Smart device and 2.4 GHZ

[JonoSK]

Another question about connecting smart devices requiring a 2.4 GHZ connection.

Background

- I have several smart devices (Meross smart bulbs, HomePod, Chromecast audio, Google Nest Mini) already hooked up to my WiFi. 

- WiFi was previously using Smart Steering and I had no issues with setup/accessing/controlling my devices

Now

- I have a new smart device (Meross Smart Plug with Matter. model: MSS115) that was a huge pain to connect to the WiFi. In trouble shooting I learned about Smart Steering (new to me) and disabled it. This finally allowed me to connect the Meross plug. I also made sure the 2.4 GHZ SSID was the same name as my normal SSID so that WiFi name/password would be the same. Even if my phone is on the 5 GHZ WiFi, I can control the Meross Smart Plug.

- I thought I could re-enable Smart Steering once I had connected the Meross Smart Plug (same SSID/password). But it turns out, every time I re-enable Smart Steering, my Meross Smart Plug is not accessible. All my other devices still are. When I check in the Network Device Table, it appears the plug is connected to 2.4 GHZ

Question

- Why won't it work when Smart Steering is on?

- What solutions can you suggest to allow it to still be controlled with Smart Steering on?

[Nighthawk]

Smart Steering will switch between 2.4 and 5GHz without warning. I shut Smart Steering off years ago and have never had an issue since with any of my smart devices.

[dru]

This was my approach also. Some of my smart home tech support 2.4 GHz only and the unfortunate reality is that you will need to relegate all your wireless products to run off that if you want it all to run smoothly. Caveat is that if you really need access to the theoretical higher speeds of 5GHz, that lone plug might throw a wrench into those plans.

[HiTop]

Good to know... that would explain why my smart devices stopped connecting to my network. I've since shut off smart steering and then setup separate 2.4 GHZ connections... but they are so slow (1 - 13mb). So slow my 2.4 GHZ devices cannot connect... not sure why... is it a defective modem?

[xray]

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@JonoSK wrote:

Question

- Why won't it work when Smart Steering is on?

- What solutions can you suggest to allow it to still be controlled with Smart Steering on?

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There really isn't any benefit in having Smart Steering on. Using separate SSIDs for each band is easy to manage and connections are more reliable. I've never used Smart Steering and I have no issues connecting the 48 devices on my network.

[JonoSK]

That is helpful! I was under the impression Smart Steering was a benefit so I was trying to find a way to make it work. But if it doesn’t offer a huge advantage, then I guess what I’ve done is working

[xray]

Smart Steering is convenient for the initial install where the SSID and password are set to what the sticker on the router says. This way it should work right away for any device without the user needing to know the WiFi capabilities of their device and being confused by separate SSIDs for each band that have cryptic names. It is highly recommended that users change the SSID and password anyway for security reasons so Smart Steering has little value after that.

[xray]

Could be channel congestion. Try selecting a different channel for the 2.4 GHz band.

[HiTop]

Turns out my modem was defective... telus replaced it an now everything is working...

[dru]

Thanks for sharing your resolution, @HiTop!