Disabling Band Steering can be helpful for connecting smart home devices.
The new generation of gateways like the
Motorola MG8702, MG8725,
and
MT8733
have band steering enabled by default, meaning that the wireless bands are bonded and broadcasted under one wireless network name.
Most smart home devices (including printers, ring doorbells, smart light bulbs, garage door openers, etc.) are compatible only with the
2.4GHz wireless band.
Separating the 2.4 and 5GHz bands into two different wireless network names will help those smart home devices to identify easier and more properly the right wireless network to connect with and will decrease the chance of having wireless conflicts. Please also check this link for wireless optimization settings
here
.
In order to disable band steering please follow the below instructions:
- Log into the Configuration Manager by navigating to 192.168.0.1 in the address bar of your browser.
- Log in using the username "admin" and the unique password found on the label under the device, then click the Login button.
- You will be directed to the Basic Status and Settings page. Direct your attention to the second section called Wi-Fi Privacy Settings .
- Change the selection for Band Steering from Enabled to Disabled .
-
These fields for 2.4GHz and 5GHz
Network Names
and
Passwords
will be exposed. Your device will automatically add ‘-5G’ as a suffix to the default network name to create a separate network name for the 5GHz band. To change the network names for the 2.4GHz and/or 5GHz networks, click the field to the right of the corresponding
Network Name
and enter the name you would like your network to be called.
- The Network Name can be from 6 - 32 characters long. You can use the upper and lower case letters (a – z and A – Z), numbers (0 - 9) and special characters (e.g. $_/& etc.) except the single quote ‘ .
-
You may use the same or different passwords for the two bands. Using the field to the right of each corresponding
Password
, enter the new password you would like assigned to the network.
- Click the Show Key check box to display the text entered for the password.
- The Password can be from 8 - 63 characters long. You can use upper and lower case letters (a – z and A – Z), numbers (0 - 9) and special characters (e.g. $_/& etc.) except the single quote ‘ .
- Click the Save button to the right of the Wi-Fi Privacy Settings section to apply the changes. Allow a minute or so for the new network name and password to take effect.
TIP: Be sure to write down and save the new wireless network names and passwords in a place where you can easily find them. One approach is to write them on a small piece of paper and tape it on the bottom of your cable modem. Some people like to take a picture of the settings with their phone.