MK63S satellites not broadcasting 2.4g

[Bradley812]

I'm not knowledgeable and just saying what I've been told.   I recently switched to a Netgear MK63S router with two satellites and many smart devices in the home.

However, we were unable to get any smart device to connect to the new router while the satellites were powered on, so we powered them off and were able to connect every smart device without any problems. 

Now, as expected, when we power the satellites back on, the smart devices lose connectivity.   I was told by the guy who hooked everything up that it's because the satellites are not broadcasting the 2.4g band.  

Did we mess up by not solving the problem with smart devices working with the satellites on initially?   Or is there some setting or option that I missed? 

Of course, all of the smart devices are 2.4g.   I do have alternative SSID's for both a 2.4g band and 5g band but the smart devices are connecting to the main SSID that supports all bands.

Any suggestions or advice would be appreciated. 

[FURRYe38]

What Firmware version is currently loaded?
What is the Mfr and model# of the Internet Service Providers modem/ONT the NG router is connected too?
Be sure your using a good quality LAN cable between the modem and router. CAT6A STP is recommended. 

What is the size of your home? Sq Ft?

What is the distance between the router and 📡 satellite(s)? 30 feet or more is recommended in between MR📡 and MS🛰️ to begin with depending upon building materials when wired or wirelessly connected.
https://kb.netgear.com/000061709/Where-should-I-place-the-Mesh-WiFi-satellite-of-my-Nighthawk-Mesh-W... 📡 ‌‌🛰

️

Has a power off for 1 minute then back ON with the ISP modem and router been performed since last update?
Be sure to restart your network in this sequence:
Turn off and unplug modem.
Turn off router and computers.
Plug in and turn on modem. Wait 2 minutes for it to connect.
Turn on the router and wait 2 minutes for it to connect.
Turn on computers and rest of network.

Has a factory reset and setup from scratch been performed? A complete pull of the power adapters for a period of time after the factory reset then walk thru the setup wizard and setup from scratch with a wired PC and web browser. https://kb.netgear.com/22697/How-do-I-install-my-NETGEAR-router-using-the-router-web-interface
Recommend setting the default DHCP IP address pool range to the following after applying and a factory reset: 192.168.#.100 to 192.168.#.200.
https://kb.netgear.com/24089/How-do-I-specify-the-pool-of-IP-addresses-assigned-by-my-Nighthawk-rout...
https://kb.netgear.com/25722/How-do-I-reserve-an-IP-address-on-my-NETGEAR-router
I would power OFF the ISP modem for 1 minute. Factory reset the router and power it off. Power ON the ISP modem and let it sync. Then power ON the router and walk thru the setup wizard again using a wired PC and a web browser.
Press the back reset button for 15 seconds then release. 
https://kb.netgear.com/9665/How-do-I-perform-a-factory-reset-on-my-NETGEAR-router
https://kb.netgear.com/24233/How-do-I-erase-the-configuration-settings-on-my-Nighthawk-router

[michaelkenward]

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@Bradley812 wrote:

I was told by the guy who hooked everything up that it's because the satellites are not broadcasting the 2.4g band.  

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Sadly, technicians have a habit of passing the buck and blaming the router. In this case, it is almost certainly balderdash. You have to work hard to get a router to not broadcast 2.4 Hz wifi.

What is more likely is that they didn't realise that the MK60R and MK60S both broadcast the wifi with a single SSID, that covers both bands. IoT devices are mostly on 2.4 GHz but the twerps who write the apps to set them up are not capable of writing software that can see that they are dealing with a "Smart" or Mesh wifi source.

You don't say what these IoT things are, but I can thinnkl of a couple of options.

First see if you can force your mobile device, the one you are using, to set up the IoT things, to connect to the 2.4 GHz wifi. (One way to do that is to move out of range of the 5 GHz wifi, which doesn't travel so far.)

Another option would be Ideally, turning off the 5 GHz wifi, but I don't see that option on my router. (A newer version of the MK range.)

Maybe you could temporarily set the router to use separate SSIDs for 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz

In settings:

• Basic
• Customize WiFi Network
• Customize Your WiFi-Create a separate 5 GHz WiFi network
• Disable Enable SSID broadcast

Set things up then go back and reverse those changes.

Then tell the people who made thee IoToys to get their act together.