I have Xfinity and in my Xfinity app there is a setting to “use different names and passwords for 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz wifi”. If I click it it says it’s not recommended, but it is an option.
Apparently the new routers don’t let you mess with the settings.
Xfinity app - overview - view network details - pencil icon in upper right corner - edit Wi-Fi settings - use different names…. You don’t have that option?
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Just adding here; I have a fair number of connected devices in both of my places but the devices/ecosystem I have had that generates the best value for me are Wyze products. Value for me defined as: cost, ease of setup, configurability, security, breadth of product line, new product development, availability, etc…
Found that option and tried it, but I still cannot set up the Meross device. That’s frustrating.
Turned out that I had to factory reset the lamps to be able to set them up. Did that, and they’re working now. Can’t get the smart bulbs to reset, though…
Why do smart lamps need smart bulbs?
They’re different items (sorry for not making that clear). I got a pair of smart bulbs for my existing bedside lamps and a pair of smart lamps for my home office. The bulbs are great for turning a “dumb” lamp, smart. They’re a better option than a smart plug that only can turn the lamp on or off, because the bulbs can be dimmed and change colors.
The lamps have the same dimming and color functions but they’re, you know, a lamp. So you get these when you don’t have exiting lamps. Both options work best where the light is not controlled by a wall switch because, if they are inadvertently turned off at the wall switch, there is no way to control them without first turning them back on at the wall switch.
In those circumstances it’s better to install a smart wall switch. This is especially true where you have a wall switch that controls multiple lights, as one smart switch is cheaper than multiple smart bulbs. This will allow you to keep your regular bulbs while being able to turn the light(s) on/off and also act as a dimmer, both through an app, with an automation, or the old fashioned way at the wall switch. The good thing is that you can still control the light(s) with the app or an automation even if they were turned off at the wall switch because that’s now a soft button.
Thanks. Sounds complicated but cool. I bought a smart bulb once, it was fun to mess with for awhile but somehow it unlinked from my phone and I couldn’t get it synced back up so I gave up.
My real excuse for not doing stuff like this is that I’ve been in IT for 25+ years and I don’t want to mess with computers outside of work!
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Man, do I feel this in my bones.
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I got to the point that I was running my own Active Directory domain/DNS/DHCP at home. A few months ago I finally asked myself “What the fuck was I thinking?” and tore it all down.
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Huh. I still jerk off manually.
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As I slowly pivoted from research meteorology to tech to infotech, I never realized that I’d somehow become the Tier 1 IT support tech for all my friends and family. A massive tactical blunder on my part.
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I haven’t been in actual IT in just about 10 years, but I at some point became just about everyone I know that also isn’t technical’s tech support. It used to be a struggle to say no, but now I just tell people my flat rate for help is 100 bucks to start, and they usually go elsewhere.
The last thing I want to do after spending all day looking at a computer and troubleshooting software issues is to figure out what virus you downloaded on your laptop and help you get rid of it. There’s a reason all the other places you went charge you money…
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Unfortunately for me, that only requires “knowing about computers.”
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I did something similar about 20ish years ago; I was learning about building web sites using ASP (old asp) so I had a webserver, a mail server, and a database server, both Test and Production networks for each and ran my websites on the internet via my Comcast connection. A Comcast guy had to come fix something for us once and saw my set up and said he never saw so many computers in one house. My brother (also an IT guy but a fancy Cisco one) said he always felt like he had to badge into our dining room (where my setup was). No more; now just a PC and a laptop at home. The worst thing was when having a server exposed to the internet as I did was that I would come home from work and spend an hour or so at night looking through my webserver logs to make sure it was all still secure. Crazy. But I was so much older then, I’m younger than that now
I have friends who have sprinkler controllers that are on their local networks, and they’ve opened things up so that they can control them while they’re on vacation or whatever. There is no way I’ll do that. Yeah, that would be convenient. Right up until you discover that somebody waltzed into your local network through that hole (I’m sure that Toro is right on the cutting edge of secure software development), hopped on your NAS, and took a stroll through all of your financial statements and tax returns.
You have to assume all of these IOT devices are hackable and put them all on a separate LAN segment. Anything other than that is insanity.
I am so glad I know nothing about this stuff.
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I have combo wall plates in almost every room, and I just pulled one off to reveal what looks like ethernet and coax wires that go through the box but aren’t connected. So I took a look in my attic, and there’s ethernet wiring all coming back up there and just coiled up.
I must admit, I have been impressed with the WiFi performance of the Xfinity gateway. I have the 600mbps service, and I’m getting 380mbps down at my desk in the room directly above where the gateway is situated. It drops off quickly though so, in the master at the back of the house I get only 130mbps.
In addition to ethernet just being better, having wired connections available is going to help me when I start to accumulate smart hubs. Plus, the cable connection is in the living room, and I’d love to be able to move the gateway somewhere else - there’s a closet on the landing that’s just perfect for a network center.
So it’s not a priority, but it’s just so tempting with the wires already there. Anyone have a clue as to the cost to have someone come in and finish out the network?