Creating a 2.4 ghz SSID to connect irrigation controller to Nest Wifi

[Lance1]

I have the common problem of trying to connect a 2.4ghz only wifi device to my Google Home network.  My irrigation controller will only see 2.4 ghz SSID networks and my Google Home Nest only broadcasts 5.0 ghz SSIDs.  I have read all of the older threads and I have successfully connected my Arlo Cameras to the network by carrying them down the street until they only see the 2.4 ghz signal.  My irrigation controller needs to be plugged into 110v electric though, so I can't extend it outside the 5.0 ghz area like I would a camera.  I see the suggestion of creating a guest network in 2.4 ghz only.  I already have a guest network setup and I do not see a way to change it to 2.4 only.  If I cancel that network and start over, will I be able to make it broadcast in 2.4 only?  If not, is there another workaround available now to connect my irrigation controller to my Nest WiFi?

[MichaelP]

Hello @Lance1 

Nest WiFi broadcasts both 2.4GHz and 5GHz (and, for Nest WiFi pro, 6GHz) beacons for both the main and guest networks. So, there's no point trying to pursue a reset or anything – it will always advertise on both bands.

The issue with some 2.4GHz-only devices is not that they need to be further away themselves, it's that their setup apps need your phone to be connected to 2.4GHz during setup. It may be possible to get your phone to connect to 2.4GHz by moving further away with the phone, then using the app to get your irrigation controller connected, even though you aren't in close proximity to the device itself. You may need a helper near the irrigation controller if any buttons need to be pushed on it as part of that process. However, if the device uses Bluetooth to set up, you may end up too far away for that to work.

In that case, you may be able to shut down your Nest WiFi network temporarily, then set up a 2.4GHz-only hot spot on your phone with the same SSID and password, and use another device connected to that hot spot to set up the irrigation controller. Once it's connected, you can shut down the hot spot and fire up the Nest WiFi network again.

Yes, this is tedious and frustrating. But, the issue is that the irrigation controller was poorly designed, making assumptions that are no longer valid for home networks (namely, common SSID across multiple bands). Other 2.4GHz-only devices have no issues with this environment.