Hihome products and 2.4GHz and 5GHz Wi-Fi networks

You don't have to be a Wi-Fi expert to set up your Smart Home and prevent or fix problems.

To avoid pairing and usage problems, there must be one 2.4GHz Wi-Fi network for Smart Home products. The products do not work on 5GHz. It is therefore important to determine which frequency bands your Wi-Fi network uses.

Start by checking the router. Look on the router itself or on its packaging. If it says Dualband then you know your network can use both 2.4GHz and 5GHz. If you can't work it out at first sight, look for the router's model number on the manufacturer's website.

Sometimes Dualband W-Fi is active and you see two networks, one on 2.4 GHz and one on 5 GHz. If these two networks have the same name (SSID), you can expect problems with Smart Home products.

Please refer to the router's manual how to change the network names (SSIDs). Suggestions: HomeWiFi24G and HomeWiFi5G. In this way you create a separation in the two frequencies. If you now choose the 2.4 GHz network for your Smart Home, you will not experience any network problems. But take care! If you want to pair, the smartphone must also be registered on this 2.4 GHz network. It doesn't matter for the final operation. After all, you can also be outside and operate the Smart Home from another WiFi or 4G network.

If you really want to go pro, and keep your Dualband function for normal wifi and still not have any problems with Smart Home products, then create an extra Guest network or VLAN. This is possible on most modern routers. See the manufacturer's manual or website for instructions. You create for example;

WiFi network 1: SSID: HomeWiFi on dual band 2.4 / 5GHz

WiFi network 2: Guest or VLAN: SSID SmartHome on 2.4GHz

An additional advantage of the latter approach is that you have two separate networks, which also improves network security.