Wifi router that can shut off 5ghz

[ICECOLD]

I can't get my 2.4ghz devices connected to google wifi and thing else works. There's no way to configure the wifi in a useful and reliable way. I connected them before but can't get it working this time. Obviously google wifi is just not the right tool for my smart home needs in modern times. 

Does anyone know of a router that can turn off the 5ghz band temporarily without relying on a separate guest network?

[SteveVT]

I am having the same issues.  I just ordered a used router like the ones furnished by my ISP (CenturyLink).  I know you can disable the 5GHz radio with ZyXel and Netgear.  Probably TP Link and lots of others, too.

[EdwardT]

Hi folks,

Your Google Wifi or Nest Wifi network uses the same name for both the 2.4 and 5 GHz bands. Both radio bands are active simultaneously. Keep in mind that your personal devices (smartphone, tablet, laptop, etc.) will connect to only one radio band at any given time. Based on the device capabilities, Google Nest Wifi and Google Wifi attempt to select the band that will deliver the best performance for your device.

I'd love to know more about what's happening. What message are you getting when you try to connect your 2.4 ghz devices?

Thanks,

Edward

[SteveVT]

Hi Edward,

The smart devices are added to the network with an App, such as Smart Life or Magic Home.  When you search for the new device, it is just never found.

With my previous router, I was able to temporarily disable the 5 GHz radio just to set up the new device.  Once the device is added to the network, I could enable the 5 GHz radio, and the new 2.4 GHz device could be seen and managed.

I like using the same SSID for both 2.4 and 5 GHz.  That’s how I had my old router configured.

[EdwardT]

Hi SteveVT,

I apologize for the late response. We don't have any news to share about the feature that could disable the 5 GHz channel. We appreciate users who are keen on sharing their thoughts with us. We're always looking to improve — we'll take this as feedback.

Another question about your devices. Do they work with the Smart Life or Magic Home before searching it from the Google Home app?

Thanks,

Edward

[Jeff]

Hi, SteveVT.

I just wanted to hop in real fast to see if you saw Edward's last reply there and if you had a chance to come up with an answer to his questions. If you were able to work things out already, feel free to let us know. Otherwise, we'll be happy to keep helping here.

Thanks.

[SteveVT]

Hi Jeff,

My thanks to you and Edward for following up.

Quick Summary:  The Google Nest routers are working as they should.

Long Description:  I have been successful in setting up new Smart Life devices within the Google Nest router network.  I still could not setup a new Magic Home device.  

I then added a TP-Link router as an access point to the same IP subnet, with DHCP disabled on the TP-Link router, and a different SSID for the 2.5GHz band on the TP-Link router.  Using the unique 2.5 SSID for setting up the Magic Home device, it failed in the same way as when trying to connect to the Google Nest SSID.

I think Google Nest WiFi is performing well.  The problem seems to be with Magic Home devices.  As a work around, I am now plugging the Magic Home device into a Smart Life receptacle.

Thanks again,

-Steve