Smart home device won't connect because your WiFi is 5GHz only
Almost all smart home devices don't work on 5GHz WiFi — they need 2.4GHz. Your router is broadcasting only 5GHz. You have two options: turn on the 2.4GHz band in your router settings or buy a dual-band router that broadcasts both frequencies.
Modern routers have two WiFi frequencies: 2.4GHz (slower but longer range) and 5GHz (faster but shorter range). Most smart home devices only work on 2.4GHz because it goes through walls better. If your router is set to 5GHz only, your smart devices can't see or join the network. You need to turn on 2.4GHz in the router settings.
Fix-IT-Bot will walk you through each step — just tap, no typing needed.
Skip — I just want a technicianCommon mistakes to avoid
- Assuming the smart device is broken when it just doesn't support 5GHz — check your computer manual first
- Disabling 5GHz entirely because they think smart devices need 2.4GHz exclusive — you can run both bands at the same time
- Trying to convert their entire home to 2.4GHz when they should just enable both bands and let each device use what it needs
Signs you need professional help
- You can't access your router settings page after trying the IP address
- You've enabled 2.4GHz but the smart device still won't connect
- Your router doesn't show an option to enable 2.4GHz — it can not support it
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