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@SanjeevB in theory Band Steering should give you better overall performance by moving devices that are further away from the modem to the 2.4 Ghz band, which has a longer range and lower data rates, and moving devices to the 5 Ghz band when they are closer to the modem as the 5 Ghz band has wider bandwidths and therefore higher data rates. Remember, the operative words here are "in theory".
To disable the Band Steering, log into the modem and:
1. navigate to Wireless 2.4G .... Advanced.
2. disable the Band Steering if its enabled.
3. save the changes.
4. navigate to the 5G .... Advanced tab.
5. disable the Band Steering if its enabled.
6. save the changes.
7. navigate to the 5G .... Basic Settings.
8. change the SSID back to its previous setting
9. save the changes.
10. Reboot the modem at ADMIN .... DEVICE RESET .... Reboot
You might have to manually reconnect your 5 Ghz connected devices if the previous 5 Ghz network wasn't designated as an Auto Connect network.
@SanjeevB in theory Band Steering should give you better overall performance by moving devices that are further away from the modem to the 2.4 Ghz band, which has a longer range and lower data rates, and moving devices to the 5 Ghz band when they are closer to the modem as the 5 Ghz band has wider bandwidths and therefore higher data rates. Remember, the operative words here are "in theory".
To disable the Band Steering, log into the modem and:
1. navigate to Wireless 2.4G .... Advanced.
2. disable the Band Steering if its enabled.
3. save the changes.
4. navigate to the 5G .... Advanced tab.
5. disable the Band Steering if its enabled.
6. save the changes.
7. navigate to the 5G .... Basic Settings.
8. change the SSID back to its previous setting
9. save the changes.
10. Reboot the modem at ADMIN .... DEVICE RESET .... Reboot
You might have to manually reconnect your 5 Ghz connected devices if the previous 5 Ghz network wasn't designated as an Auto Connect network.
In most of the houses setup by default now with rogers, both the 2.4 and 5ghz are all set up with the same SSID name.
So most devices will then go and grab and pick up whichever one is stronger.
A 2.4ghz device, should only see the 2.4ghz.
BUT.. i think the issue comes in with the band steering.
That the router end is supposed to try and switch the user over to the other, when available/stronger.
I think in some cases with these, that it trys to flip over devices, even though they cant go onto the other frequency.
You should be able to log into the modem settings, and disable the band steering.
- last edited on by
RogersMoin
@kaartil log into the modem, navigate to WIRELESS .... ADVANCED .... 2.4 Ghz. Disable Band Steering and save the changes.
Then select the next 5G tab and disable Band Steering for the 5 Ghz band. Save the changes.
That should allow you to change the SSIDs for the networks. If that doesn't work, reboot the modem, ADMIN .... DEVICE RESET .... Reboot. That should allow you to change the network SSIDSs.
@sjd2 wrote:
You're absolutely correct! THERE'S NO OPTION TO TURN OFF "BAND STEERING" on my Ignite Router.
The Ignite XB6 gateway enables band steering when the 2.4 and 5 GHz bands have the same network name. There was never an explicit option to disable band steering but you could by assigning separate WiFi network names.
@DapperFoxtrot wrote:
"To edit your Wi-Fi Network Name & Network password, please download the Rogers Ignite WiFi app or visit ignitewifi.rogers.com."
I need more control than name and password. Please!!!
The lack of control can be frustrating, but I also have the same complaint about every consumer WiFi mesh solution on the market. However, those mesh networks cater to users who need good WiFi coverage but lack any actual technical depth when it comes to networking, and if you make too many options available, users will inevitably create even more problems for themselves AND for their neighbours.
With the Ignite gateway on its own, you can still have a decent amount of control, the same as what you would get with your average consumer WiFi router. However, installing the Ignite WiFi mobile app and/or using the Ignite WiFi Hub simplifies management but also automates more settings.
As soon as you introduce Pods into the mix, you lose even more configuration options. @CommunityHelps will have to confirm this but apparently users are reporting that just having Pods associated with their account centralizes actual control of their XB6 under the Ignite WiFi Hub. However, this is a common thing with WiFi mesh networks; they were designed to run themselves and optimize over time to current/changing network conditions.
"Wi-Fi Mode, Security Mode, Channel Selection, Channel Mode, and Channel Bandwidth are being managed automatically to help optimize your home Wi-Fi network and improve Wi-Fi coverage."
Then why does my WiFi network seem entirely unoptimized and unstable?
Even if the network settings are automated, the most critical part of getting a WiFi mesh to work well is the placement of the Pods/mesh nodes themselves. Ideally, you should place the XB6 gateway in a central location so that it can be the hub of your network, then place the Pods such that they still have good upstream connectivity to the XB6 but can also extend coverage to the hard-to-reach places in your home. If you place them in an area that has poor upstream connectivity, your WiFi mesh will be very unstable and your throughput will be very poor.
Having too many Pods and placing them too close together will cause problems as well, nor should you have any Pods installed unless you actually need them.
Since Rogers has effectively taken ownership over managing your WiFi, if you are seeing poor WiFi performance, call technical support. They should be able to assist you in placing your Pods and have visibility (using their internal tools) as to whether any Pods have poor upstream connectivity or poor connectivity with any devices on your network. However, one thing that they cannot do is to disable Band Steering, if you have Pods installed, because the mesh requires it.
@kaffan With most band steering implementations, there is a tendency to steer as many WiFi clients as possible to the 5 GHz band. Devices (typically) only connect at 2.4 GHz if they either only support that band or if (say, due to distance, or from a load-balancing perspective) the 2.4 GHz band is optimal.
I don't know of any way to steer specific clients to a specific band. I can't even do that on the business-grade APs that I use.
@kaffan wrote:
Thank you for your input.
If you REALLY need full control over WiFi, you may need to switch to business-grade APs rather than using consumer network gear or a solution provided by your ISP. My APs allow me to create multiple SSIDs on the 2.4 and 5 GHz bands. I can create one WiFi network (same network name on the 2.4 and 5 GHz bands) with band steering enabled. If I need a device to connect to a specific band, I may not be able to do that through a band steering policy but I can create a secondary SSID with a different name, with no band steering.
I also have full control over channel selection and configuration, power levels, can fine tune how band steering works, my clients can roam seamlessly across APs, I can control how clients authenticate on a per-network basis, can assign SSIDs to specific VLANs, can (on my external router) implement different security polices and Internet access policies for each VLAN, etc. I have a more extensive configuration and management UI just for WiFi than the XB6 has for everything.
The downside to business-grade network gear is that it also lacks the conveniences and functions that most people want and expect; things like making it easy to add devices to the network using WPS, parental controls, etc. nor can you manage everything end-to-end using a friendly mobile app. And you will have to support all of that complexity on your own.
There are ways to do all of the things that you want to do. Business-grade network gear is probably overkill, but you can't get the level of control that you desire with a consumer-grade network gear... although, if installed properly, you will get a WiFi network that performs well and "just works" with a minimum of fuss to manage it, and full technical support when you need it.
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