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Nest wifi and smart devices on 2.4ghz

Ben4
Community Member

Hi all, 

I think this issue has been raised and not resolved in the past, but I'm going to give it another go. 

I recently bought a Nest Wifi Router and a bunch of "works with google" smart devices. (lights, powerboards, switches etc). All need to be on the 2.4 band and I cannot force the device running my Home app to be on the same network. In frustration, I set up a network with my old router and set up everything on that and then created a new network with the Nest router and called it the same name. That worked for a while, but one by one all smart devices have dropped off and everything is now offline. I'm super frustrated by this and would love some advice that doesn't involve me walking down the street until I'm out of range of the 5ghz signal. 

Can anyone suggest a workaround? 

Thanks in advance

10 REPLIES 10

Juzdu
Bronze
Bronze

Sounds like you're already across the workarounds, might be time to set up that old router again I'm afraid. Seems some manufacturers continue to make devices that just aint that smart, and Google/Nest continue to believe you don't need individual control of your wifi bands.

Ben4
Community Member

Thanks for the reply @Juzdu . It's so annoying! I don't know if I agree though that a powerboard that utilises 2.4ghz isn't smart. It sounds like either a massive oversight/assumption on Google's part that users won't want to control their band, or perhaps an Apple-like strategy to force people to use Google products. Either way, the term "works with Google" should now come with a bold print disclaimer. 

I have another idea. I'm looking around the house for a smartphone old enough that it doesn't support 5ghz, but new enough that i can install the google home app. That could be a workaround? So far i've tried 2 with no luck. I'll post on here if I can get it to work. 

There's a lot of detail on this you can find via search, but IIRC some older/cheaper 'smart' devices that only work with 2.4 aren't configured to ask the router for a 2.4ghz reply, they just ask. So the Nest wifi gives them back a 5ghz reply that they can't receive. Something like that...it's all a bit nerdy for me! I ended up having to replace my Nest wifi a few months ago anyway...I really wanted wifi 6 for the speed and coverage and the TP-Link Deco ax6600 was just too tempting. And simple control over wifi bands.

 

 

 

Jeff
Community Specialist
Community Specialist

Hey, Ben4.

Sorry for the frustration with the 2.4GHz and 5GHz frequencies. I know it's a difficulty with some older devices that our community members face from time to time. Due to how the Google and Nest WiFi products are built, setting up controls for each band is just not viable now, though it's something that is often requested as a feature update for future considerations. We do pass this feedback along to our internal teams.

As far as workarounds go, the most reliable is to get the device to the edges of the network so that you're only seeing the 2.4GHz band for setup, but another one people use is to set up a hotspot with their mobile device with the same network name and password. Often this will do the trick to get the device to connect with those credentials and it can connect to the main network once the hotspot is turned off. If you have access to a phone that can create a hotspot network, give that a try next.

Thanks,

- Jeff

Ben4
Community Member

Hi Jeff, sorry I didn't read your reply properly. Re the hotspot workaround - does that mean that a mobile device providing a hotspot will always use a 2.4ghz signal?

Thanks,

Ben

Jeff
Community Specialist
Community Specialist

Hi, Ben4.

That's going to be device specific, but most mobile phones create a 2.4GHz network by default. This is why it's often a good workaround solution. If you can give that a try, let me know what happens.

Thanks,

- Jeff

EdwardT
Community Specialist
Community Specialist

Hi Ben4,

 

I wanted to follow up and see if you are still in need of any help? Please let me know if you are still having any trouble from here, as I would be happy to take a closer look and assist you further.

 

Thanks,

Edward

EdwardT
Community Specialist
Community Specialist

Hi Ben4,

 

Just checking in to make sure that you've seen our response. Please let us know if you have any other questions or concerns as I will be locking this in 24 hours.

 

Thanks,

Edward

Jeff
Community Specialist
Community Specialist

Hi, Ben4.
I just wanted to jump in real fast to see if you saw reply and to see if you still needed some help on this or if you were able to get it sorted out. If you are still needing some help, just let us know and we'll be happy to continue helping.
Thanks,
- Jeff

Ben4
Community Member

Hi Jeff, 

Thanks for the messages and suggestions. I initially set up an old router and set up all the works-with devices on the 2.4ghz, then switched over to the google nest wifi. Unfortunately, half of the devices dropped offline. After a bit of mucking around (and swearing), I found a sweet spot halfway down my driveway where the 5ghz switched over to the 2.4ghz, so I reconnected all devices that way. Devices are still dropping offline for no particular reason, but I can only assume this is the device, not the nest. But I can't be sure. 

To answer your question though, I have found a workaround. However, it is - unlike most google experiences - difficult and infuriating. 

Thanks again for reaching out, I'm keen to hear about future firmware updates that might solve this issue. 

Ben