@harinandan Hi, I have the same problem. Mi PS4 support 5GHZ, but, connects to 2.4. Archer C7 v5.0, FIRMAWARE: 1.0.15 Build 20200628 rel.63501(5553).

Any solution?

@pqbrown Hello, for sure your problem is a firmware problem, I believe Tp-link already acknowlegde it is a bug.  Before writing further, I just want to "brag" about myself, I used to work for HP/Aruba and another wifi startup company and I was working on band steering since 2010 8-)  I got award a US patent for band steering US8655278B2.  Since the clients devices which are dualband decide which radio frequency they want to connect to, the main decision is on the client device, the router can only suggest the client to connect to either frequencies as per its evaluation of how busy a channel is, the router is able to measure of heavily a channel is being used.

One "harsh" solution from the router is to deny the request to connect from the client, therefore forcing the client logic to choose the other radio with the same ssid name, of course it (the router) cannot do this so often because it would deny access the wifi to the client if the later stubbornly don't want to change.

Apple devices have a certain logic based on signal level, so if your Apple devices are seeing 2.4Ghz very strong vs 5Ghz, it might stick to 2.4Ghz until the devices disconnect and reconnect explicitely, you can google there is a knowledge base article explaining that logic.

If I live nearby your house, I would love to come over and troubleshoot your wifi 8-) eventhough I no longer work on wifi, I still "work" on it as a hobby.

I stumble on this tp-link thread while investigation on the Smart Connect feature on a  future tp-link router I want to upgrade to, anyhow as a consumer device, I pretty much doubt this problem gets any traction beside the manufacturer acknowledge the issue, it is a bit ashame a very good idea get badly implemented, maybe in the future the algo will get improved.

To troubleshoot this issue for real, we need to put 2 wifi sniffers one on each radio band and monitor all the managements frames when the devices connect to the router.

I hope I am not too boring.

Good luck with your wifi.

HMatrix  

I just came accross this thread when searching infos, why my new Archer AX50 prefer connecting devices to 2.4GHz over 5GHz.

If I correctly understand it, it will not switch dynamically as I move between rooms. However it looks like that over long time it tends to connect almost all devices to 2.4GHz.

This happens also for devices very close to the router. So it seems to only force devices with week signal to 2.4GHz, but never back to 5GHz.

It would be great to have some possibilities to tune this feature:

1) Ability to force selected devices to use 5GHz only

2) Prefer 5GHz over 2.4GHz and only use 2.4GHz when the signal is to weak to connect to 5GHz. Force switch to 5GHz, once available.

3) Measure possible max speed and switch to better band - this could be a bit trickier.

A bit off topic but related to this issue: I switched from ASUS router and I'm a bit dissapointed with respect to the web interface and the android app. There is no possibility to read the current signal strength of devices, which makes the diagnostics difficult.

@radim 

Smart Connect interogates the device to determine where to connect it to, you have no control.

It will also do Load Leveling it seems, keep the same number of devices on each SSID/Band.

It doesn't move devices from band to band.

radim wrote

 

It would be great to have some possibilities to tune this feature:

1) Ability to force selected devices to use 5GHz only

2) Prefer 5GHz over 2.4GHz and only use 2.4GHz when the signal is to weak to connect to 5GHz. Force switch to 5GHz, once available.

3) Measure possible max speed and switch to better band - this could be a bit trickier.

#1, easy, don't use Smart Connect and set your devices to use the band you want it to. See link below as to waht Smart Connect is/does.

#2, 2.4Ghz will go futher than 5Ghz, but 5Ghz will be stronger in distance than 2.4Ghz until it is too weak to connect. However, usually 2.4Ghz will still hold a connection long after a 5Ghz connection can't be made. Going a long distance from the router, use 2.4Ghz.

#3, may happed with Smart Connect once the 5Ghz drops off and the device tries to reconnect. It more depends on what else is on the band.

This TP Link, https://www.tp-link.com/us/solution/smart-connect/ implies it will though. This link implies that Smart Connect Implementation is 'Dynamic' in that it will move devices. However I've never experienced that.

@IrvSp 

I can of course disable Smart Connect, have two different SSIDs and configure only 5GHz for devices, that always are in reach. But this does not solve my problem. My phone first connects to 2.4GHz as I approach the WiFi router, but it will never switch to 5GHz even the signal is strong enough and the device could therefore benefit from higher bandwidth. Therefore I need to do it manually.

So my idea is basically that the router would force the device to connect to 5GHz when the signal strength reaches some level (or maybe adaptively). Once the 5GHz is not reachable, the device itself will connect to 2.4GHz. I'm not sure, if the router "sees" the devices around and therefore can measure their signal strength even they are not connected to the device.

But maybe, instad of trying to use 2.4GHz for remote places with poor 5GHz signal, it would be better to use 2 wifi routers and create mesh system. But this a bit overkill for my usage.

radim wrote

@IrvSp 

 

I can of course disable Smart Connect, have two different SSIDs and configure only 5GHz for devices, that always are in reach. But this does not solve my problem. My phone first connects to 2.4GHz as I approach the WiFi router, but it will never switch to 5GHz even the signal is strong enough and the device could therefore benefit from higher bandwidth. Therefore I need to do it manually.

@radim 

Easy fix for that, FORGET that SSID in the phone, so only the 5Ghz connect is known... problem solved.

You really don't probably utilize the added speed capability of a 5Ghz band on a phone. Not unless you are doing some serious d/l'ing of files to the phone (not talking about 'talking', watching a video, playing game, etc.) but maybe downloading and UPDATE or a Photo. For most operation like streaming, 10 or 20Mbps is all that is needed.

However, the 5Ghz bands are less prone to household interference and hence why better to use.

radim wrote

So my idea is basically that the router would force the device to connect to 5GHz when the signal strength reaches some level (or maybe adaptively). Once the 5GHz is not reachable, the device itself will connect to 2.4GHz. I'm not sure, if the router "sees" the devices around and therefore can measure their signal strength even they are not connected to the device.

 

But maybe, instad of trying to use 2.4GHz for remote places with poor 5GHz signal, it would be better to use 2 wifi routers and create mesh system. But this a bit overkill for my usage.

Well, the problem is you have NO WAY to force anything using Smart Connect. Depending on the chipset used in the router and implementations enabled, it could do 'load leveling' and/or 'dynamic Smart Connect'. TP-Link's blurb on SC seems to indicate it does both.

First, via some 'magic' the router determines what is the best band for the device. Once it figures that out (magically it seems) it looks to see if the bands are even and if it can put the device on the band best suited for it or wind up with uneven number of devices (more than 1) on each band. Next, it seems it continually monitors the bands to keep them 'even' and will move devices (again, no statement how it decides which one) to a different band.

Assume the above paragraph IS correct, you have NO control what and where a device will be.

Ditch Smart Connect and you be the smart one to decide which bands the devices connect to.

@pqbrown Hi I'm facing the exact same issue with my AX20 router!
Devices
1. iPhone X
2. MacBook Pro 2019
3. iPad 8th Gen.

All these devices connect to the 2.4Ghz band and do not switch to the 5Ghz Band.
Tried turning off the Smart Connect each and every one of them connected to the 5Ghz band.

Firmware Version:
1.1.0 Build 20200326 rel.63489(5553)
Hardware Version:
Archer AX20 v1.20

I am so glad to have found this thread!  I was going crazy because my brand new AX1800 has the same obnoxious behavior!  It only allows one - sometimes zero! - client on the 5 GHz band, even if you are right next to the router.  I turned off "smart connect" and am keeping my fingers crossed. 

I still use the same SSID and password for the 2.4 and 5 GHz bands.  I hope that smart connect off means that the endpoints such as my brand new Apple Macbook will decide which band to use rather than the broken TP-Link "optimization" algorithm.

I find it incredible that TP-Link churns out new cutting-edge hardware practically every month but can't get around to fixing such a fundamental aspect of its software!

I found this thread while setting up my new AX10 (AX1500) and trying to decide whether to use smart connect. Well despite the pretty negative reviews here, I thought I'd try it out for a bit and see how it fared.

I think whatever software and firmware I've got is doing something much smarter than previously described in this thread. In my brief testing I've seen devices move from 5 GHz->2.4GHz->5GHz on the order of minutes at most. I took my phone into the backyard and it moved to the 2.4 GHz band, but when I brought it back inside it switched back. My laptop also switched to 2.4 GHz for some reason, but then switched back. The only devices consistently on the 2.4GHz band are my smart lights, which only support that band.

So I'd recommend giving it a try, at least. I'll continue to monitor and see if I observe the behavior people describe here of things getting parked on the 2.4 GHz band.

Firmware Version:

1.1.3 Build 20201214 Rel. 52564(5553)

Hardware Version:

Archer AX10 v1.20

@gcmn 

I suspect what you actually saw is due more to the distance from the router than 'Smart Connect' doing the switching.

The 2.4 and 5Ghz Bands's have different characteristic with respect to Signal Strength and distance.

2.4Ghz will reach further than the 5Ghz Band, but it tails off in power sooner than the 5Ghz does. Once you exceed the 5Ghz power, the only SSID left is the 2.4Ghz Band.

So, once you were in the backyard and were on the 5 Ghz Band, the signal got too weak, but the 2.4Ghz Band's signal was stronger and your device switched to it.

Your devices might also have a setting telling it to use the strongest signal as well.

Smart Connect usually doesn't switch you once connected.

However, you might want to read this TP-Link page, https://www.tp-link.com/us/solution/smart-connect/

From it:

================

Smart Connect relies on an advanced algorithm that not only automatically determines which band is best for each device,but also constantly monitors the overall status of each device to determine if and when a particular device would benefit from being automatically reassigned to a different band.

================

Not all routers or Smart Connect Implementations will do the above, and I've NOT seen it on my A20 either, nor with other routers I've had.

Some Smart Connect Implementations can also do 'load' leveling', that is they try to keep the same number of devices on each band. Again, to the best of my knowledge, TP-Link routers don't do this.

No, Smart Connect will always keep 2.4Ghz devices on that band. However, connecting a device that can do the 5Ghz band, which is faster, will slow that device down when it uses the 2.4Ghz band. This is the reason one is better of not using Smart Connect and manually manage what devices connect to which band (each having its own SSID). Yes, taking a 5Ghz device too far away from the router will cause it to lose connection, however, you could manually swtich the device at that point to the 2.4Ghz SSID.