Because the smart phones will connect to the 5 GHz and that could encounter issues when it sets up the device (ie different collision domain).
On Thu, Jul 9, 2026 at 10:46 AM Ken Hohhof <[email protected]> wrote: > Many IoT devices especially cameras tell you to set up a 2.4 GHz only > guest network. This has me puzzled. > > > > The routers and mesh systems I am working with require you to turn off the > single SSID or band steering feature on the main SSID before you can turn > off 5 GHz on the guest network or alternate SSIDs. It seems like only more > expensive enterprise WiFi equipment give you more flexibility in this > regard. Have I just not tried enough router brands? I had the impression > this was a chipset limitation. > > > > But here’s what really puzzles me. Once I disable band steering and split > the SSIDs, why do I need a guest network? Let’s say I now have NETGEAR87 > and NETGEAR87-5G. Isn’t NETGEAR87 now a 2.4 GHz only SSID? Why do I need > to create a 2.4 GHz only guest network to make the camera happy? > > > > The only thing I can think of is they assume the user has already > connected their phone to both NETGEAR87 and NETGEAR87-5G (or joined those > networks, for iPhone people) and rather than tell them to forget > NETGEAR87-5G on their phone, it’s easier to have them connect to > NETGEAR87-GUEST. Or is there some technical reason I’m missing? > -- > AF mailing list > [email protected] > http://af.afmug.com/mailman/listinfo/af_af.afmug.com >
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