Dual band Wifi Router – Switching off 5 GHz

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Dual band Wifi Router – Switching off 5 GHz

Introduction 

Dual-band Wi-Fi routers, featuring both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz frequencies, have become standard for modern networking needs. However, for devices like Solis Dataloggers reliant solely on the 2.4 GHz band, disabling the 5 GHz Wi-Fi signal is essential for seamless communication.

This article guides you through the straightforward process of deactivating 5 GHz Wi-Fi on your router, ensuring compatibility with 2.4 GHz-dependent devices. Despite varying interfaces and settings among router brands and ISPs, the fundamental approach remains consistent.

Procedure 

Step 1 – Find Your Router Login Details

If you have direct access to your router, this is easy. There’s usually a sticker on the back that has the router login IP, admin, and password. Find them and note them all down; it’ll look something like this:

Note: 

If you don’t have direct access to the router, then you can Google your router make and model if you know it, or perhaps your ISP and router, and it should be possible to find your router login and admin/password, as long as they haven’t been changed from the defaults. If they’ve been changed, then you’ll have to get the details from the person who knows them or do a full factory reset of the router to reset all login/password details to default.

In any event, the router login IP is usually 192.168.0.1, 192.168.1.1 or 192.168.1.254 in North America and Europe, though it can vary.

Step 2 – Log Into Your Router

Once you’ve obtained the login details, you just need to find any device with an internet browser, connect to the WiFi, and proceed as follows:

• Log in to your router using the login IP/admin/password you found in Step 1. Start by typing the login IP into any browser address bar. The router login is often 192.168.0.1, 192.168.1.1, or 192.168.1.254, or it may be something different. Check the sticker on the back of your router.
• Type in the admin and password – again, it will be on the router somewhere or online.
• If someone has changed these, then you’ll need to get the details from them or perform a full factory reset of your router to reset all logins to default. 

Step 3 – Find and Turn Off 5 GHz Wi-Fi Settings

This is where router menu structures start to diverge a little depending on the brand and model, so there isn’t a one-size-fits-all set of menu steps to proceed through, since there are so many different routers. But basically, you are looking for an option within Wireless Settings to disable the 5 GHz Wi-Fi band or disable Dual Band.

Once logged into your router, you are looking for Wireless Settings, Wi-Fi, or something similar. Or possibly go to Advanced Settings then to Wireless.

Here are some examples of how the setting might be displayed by different routers:

As per screenshot, there might be a toggle/switch/option somewhere to set Separate/Split Bands on or off. Or it may say “Use 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz Wi-Fi bands” or something similar.

However it’s worded, make sure it is set to Off, or the box to allow splitting of Wi-Fi bands is unchecked (NOT ticked). This should turn off the 5 GHz band and just leave the 2.4 GHz band in use.

Note: Sometimes, to disable the 5 GHz band, you might have to quickly Enable separate/dual/split bands to divide them, and then turn off/disable the 5 GHz band individually, like above. You should then only be using the 2.4 GHz band.

Other routers might have two separate boxes to enable the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz Wi-Fi bands. In this case, just make sure the 2.4 GHz box is checked and the 5 GHz box is unchecked/toggled off to disable the 5 GHz and just use the 2.4 GHz.

A nice simple example of this type of menu (just toggle Off the 5 GHz band):

Some routers offer the option to create a guest network, operating on the 2.4GHz frequency. You can simply name this network 'solis001' and assign it the password 'solis001'. Afterward, proceed to long-press the reset button on the datalogger, and it should connect automatically. 

It's important to note that you should avoid using '2.4' in the network name, as the dot in '2.4' can cause connectivity issues.

Disabling the 5GHz band on routers can be a viable troubleshooting step for resolving connectivity issues. Should you encounter difficulties in this process or experience ongoing problems with the router, we recommended to reach out to your Internet Service Provider (ISP) for further assistance. However, if connectivity issues persist specifically with our Logger connecting to the SolisCloud, feel free to contact our support team for further assistance.

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