HomePod keeps switching to 5ghz band

Question

HomePod keeps switching to 5ghz band

Hi Experts,

I have a Meross Garage Door Opener which like any other IOT device will only work with a 2.4ghz WiFi network. The Garage Opener supports Apple Homekit but for me to use it when I am away from home I need to setup a HomeHub in the Homekit that I did using my HomePod.

So my HomePod is setup when my iPhone is connected to my home Wifi 2.4ghz band. I have a Deco TPLink Mesh at home and I switched off 5ghz on the main network and rather using he Guest network to broadcast 2.4ghz only. So all my IOT devices connect to the guest network SSID that is 2.4ghz only while my TV, Mobile and laptop etc I select the 5GHZ SSID. Both the 5ghz and 2.4ghz have a different password.

I am successfully able to add and pair the garage open in the HomeKit App and the HomePod is also setup in the HomeKit app. Trouble starts when I switch my iPhone WiFi to the 5ghz band, HomePod shows a message that it is connected to a network that it was not originally setup with. I ignore this message and my garage opener continues to work fine for 24 hours when HopePod automatically connected itself to the 5ghz network and therefore the garage opener goes offline as it cannot communicated to the homehub that is connected to 5ghz band.

So the question is how can I stop HomePod to automatically switch its band from 2.4 to 5ghz as its very annoying. I cannot use the garage opener to open when arriving home as it requires 2.4ghz connectivity either directly from the mobile or from the homepod.

Posted on Nov 19, 2022 08:10 PM

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Answer 1

turingtest2

Level 10

277,729 points

Nov 21, 2022 03:45 AM in response to zailfromtruganina

The only accessory I have is a Lifx lamp, so I don't have any experience with your devices, but surely none of your devices should be on a guest network if they are to communicate with each other properly. Typically you would use the same SSID and password for both primary 2.4GHz and 5GHz services, and let the devices choose which one to connect to based on quality of service. That said some users have found HomePod is more reliable when it only has one service to connect to.

tt2

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Answer 2

Nov 21, 2022 04:15 AM in response to turingtest2

Sorry not true. Most (if not all) IoT devices communicate on the 2.4ghz band only. Band steering is a new feature in some wifi modems but mostly has to be turned off at the time of device pairing to ensure the devices remain on the 2.4band else they fail to operate when switches to 5ghz.

selecting the guest network for IoT devices is exactly for this reason because TP link deco does not permit switching off the band steering.

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Answer 3

turingtest2

Level 10

277,729 points

Nov 21, 2022 05:03 AM in response to zailfromtruganina

Then I think you are going to have to forget the 5GHz radio on the iPhone so that it, and your HomePod, can stick to the 2.4 GHz radio. HomePod inherits the networks known to your phone via Keychain.

tt2

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Answer 4

Nov 21, 2022 02:28 PM in response to turingtest2

and that is my concern because forgetting 5ghz means I am browsing the internet on 2.4ghz (low speed) band only to have my homepod retain its connection to the garage opener which is a waste.

I want HomePod to retain its 2.4ghz connection and not switch to 5ghz band automatically if the iPhone switches to 5ghz. I have even kept separate passwords for 2.4 and 5ghz so the HopePod should have no connectivity to 5ghz without knowing the password but it just switches automatically after a few hours.

Any help is appreciated.

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Answer 5

turingtest2

Level 10

277,729 points

Nov 21, 2022 04:48 PM in response to zailfromtruganina

If the iPhone knows the 5GHz password then the HomePod learns it. If the HomePod knows the credentials and can see the network it can try to connect to it. I'm sure there must be a solution, but perhaps not with the existing configuration of your Wi-Fi hardware. Are you enforcing guest mode on the 2.4GHz network, i.e. blocking peer to peer traffic? And if so why does it work at all? Is there an option to block or allow traffic to flow between the 2.4GHz and 5GHz segments that you can change?

tt2

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HomePod keeps switching to 5ghz band

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