFi networks and select the Orbi WiFi
• Enter the WiF password and connect
• At this point, open the IoT app and go through the steps
• After the device is connected, reverse the steps
  Check the box "Broadcast SSID"
  "Forget Orbi WiFi"
  Search for and connect.

Please give this a try and comment on how it went.

[tomschmidt]

If your SmartPhone keeps connecting to the 5GHz band, then try moving further away from your router and satellite with the phone. The 2.4GHz signal has a longer range than 5GHz, but a slower bandwidth.  So if you are 50 feet or more away from the router/satellite,  your phone may change to the 2.4GHz signal.  Once it does, then do the setup of the IoT device.

[CrimpOn · Accepted solution]

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@Zo18 wrote:
I am having a problem connecting my Traeger Silverton to my ORBI. The traeger says it can only connect to a 2.4ghz. Every time I try and connect my device it connects on 5ghz and it will not work. How can I change my devise to connect to a 2.4ghz?

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We should clear up one issue first.  A device with only a 2.4G WiFi radio cannot connect to a 5G WiFi signal.  That is like saying, "I bought a black and white television, but when I turn it on the programs are in color."  The grill cannot connect to 5G.

Traeger mentions several times that customers may have problems with WiFi having both 2.4G and 5G:

https://www.traegergrills.com/support/wifire-troubleshooting   Apparently, their app is written poorly and requires the phone to be connected at 2.4G while running the initial setup.  (After that, it won't matter.)

A procedure that has worked for many Orbi owners is this:

method has worked for many people on the forum:

• Access the Orbi web interface (http://orbilogin.net) using the admin credentials user "admin" and the Orbi router password (not the WiFi password)
• Navigate to the Advanced Tab, Advanced Settings, Wireless Settings
• Uncheck the box "Broadcast SSID on 5G Channel"
  This will not affect any devices which are currently attached to the Orbi at 5G.
• On the smartphone settings, "forget" the Orbi WiFi
• Search for WiFi networks and select the Orbi WiFi
• Enter the WiF password and connect
• At this point, open the IoT app and go through the steps
• After the device is connected, reverse the steps
  Check the box "Broadcast SSID"
  "Forget Orbi WiFi"
  Search for and connect.

Please give this a try and comment on how it went.

[michaelkenward]

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@Zo18 wrote:
I am having a problem connecting my Traeger Silverton to my ORBI.

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Another toy to add to @CrimpOn's list of poorly implemented IoT setup apps.

Please contact Traeger and alert it to the fact that the world is moving into a Mesh world and that its routine will cause grief to an ever larger set of users.

[FURRYe38]

You should turn down the power output of the 5Ghz radio if you choose to take the setup mobile device out at a distance to see if it will connect to the 2.4Ghz radio. Under Advanced Tab/Advanced Settings/Wireless Settings

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@Zo18 wrote:
I am having a problem connecting my Traeger Silverton to my ORBI. The traeger says it can only connect to a 2.4ghz. Every time I try and connect my device it connects on 5ghz and it will not work. How can I change my devise to connect to a 2.4ghz?

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[Zo18]

I tried moving around, but it will only stick to 5ghz

[Zo18]

I tried this, but it did not work at all. 

[CrimpOn]

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@Zo18 wrote:

I tried this, but it did not work at all. 

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This is disappointing for sure.  Can you please comment on which step failed?

By the way, do you mind sharing which model of smartphone is being used for the setup?

[Zo18]

So the following steps did not work for me using a Iphone XS and an Ipad Gen 7.  I was really hoping this might do the trick, but it just might be the Traeger app that is giving everyone the same problem.

A procedure that has worked for many Orbi owners is this:

method has worked for many people on the forum:

• Access the Orbi web interface (http://orbilogin.net) using the admin credentials user "admin" and the Orbi router password (not the WiFi password)
• Navigate to the Advanced Tab, Advanced Settings, Wireless Settings
• Uncheck the box "Broadcast SSID on 5G Channel"
  This will not affect any devices which are currently attached to the Orbi at 5G.
• On the smartphone settings, "forget" the Orbi WiFi
• Search for WiFi networks and select the Orbi WiFi
• Enter the WiF password and connect
• At this point, open the IoT app and go through the steps
• After the device is connected, reverse the steps
  Check the box "Broadcast SSID"
  "Forget Orbi WiFi"
  Search for and connect.

[CrimpOn]

Thank you for giving it a try.  iPhones are somewhat of a mystery to me.  I wonder if you could verify one thing for me:

Connect the iPad to the Orbi (it has a bigger screen) and use it to manipulate the Orbi web interface.

Use the iPhone to run the Traeger app.

After the step "uncheck Broadcast SSID on 5G" and "Apply" (there is a loooong pause), navigate to the "Attached Devices" page.

On the iPhone, go to settings, disconnect from Orbi WiFi, "forget" the Orbi SSID, and then turn off WiFi.

Watch the iPad until the iPhone disappears from the Attached Devices display.  This may take several minutes.  One would think that "computers" would recognize almost instantly when a WiFi device is no longer connected, but it appears that there is some sort of "time out" process where the Access Point waits to see if the device is coming back.

Once the iPhone disappears from the Attached Devices screen, turn WiFi back on, select the Orbi WiFi SSID, enter the password, and connect.

On the iPad, wait until the iPhone appears on the display.  This is the point of the exercise.  Does the iPhone show up connected at 2.4G or at 5G???

My Android products are reliable in choosing the 2.4G channel.  But I have a suspicion that when the phone communicates "my capabilities" to the Access Point (Orbi), the Orbi learns "Aha, you can do 5G.  I'll tell you to switch to the 5G channel. It's better for you."  It seems like one of my phones stays connected at 2.4G for a while and then "switches".

If the iPhone connects at 5G even though the Orbi is not broadcasting SSID on 5G, then my advice to people has been incorrect. and I need to quit giving it out.

I do have another method.  Every time I get a new cell phone, they offer so little trade-in for the old one that I say, "No chance.  I'll keep it in a box to show my grandkids alongside my film cameras and portable typewriter."  I have at least three old cell phones that do only 2.4G.  One of them is sitting on top of my desktop tower for occasions such as this.  I plug it in to charge when I start fooling with a new device and if the device is giving me trouble, it usually has enough charge by then to download the "app" and set up my new toy.

[FURRYe38]

You may want to still try this and also disable the 5Ghz SSID broadcast then turn down the 5Ghz power from 100% to 25%. Forget the SSID network on the phone or pad. Turn OFF the wifi radio on the device. Walk to a far distant location from the RBR. Might turn OFF The RBS temporarily as well. Then at a distance turn ON the wifi radio on the phone or pad, then reconnect to the RBRs wifi radio, hopefully it should connect and maintain connected to the 2.4Ghz radio. If so, immediately start the setup process for the devices your trying to install. 

[Jhlewis]

New user finally after 2 hours fixed it

Turn off 20/40 co existence

[MikeParker]

Thank you, this helped immensely!

An update for 2023, I still could not get this to work at all on Android 13. I finally pulled out an old phone running Android 11 and these instructions worked perfectly the first time through on that phone. Disappointed to report that they still haven't fixed this problem in the app and it seems to be broken even worse on newer Android versions.