2.4ghz Wifi giving 5ghz connection error

Cameras
1

Hello all. Recently moved and having issues getting my Pan connected to the new wifi.

The internet provided is Boingo Wifi (some maybe familiar with the service, which is why I’m name dropping) and I’m having no luck connecting. I have logged into their website and added the Pan via MAC address but when I attempt to set up the connection, I get an error that it can not be connected to a 5ghz connection.

Boingo offers both 2.4ghz (Boingo Wifi) and 5ghz (Boingo WiFive) at my location. Every time I’ve tried to connect to the 2.4ghz and I’m not able. I’m not sure how to remedy the situation and due to the sketchy location of where I’m living, I’d like to get my camera up and running ASAP.

Thank you all for you help, so far I’ve purchased 5 Wyze cameras and have nothing but great experiences.

2

I take it you don’t have control over the access point? Are the 2.4G and 5G networks run under different wifi (SSID) names or are they combined? Is the security to get into the wifi WPA where you enter the password in your phone’s wifi settings, or does it take you to a landing web page where you have to enter your username/password?

3

If you are seeing the message on the screen where you enter the wifi SSID and password, that is just a warning message letting you know that it isn’t capable of connecting to a 5GHz network. Ensure you are entering the SSID/pwd for a 2.4GHz network and it should work. Maybe at that location there is no 2.4GHz wifi? I assume you are getting the camera to read the QR code and that it’s then failing to connect? Also, as Loki pointed out, if the Wifi has a landing page where you enter a id/pwd that is not going to work.

4

Hi Loki,

No control over access points (military installed building wifi). Two different SSIDs the 2.4 is Boingo WiFi and the 5 is Boingo WiFive (punny). I’m ensuring that I connect to the 2.4.

Wifi is enabled via phone splash page, similar to what you would encounter at a hotel. Based off Derek’s reply, it seems because of that I’m not going to have any luck…

5

@ShCo,

Yes, @derekmg is correct that Wyze Cam won’t work directly with a wifi such as yours that has a landing page. However, there is a workaround. It does involve purchasing an additional gadget that’s about the same price as the camera.

Detailed instructions on setting this up are here:

https://support.wyzecam.com/hc/en-us/articles/360015185552-How-To-Connect-Wyze-Cams-To-WiFi-Networks-With-Portal-Pages-or-Unsecured-Networks

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6

@ShCo, I can confirm through experience that Loki’s solution works very well. :slight_smile:

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7

Thank you all for the replies. I’ve decided to go with another ISP that doesn’t require a splash page and is a standard WPA2 log in.

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8

Please keep us apprised on if that works out for you. :slight_smile:

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9

I’m a bit confused now.
I’m in the market for a Wyze Cam Pan to use with Apple devices (mainly with my iPhone 6S Plus).
My home WiFi Network lets me manually choose between 5 GHz or 2.4 GHz – no landing page or such, both networks/options show up under the WiFi connection symbol (among other networks from neighbors). Initially you type in your password (each has its own) and it remembers/picks up your choice automatically going forward. Of course I use the 5GHz network for all my devices (automatically). Pretty standard situation I would assume…
Questions:
A. Does the Wyze Cam auto-detect and choose the 2.4 GHz network all by itself or do I manually set it up that way on the cam/app side? Or do I need to block the 5GHz option in my home to make it work properly?
B. On the other/receiver end, do I need to be on a 2.4 GHz network when accessing the Wyze app for settings, watching recorded footage and/or getting alerts on my device(s)? I sure hope this only matters on the cam side!
C. Either way, what exactly happens when the WiFI signal drops or has outings? Will it still motion-detect and record? My assumption would be that it still detects but only records to the card (if installed/attached) but not to the cloud; and I wouldn’t get an instant alert. Correct?
If so, would the alert for the “missed” event still come in later when WiFI picks up again – and would the recording still be uploaded to the cloud at that point (in retrospect)?

Appreciate clarification! Thank you!

12

You manually enter the 2.4 GHz network name and password during the setup process. The phone actually fills in the same network name the phone is using, but if your phone is on the 5 GHz network then you will need to manually change that to the name of the 2.4 GHz network.

Only on rare occasions do you need to shut down the 5 GHz network to get the cam to connect to the 2.4 GHz network (some band steering implementations). If that is required, it would only be required for setup.

It only matters on the cam side. You can be on any Internet-enabled network anywhere in the world to access the cam or its settings, watch recorded footage, or get alerts on your devices. Exceptions to that would be some Internet-enabled networks that have firewalls or who block ports (like some companies do).

One exception: When copying time lapse videos it wants you to “be on the same network”. I don’t know if that extends to the same branch of your network (the 2.4 GHz branch). My feeling is that shouldn’t even be a check – you will know if the video is downloading too slowly.

Your cam requires an Internet connection to be authorized by Wyze to start up and operate. After that, you can lose the WiFi/Internet with no impact to the video being recorded to the SD card. However, you will lose all alerts and cloud videos; they will not be buffered and sent later. When Internet access is again restored, new motion alerts will continue normally.

If you are doing event-only recording to the SD card you will see all the alerts you missed. If you are doing continuous recording to the SD card then the only way to see the alerts you missed is to watch all the footage.

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13

You beat me to it. Good explanations. @raphaelzwyer, I removed our other comments for thread clarity. :slight_smile:

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14

Thanks, Newshound!
Very helpful! Appreciate it!

Just to clarify the first one: I just need to be connected to the 2.4 GHz network both on the cam and the phone/app when setting it all up.
After that, to check recordings and events and to get alerts I just need internet connection, meaning it doesn’t matter what network I am connecting my phone or other devices to.

How does that work though when I want to change settings and stuff? Would it have to be a 2.4 GHz network again? I hope not, 'cause if so I wouldn’t be able to change settings from anywhere, except from a 2.4 GHz network…?

Again, thank you!

15

And as promised, this is what support had to say (very similar):

" Thanks for reaching out to us! I’d be happy to address your questions!

A. Does the Wyze Cam auto-detect and choose the 2.4 GHz network all by itself or do I manually set it up that way on the cam/app side? Or do I need to block the 5GHz option in my home to make it work properly?

You will need to manually choose the 2.4GHz network when prompted to connect.

B. On the other/receiver end, do I need to be on a 2.4 GHz network when accessing the Wyze app for settings, watching recorded footage and/or getting alerts on my device(s)? I sure hope this only matters on the cam side!

You can view it from your other network and remotely! However, for setup, you will need to be on the 2.4GHz network.

C. Either way, what exactly happens when the WiFI signal drops or has outings? Will it still motion-detect and record? My assumption would be that it still detects but only records to the card (if installed/attached) but not to the cloud; and I wouldn’t get an instant alert. Correct?

If there is an SD card present, you should still be able to record if the signal drops or blanks out. Without an SD card, an outage may not allow the Events to record or be detected.

If so, would the alert for the “missed” event still come in later when WiFI picks up again – and would the recording still be uploaded to the cloud at that point (in retrospect)?

I would say this would be a case by case situation. With a WiFi interruption, the actual Event may not be recorded or detected properly so it could also not upload. The best method is to have a microSD card installed and Events can be recorded directly to the card.

Hope this helps! Have a great day and don’t hesitate to contact us with any further questions or concerns!"

16

Just the cam, more on the phone/app below.

True, with the exception of any networks that firewall or filter, like some companies do.

Your worldwide access (if unblocked) includes all functionality, including settings.

Support had some good answers, but I take exception to one of them:

This is what they say during the setup process, so I understand that is support’s position too. However, I have 7 cams and my phone/app have never been on the 2.4 GHz network during setup for any of them. Mostly I am on the 5 GHz network. Once I was on my cell phone network.

I believe they say this to avoid the support calls from those that don’t change the network name to the 2.4 GHz network. A lot of people just hit enter, then call for support when it doesn’t work. I understand their position, I would have done the same. But if you change the network name during setup it really doesn’t matter.

17

Another reason support may give this advice is for people that don’t distinguish between their 2.4 and 5.0 Ghz SSIDs.

18

I can’t think of a reason the phone ever has to actually be on the 2.4 GHz network, whether the SSIDs are the same or not… Maybe I need more explanation here.

19

Early Wyze Cam Trivia:

At one time, the app didn’t allow editing the network name during setup. It auto-filled the field with the network name the phone/tablet was currently connected to.

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20

Ah, that makes more sense as to why they tell you to connect to the same network. Nowadays they probably leave it that way because some people just hit ‘enter’ instead of changing the name to the 2.4 GHz network.

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21

Your phone never has to be on a 2.4 Ghz network but if your SSID is the same for 2.4 and 5.0 you may not know which band your phone is using. So when setting up the cameras you may have a problem.
I used to have all of my SSIDs the same but changed to specific SSIDs after getting the Wyze cams.

22

Still confused – If your phone never has to be on a 2.4 GHz network, then why do you care which which band your phone is using? Setup should work fine whether you are on the 5 GHz network, the 2.4 GHz network, or your cell phone network – as long as you change the network name to the 2.4 GHz network in the app during setup.