The root of the problem is that many IoT devices (including the Eve cam) are 2.4GHz-only, but your iPhone or iPad might be auto-joining the 5GHz band during setup. Since the camera only broadcasts its pairing signal on 2.4GHz, and your phone is trying to configure it while on 5GHz, they can’t “see” each other properly, which causes that “device not found” error.
You’ve already done the hard part—identifying that your mesh network doesn’t allow you to split or disable bands. Since Google Wi-Fi forces a single SSID for both bands, you’re left needing to force your iPhone/iPad onto 2.4GHz temporarily during setup.
There are a few workarounds, but none of them will be highly desireable:
- Option 1: Increase Distance Between Device and Route: Physically move away from your main Google Wi-Fi point (closer to the edge of your 2.4GHz range). At about 30–40 feet, your phone should switch from 5GHz to 2.4GHz (as 5GHz has a shorter range). Use your iPhone or iPad to join the same Wi-Fi network, and try to add the Eve Cam via the Home app again. Once added, you can move back to normal range.
- Option 2: Use an Older iOS Device or Hotspot: If you have an older iPhone, iPad, or even a friend’s device, enable a hotspot on one device using a 2.4GHz-only network name/password that matches your Google Wi-Fi SSID. Join the same hotspot from the Eve camera during setup. Once added to HomeKit, it will retain the network credentials and continue working on the main network.
- Option 3: Temporary Guest Network (if available): Use the Google Home app to create a guest network. Name it differently and ensure it's only used for the setup. Temporarily disable all devices that can only join 5GHz (or just try the pairing at longer range). Set up the Eve cam on this network, then you can try to move it to your main SSID if necessary.
Again, none of these options are ideal, but are compromises when using the Google Mesh network with IoT devices that only operate on the 2.4GHz band.
Finally, you may want to reconsider using Google networking hardware as they are known to collect the following types of data from your network:
- Device identifiers (like MAC addresses or serial numbers)
- Wi-Fi network names (SSID), signal strength, and channel usage
- Network traffic statistics (not the actual content of your traffic, but metadata like bandwidth usage, device types, etc.)
- Device names and types on your network (like "John’s iPhone" or "Apple TV")
- Crash logs and diagnostics related to router performance
