It’s becoming more and more problematic to set up home devices because of this.
It took me so long to set up an Apple HomePod mini at my mums, it kept saying verification failed (thanks Apple for not telling me that actual problem).
Turned out it was because my phone was connected to the 5ghz network and the mini doesn’t support it. I had to separate the networks to force my phone to connect to the 2.4ghz for it to setup in less than a minute.
I had the same problem at my own house a few weeks ago, with the G100 cameras. It didn’t say there was a WiFi issue either. But I switched to the 2.4ghz and it set up straight away.
Perhaps it’s something they need to work on in WiFi 7
I have a similar annoyance for companies still putting USB-A in their products in 2025 Stopped using it a decade ago. Refuse to buy anything new with it.
For a primary network, it’s usually best to have a 6+5+2.4GHz combined network to get the balance of speed and coverage, which is what most off-the-shelf APs do. Especially ones with wifi 7, which can use all 3 channels simultaneously to get lower latency via MLO.
In larger homes, 5GHz-only doesn’t work due to poor wall penetration. With only a single AP, you’ll want 5+2.4GHz together so you don’t drop connections in your house. If 5 and 2.4 are separate networks, you’ll experience a longer drop when switching between them. For IoT support, a separate 2.4GHz-only network in addition to the 5+2.4Ghz network would be ideal.
Agreed that error messages could use work though. Devices should really make it clear when 5GHz support is the issue.
Band Steering is what makes a mesh system a reliable network. Usually older devices dont like it forcing users to use separate wifi ssid then you loose a huge benefit of allowing the router to put you on the best possible band or channel in that area or part of the house.
My TP-Link XE75 Pro (x3 + XE75 x2) is Tri band (no, not that BS where they use two 5.8GHz bands and call it triband, they added 6GHz) and it has an IOT SSID that I set as 2.4GHz only. The primary SSID is still multi-band and the router mesh stears the clients to the AP and band the gives them the best connection. TBH, 6GHz doesn;t get a lot of use, even for backhaul between AP.
Yeah but it doesn’t. And when someone like my 60 year old mum isn’t’ tech savvy, I can’t even explain it to them. It’s not user friendly. They are supposed to be making smart homes easier to use, and this holds them back A LOT
You can just change the settings to tell it to use two SSID, but it would be a band idea was it would interfere with band steering. Just create an SSID that is 2.4GHz inky for internet of things devices.
Someone 55+ usually doesn’t setup their own gear , their ISP, a neighbor kid, or family member does. If they are Tech illiterate, they aren’t using IoT. I have known people in their 80s that I would rank from “tried” to “did pretty well”, I’ve met 20 y.o who think wifi is internet. Just ask for the setup you want. Why should we be less technologically advanced if they choose not to keep up?
No one asking anyone to be less technically advanced. I’m just saying combing networks causes problems. They need better technology at dealing with that, before combining them.
This post is discriminatory toward older people. People’s age has nothing to do with this problem; it’s a matter of knowledge. Surely there are surgeries that a 70-year-old neurosurgeon can perform better than the people in this post, or at least than me.
I am 65 years old and manage my Wi-Fi network and more than 100 IoT devices in my home, with different technologies and different brands.
With my HomePod mini or my more than 60 Aqara devices, I never had this problem. However, with some of the first Meros devices with Matter, they would actually tell me that my phone was on a different Wi-Fi network, even though it wasn’t.
I turned off Multi-Link Operation (MLO) on the modem and the problem was solved. If the modem expects my 2.4 GHz IoT device to operate in Multi-Link, that’s when the problem occurs.
So I think it’s a problem with the modem’s MLO mode management or the knowledge of the person managing the modem, regardless of their age. I believe Eero is already working to resolve this issue. At least, that’s what they told me in the ticket I sent them.
Have noticed similar issues with myTP-Link router. I do like the convenience of not having to select a specific wavelength WiFi network, and the idea is sound in principal. However, I too have noticed issues with setting up new devices which could only be solved by splitting out the networks and connecting specifically to the 2.4Ghz network with my phone or desktop to setup and configure the device. So many IOT devices ONLY work with 2.4GHz - not sure how we can balance the convenience of a single WiFi network with the need to select 2.4GHz occasionally.
Yes that’s what I did. It just takes a while to figure out what the problem is because the error messages don’t say anything about WiFi bring the problem.
Combing networks makes it tidy, but causes frequent drop outs and setup issues.
I can suggest temporarily turning off 5 Ghz, then connect your 2.4 Ghz only device. After it connects, your device should remember how to connect via 2.4 Ghz. Then you can turn 5 Ghz back on and all should work.
No you can’t suggest that… cause that’s clearly what I said I already did and yes it worked.
My point is, it’s not user friendly. We shouldn’t be jumping through these hoops. Many people are not tech savvy enough to know how to do that at any age.
The moderators really need to clamp down on unhelpful and negative engagement
I turned off integrated wifi totally on my isp cable modem. I have two routers each set to different frequencies. One on 5Ghz the other 2.4Ghz each have their own subnet and and are in different locations to maximize signal. Seems to work well for me… no dropping devices or disconnects since set up 9 months ago.
I think you missed my point. I want to emphasize the word “temporary.”
Some router companies have the ability to do exactly that (I’m thinking of Eero) - which makes it easy to add a device that only works on 2.4 Ghz. I think the issue is not with router manufacturers - but with companies that produce devices that only work on 2.4 Ghz.
Stopped using it a decade ago. Refuse to buy anything new with it.