I've just set up a Vigor 2763ac.
When completing the Wireless Wizard, I entered the details for the SSID and security key for the 2.4GHz settings, then for the 5GHz setting I ticked the tick box for 'Use the same SSID and Security Key as above'. 

I assumed this would enable Band Steering because both SSID's are same, but when checking under Wireless LAN (2.4 GHz)> Band Steering, it it hasn't. 
So I was just wanting to understand if both the SSID's are the same and Band Steering is not enabled, then how does the client device determine which band to connect to, and if I should go ahead and enable band steering or not?
Also for both the frequencies it has chosen a channel, should I leave it on this channel or change it to Auto?

Many thanks.





 

Hi 13977,

The band steering is a very simple function, it just prevents the client from connecting to the 2.4Ghz signal for a preset period of time, to “steer” it, towards connecting to the 5Ghz connection if it can.

If this simple function is disabled, the client will more than likely connect to the 2.4Ghz signal and latch on to that, as it is much easier to receive a reasonable 2.4Ghz signal than a 5Ghz one.

Most modern clients will do the band steering themselves, and not just go for the easiest connection straight away, they will check signal strength and consistency and make a decision based on that finding.

The annoying part about band steering, and why you might want to disable it is, it prevents the client from connecting to the 2.4Ghz immediately, causing a wait period for the user trying to join the wifi network, whereas a more modern device will be happy to join the 2.4Ghz then jump over to the 5Ghz some moments later, or even join the 5Ghz straight away.

Regarding the channel selection, you will need to scan your local environment to see which channel is the least popular and select that as your channel. Less popular means less interference and a more stable interaction. If you don’t have the time or energy to do this, then ‘Auto’ is probably more favourable than pot-luck.

Thanks for the detailed reply HodgesanDY.
I just wanted to understand how the 'Use the same SSID and Security Key as above' option works, as it it only adversities one SSID, not two with the same name, which is why I incorrectly assumed that it would enable band steering.

I have scanned the environment to find a channel with less contention, but I was thinking ‘Auto’ would be the best option, then if a channel does become overly busy the it would automatically swap? If that is how it works then I'm surprised that its not set to Auto by default.