There are two oppositive drives here. One is to simplify wifi setup for people who just want to walk around the house with their phones, laptops and iPads. The other is home automation device manufacturers keeping prices cheap by only using 2.4 Ghz and not trying to figure out how to make 5 Ghz will work (there are some technical challenges along with just not keeping device cost down).
The first directive is going to win out, because people overwhelmingly want things simple. Best thing to do is find websites that suggest products specifically for home automation and look at their router suggestions. For example, Eero is a great router for simplification and reliability, but the moment you need to do home automation stuff, the fact that you can’t manually separate 2.4 and 5 Ghz is a royal pain in the butt.
Separating the network in 2 or 3 parts is less technologically advanced. We need a single SSID for band steering and MLO. We do NOT need better technology. Most routers offer and IOT SSID (that is 2.4GHz only, but the app sees that you phone is connected over 5GHz and is so badly programed that it tosses an error, the IOT product, not the router is the issue). If you bypass that error, you’re good.
It’s generalizing, not discriminatory. Congratulations, that must be an impressive IoT network. I’m 35, but severely disabled and I am automating as much as possible (I started with leak sensors and a water shutoff. I added a smart-lock, smart garage door, security system, cameras, abandoned YoLink, tried WiFi (realized I didn’t like it, even with matter), realized I liked Zigbee… thread is getting there. I have Emporia Vue 3 also (WiFi connection was bad, switched to ethernet, reluctantly, still has a few issues (Aqara REALLY need to tackle this)
The smart home can keep people in their home longer/later in life.
Do you use Home Assistant to tie everything together?
I think all of the mesh systems have a facility to disable 5.8 so your 2.4 can onboard, then the 5 activates again for everyone else after some minutes. One SSID per VLAN keeps every network happy.
I use Home Assistant mainly as a bridge, not my main UI. It connects my Hikvision gear (security, cameras, intercom) and solar system to HomeKit. Most of my smart home is Aqara on Zigbee, with other brands onboarded via Matter.
I first merge my Aqara M3 hubs into the HomeKit fabric—so Aqara and Apple devices share the same network—then link them via Matter for full interoperability.
Other systems (Hikvision, Fronius, Tado, MQTT, etc.) go into Home Assistant and are exposed to HomeKit through the HomeKit Bridge. This way, HomeKit is my main control layer: a Hikvision PIR door contact can turn on Aqara Wall Outlet H2 EU lights, or low solar battery can automatically cut power to selected Aqara Wall Outlet H2 EU plugs or Aqara Dual Relay Module T2 relays.
Since the Apple HomePod, Aqara M3, and the mini-PC running Home Assistant all operate on both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands, my IoT devices don’t suffer from Wi-Fi band conflicts. This is because their communication happens over dedicated sub-layers such as Zigbee, Thread, RTSP (Real-Time Streaming Protocol), ISUP, and 6LoWPAN, which keep them isolated from standard Wi-Fi traffic.
