Does Deco support separate 2.4GHz and 5GHz SSIDs?
Deco supports disabling 2.4GHz and 5GHz separately but it does not support creating different SSIDs for 2.4GHz and 5GHz yet.
“One Network” is very common in Mesh networks in order to enjoy seamless roaming, which is different from non-mesh traditional routers that require you to manually connect to the band you want.
Deco keeps its network simple by automatically choosing the band that gives you the best wireless roaming experience. It uses the same name for both the 2.4ghz and 5ghz bands. Both radio bands are active simultaneously. If the device is only compatible with 2.4Ghz, then it won't try to connect to 5Ghz. And if it supports both, it will connect to only one radio band at any given time. Based on the device capabilities, the Band Steering feature of Deco will attempt to guide your connected devices to the band with the best performance.
We do see some customers requesting separate SSIDs, and the reasons could be one of the followings:
1. Smart home devices require the use of the 2.4GHz frequency only.
The truth is even though they are 2.4GHz only, these devices are still usable with Deco. As stated above, it won't try to connect to 5GHz since it's only working with 5GHz.
If you are experiencing an issue with any particular device during installation, the following suggestions might help:
- Go to Deco APP > More > Wi-Fi to temporarily disable 5Ghz first.
- Delete the previous Deco wireless profile on the smartphone, then search for Deco's Wi-Fi and connect again.
- Repeat the setup process on the smart devices controlled APP.
If it fails again, we'd like to have the brand and model number of your smart device then we will try to advise further.
2. The device tends to connect 2.4GHz even though it has a better speed on 5GHz.
Most dual-band devices that support both 2.4GHz and 5GHz will automatically pick a band based on different factors like signal strength and guidance from the mesh Wi-Fi system. It finally decides to connect to 2.4GHz on its own decision and Deco just provided two available solutions.
3. An isolated IoT network for smart devices only.
We have submitted a feature request for a separate IoT Mesh network apart from the normal 2.4GHz and 5GHz and so far it is still under evaluation. Currently, enabling a guest network for 2.4GHz only with a different SSID would be the workaround.
If you have any other reasons for separate SSIDs, don't hesitate to share them with the community.
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