Unable to use 2.4Ghz on Home Hub 4000 because of no Wifi 5

[Geralt42]

So, I recently switched to Home Hub 4000 after upgrading my plan to 1Gbps but now I'm having a problem connecting my smart lamp to the 2.4Ghz WiFi. I was able to do this just fine on my Home Hub 3000 but it no longer works because apparently the 4000 modem uses Wifi 6 protocol which is not supported by my smart device and most likely a lot of other smart devices. Is there a way to disable Wifi 6 for the 2.4Ghz Wifi on the Home Hub 4000 modem? I know the process of setting different names (SSID) for the 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz which I have already done and is also a prerequisite for the smart device that I'm trying to connect but I can't seem to find a way to disable Wifi 6 for 2.4Ghz. I also have a Rogers internet plan, also 1Gbps and supports Wifi 6 but their modem uses wifi 5 for the 2.4Ghz and wifi 6 for 5Ghz because of which I have no problems setting up my smart device with their wifi.

I have also attached a screenshot showing the requirements of the smart device to successfully connect to the router/modem. 

 

[ZaneP · Accepted solution]

Hi @Geralt42 

AFAIK, WiFi 6 cannot be disabled on the HH4K.

I assume there's no firmware update available for the device which is incompatible with the Home Hub's wifi. You could attach a 3rd party router, but that's likely overkill to solve a one-device problem.

[Geralt42]

That's a shame. It would have been better if HH4K allowed me to disable WiFi 6 for at least the 2.4Ghz SSID. It's just a one device problem now but I plan to install smart lights everywhere in my home and from what I can tell no smart lights right now support Wi-fi 6 and no that device does not have any firmware update. I guess installing a 3rd party router is my only solution at the moment. 😞
At the end of the day I think it's a bummer that the 4K modem does not allow backwards compatibility since a lot of 2.4Ghz devices don't support Wifi 6.

[ZaneP]

Unfortunately you're in a waiting-game situation. It takes time for manufacturers to roll out their Wifi 6-compatible devices. Routers were likely the first products to be AX compatible, smart lights not as quick.

As you can see, Bell has fully committed to a mesh LAN topology for its subscribers ("Whole Home"), and Wifi 6 is key part of this.

Perhaps you could get a low-cost router, connect it to the HH4K, put it into Access Point mode and have the 2.4Ghz devices connect to it?

[tech_junkie]

In the past when i had this issue i simply took my phone that i was using to setup with to an area where the signal is not as strong and it would use the 2.4 vs the 5. It worked for me. You can also try logging into the modem and turn off Whole Home Wi-Fi and you can separate both and setup that way. It will show 2 Wifi networks one will be 2.4 and the other 5G.

[ZaneP]

Hi @tech_junkie 

@Geralt42 did separate the wifi, but problem wasn't solved. The smart light should connect to the 2.4Ghz radio but this one is incompatible with wifi 6. Adding an older router, enabled solely as a wireless Access Point, might solve the problem.

[eta]

I had this exact same problem with three of my older 2.4ghz devices when i switched.  After many hours of trying to diagnose the problem, i found out about the incompatibility.  All i did was install a cheap (under $25.00) wifi range extender, name it a different SSID, and then connect all the older devices to it. Solved the problem.

[SupportHunter]

Hi @BellPatricia 

I've followed all the steps discussed in several posts, and I've been able to give different SSID names and passwords to 2.4 ghz, 5 ghz and 6 ghz, and even turned off both 5 ghz and 6ghz but still, I can't connect my smart light bulbs. 

I've realized that even though I'm connected to the 2.4 Ghz network, this is Wifi 6, which is not supported by the smart bulbs. Is there any way in the bell.ca/mymodem settings to change the 2.4 ghz wifi mode from 802.11ax (wifi 6) to 802.11n (wifi 4) or 802.11ac (wifi 5)?

I see another post with the same issue of wifi 6.

Thanks in advance!

[SupportHunter]

Hi @BellPatricia,

Just wanted to check if you had a chance to look into my previous message.

Thanks