Split 2.4 Ghz and 5 Ghz bands on the Bell Home Hub 3000/4000/Giga Hub

[Brockvegas1964]

How do I split the wifi 5g and 2.4g on home hub 4000 so I can connect my Globe plugs which are 2.4 g only. Need my iphone only to be on 2.4 g network to do this and it automatically on the 5 g network.

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❗AI Summary:

"Band steering" technology broadcasts a single Wi-Fi network name (SSID) for both the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz frequency bands, intending to automatically guide devices to the optimal band for better performance. However, this creates significant problems for devices that can only operate on the 2.4 GHz frequency.

The primary issue reported by users is the difficulty in connecting smart home devices—such as plugs, switches, and cameras—that are exclusively compatible with the 2.4 GHz band. During setup, these smart devices require a connection from a smartphone or computer that is on the same 2.4 GHz network. With band steering enabled, phones and computers often automatically connect to the 5 GHz band, preventing them from communicating with and configuring the new smart devices which are on the 2.4 Ghz band. Users have also reported unstable connections and frequent disconnections for some devices when band steering is active.

Solutions and advice shared by users in the forum thread include:

To address these challenges, forum members have shared several workarounds, primarily centered on disabling the band steering feature to separate the two Wi-Fi bands.

Permanent Separation of Wi-Fi Bands: The most common solution is to create two distinct SSIDs for the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands. This is typically achieved by:

1. Logging into the Bell modem's administration page using a web browser (commonly at http://192.168.2.1).
2. Navigating to the "Manage My Wi-Fi" section.
3. Disabling the feature labeled "Whole Home Wi-Fi."
4. Access "Advanced settings" and uncheck the option to "Keep a common network name."
5. Assigning different names to the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz networks (e.g., "MyNetwork-2.4" and "MyNetwork-5G").

This allows users to manually connect their setup devices (like phones) and smart products directly to the 2.4 GHz network.

Temporary Disabling for Device Setup: A less disruptive method involves temporarily disabling the optimization feature to connect a specific device.

1. Log in to the modem and turn off "Whole Home Wi-Fi."
2. Temporarily rename the 5 GHz network to force the device to connect to the 2.4 GHz band for setup.
3. Once the 2.4 GHz device is successfully configured, log back into the modem and re-enable "Whole Home Wi-Fi" to restore the single SSID.

Note: Permanently disabling the "Whole Home Wi-Fi" will prevent functionality and access to the Bell Wi-Fi app and Bell Wi-Fi pods, which rely on the integrated network management system. Some users ultimately revert to the default settings and opt for a more manual pairing process for their smart devices to retain these features. For persistent issues, some have resorted to using a separate, third-party router or access point dedicated to their 2.4 GHz devices.

[Filch]

Thanks for your reply. I do have a managed L2 switch in place there. So, if I wanted two distinct networks, I would need to add a wireless router to one vlan with it's own SSID (as most of my automation is wireless) and then connect my wired, non-automation devices like computers etc to the other vlan.  Does that sound correct? So then, because I am not seperation the wireless bands on the Giga Hub, I should still be able to use the pods?

[Vanadiel]

That sounds about right. Each VLAN will be separated from the rest of the network traffic wise, and the pods would not be using any specific VLAN.

[Filch]

Cheers. I will give that a go and maybe report back so others might see what I did to accomplish this, providing I am successful of course 🙂

[Vanadiel]

Most common errors with VLAN is tagging, so make sure to tag the packets to the correct ports.

[Mc8]

How do we separate our Bell Fibe internet to have both 2.4 and 5.0 ?

[Vanadiel]

See this post.  I would recommend to give the 2.4 and 5 bands each a unique SSID so you know which one is what.

[jrsromsal]

Excellent. This solved all my issues with my devices at home that were connecting at 2.4Ghz only. I will get today a AXE5400 Wi-Fi 6E WIFI Extender which may not be necessary after all but for sure will need a couple of tri-band wireless wifi usb PC adapters so I can get full use of my Gigahub 4000 at 5Ghz and 6Ghz speeds.

[Newfie0]

Hi there 

did you find plugs that work as I’m in the same boat

[Frenchguy]

TP-Link seem to work for me

[Newfie0]

Ty so much 😊

[DanielI]

Hello, I would like to change a device on my Bell Wifi Giga Router from 5GHZ to 2.4 GHz, I am logged into the Router Portal for Bell and I am in the 'my devices' > 'primary devices' and I see under the advanced tab the connections are all 5GHz and I am not able to change to 2.4GHz. Can someone please assist? 

[Vanadiel · Accepted solution]

See this guide for splitting up the networks.

[Whateverang]

Cant connect LG fridge to 2.4ghz on giga modem

Can't figure out how to connect my LG fridge cause it tells me it can only use 2.4ghz??

[BellPatricia]

Hi there @Whateverang 

Thanks for reaching out to the Bell Community.

Were you able to get your LG Fridge connected using the steps in these Helpful replies ?

Keep us posted,

@BellPatricia 

[DBexpat]

Always read everything LOL. I read your reply to the part of flicking off the optimise switch and said oh yeah that’s it, I remember and then went back to trying to find my 2.4 network for my Alexa devices. I was so puzzled again as to why I couldn’t see it. I had forgotten about the part of having different names which I would’ve remembered if I had read through your reply LOL thanks again for jogging my memory and helping me out