Multiple cameras; trouble connecting to app

Cameras
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1

Have 4 wired Wyze cameras; Deco WIFI route; Samsung S26 Ultra phone. All set up using the IoT 2.4 GHz network on the router/phone. My USUAL household WIFI is the DECO MLO network, which is a 6, 5, 2.4 combination network. Have a LARGE number of IoT devices; all work nominally on the MLO network,

Connection of Wyze cameras to the Android app has always seemed SLOW to me. All my cameras went down (result of reset android problem) and I had to setup all 4 again. Set up all four as indicated above. Getting 3005 ‘Failed to connect’ errors. Can someone give me help regarding appropriate network, camera, and phone settings to make this mess work properly.

2

Welcome @dalemwebb1218

Wyze cameras and a lot of other devices don’t use WiFi 6 and will not take advantage of MLO. If I were to set it up, I would set the IOT network to 2.4 Ghz only no MLO. Then connect your Wyze devices to that. There are a few which support 5 Ghz, but not many and certainly not the Pan Cam v3.

Also, make sure you don’t use IPV6 nor WPA3 options as that causes issues with Wyze Devices.

Are you using a VPN? If so, some of those can cause issues when trying to connect to the cameras as well.

3

That’s all swell and stuff, but why should I have to limit the speed of ALL my WIFI devices to accommodate just the Wyze cameras. ALL my IoT devices use the MLO (once they are connected) without any grief. Can you actually run one set of devices on another band if the WIFI network is MLO?

4

All your IoT devices use MLO? The wyze cams definitely do not, what other ones do you have that do? It is a very rare feature on anything other than PCs with the latest Wifi adapters, and maybe some very new phones.

5

I guess my naivete about WIFI is showing. A check with TP_Link informed me that, if a device is added to the network via IoT (2.4GHz) it STAYS on that IoT network, so, evidently, my Wyze cameras ARE running on the 2.4GHz band. So, why am I getting connection errors, failed connections, and SLOW connections. The network is reported as strong.
Any help would be appreciated.

6

MLO is a fairly new technology that lets a compatible device use both 2.4ghz and 5ghz at the same time to get more bandwidth (as in when you’re trying to get several gigs per second which IoT devices aren’t going to need). Honestly it doesn’t work very well even on devices that support it, and is fairly useless.

You may be thinking of band steering or smart connect where the router forces clients to use 5ghz when it thinks they should be, so they don’t get stuck on 2.4. It actually can cause problems with 2.4ghz only devices as sometimes it tries to steer them even though they don’t support 5ghz. This feature used to be a lot more useful than it is now. The vast majority of devices these days will prefer 5ghz and try to switch to it on their own (as long as the signal is decent), so at this point I usually turn that feature off too.

All that aside, a “strong” wifi signal just means at the most basic level, the device is seeing a powerful signal, but it doesn’t mean it has bandwidth available (it is a shared medium) or that the signal is good quality (interference, noise, etc).

If this is a mesh system, the camera could be seeing a strong signal from the node, but the node may have a poor connection back to the main router (which the cam doesn’t know about).

The first things I’d try:
Set your 2.4ghz to 20Mhz channels only (not 20/40 or 40) - this should be done with any wifi network, they never should have introduced 40. On 5ghz set it to 20/40/80 (disable 160). That has nothing to do with your cameras but 160 will likely give you issues on other devices.

Ensure your encryption type is WPA2 only. Not 2/3 or 3. While technically you only need to change this on the 2.4 network, you’d want 5 to match for your other devices that may switch back and forth.

Disable any band steering, smart connect, or even MLO features. For testing purposes, it may be easiest to just disable the 5ghz band temporarily.

Since it sounds like you’re running their IOT network, you can change those settings on just the IOT network without changing stuff on your main network.

Start with that and if that stuff doesn’t change anything, it could be issues with the way they’ve set up that IOT network, or it could be wifi signal problems. If the above doesn’t help, report back what your setup is like, if you have nodes/mesh, which devices the cams are connected to (main router or nodes), etc. It could be as simple as needing to tweak some of the options for the Deco IOT network (they all implement it a bit differently and usually have a few options you can tweak).

7

These are my responses to your suggestions:

Set your 2.4ghz to 20Mhz channels only (not 20/40 or 40

The Deco system is designed to automatically select the most appropriate channel width (e.g., 20MHz or 20/40MHz) based on current network conditions, rather than allowing it to be locked to one specific width.

Ensure your encryption type is WPA2 only. Set to WPA2

Disable any band steering, smart connect, or even MLO features. Not even smart enough to know what this means. If such features are set, Deco did it or I did it by mistake.

Since it sounds like you’re running their IOT network, you can change those settings on just the IOT network without changing stuff on your main network.

Far as I know, only using the IoT network. This what the screen says:

IoT Network

Network

Create a dedicated wireless network to manage IoT devices together. such as smart tights

Webbsnet_2.4GHz

Password xxxxxxxxxxx

Strength Very Strong

It is recommended to set a password using a combination of letters, number, and symbols.

Security WPA2

Bands 2.4 Ghz only

There are NO other settings for the IoT network that I can find.

This is what I see, ALL THE TIME.

Screenshot_20260705_171138_Wyze
Screenshot_20260705_171138_Wyze1080×2189 266 KB

8

I haven’t set up a Deco in a while but there should be some way to disable 40mhz (20/40 “auto” mode in your case). You may have to disable their “smart connect” feature where it combines the 2.4ghz and 5ghz into one network. After disabling that it usually gives you more control. You can still give both bands the same name and password so devices will switch back and forth, but it eliminates a lot of the stuff that can interfere with IOT stuff and gives you more control.

If that doesn’t work (or it no longer allows you do that). Then I’d say go back to basics and just test it with the main router (nodes shut off) and try putting them on the main, non IOT network. Even if just to test and confirm if it may be something with that network that is interfering (it blocks stuff, and it may be blocking something that is needed).

If everything works fine with your phone and cams on the main network, then try disabling wifi on your phone (simulate connecting when away from home). See if that works too.

The goal is to just get a clean “starting point” where you can then start adding features and/or using the IOT network isolation, and when it breaks, at least know where to focus on troubleshooting.

I do have a totally isolated IOT network and it works perfectly fine, so it is possible, but my system has a lot of control over what is or isn’t blocked, so it could simply be that the Deco is blocking something that is needed. If it stays on “step 1” and never gets past that, it implies it is the authentication between the cam, app, and wyze servers that is the issue.

Forgive if I missed you answering this already, but have you tested “web view”? Even without a subscription you can pick 1 cam (per month) that you can view through that service. Would be curious to see if it works there, as that can help narrow it down too.

9

I’m not seeing it if there is. I don’t use Deco, but my sister does, and what I see in the app is just what @dalemwebb1218 is reporting above for the IoT network. The only place I’m seeing in the app[1] where any channel width settings can be adjusted is fairly deep: More ➜ Wi-Fi Settings ➜ 2.4 GHz & 5 GHz & 6 GHz Network ➜ Advanced ➜ Channel Width for 5 GHz, where the options are “160 MHz (Recommended)” or “80 MHz”. I’m not seeing a way to reduce the 2.4 GHz network to only 20 MHz. :man_shrugging:

Note: These are XE5300 Deco units. I don’t know what model @dalemwebb1218 is using, so it’s entirely possible that the Deco app offers different options for other hardware.

Also, please be aware that my Deco experience is pretty limited as I don’t own any of those but have occasionally used the app to make some changes for my brother-in-law when he’s had issues with the way he’s set things up. I just wanted to chime in with this so that @dalemwebb1218 doesn’t spend a bunch of time looking for things that might not be there.

I like the other recommendations for trying to work through this and figure out where the problem is. :+1:

Welcome to the Forum, @dalemwebb1218! :wave:

  1. My understanding of TP-Link Deco is that all management is done via the Deco app and not with a typical browser-based management interface. I generally tend to think that’s a bit of a curse and offers a reduced control set, but at least tonight I can see my sister’s network a couple hundred miles away in the app. ↩︎

10

With the TP Links I’ve worked with you need to disable smart connect to get many of the options to show. However I haven’t set up the IOT network on a Deco (have only set up one Deco and it was a pretty basic setup for a friend) so who knows. There may also be more options in the web admin interface than the app (if it still has a web interface anyway).

I’m used to being able to set literally everything, basic rate, supported rates, beacon intervals, about 100 other things, so take for granted that basic ones should be available on everything. I know that’s not the case with ISP routers anymore, it would suck if 3rd party ones are following that path.

Whomever came up with 40mhz on 2.4 should be smacked. And calling 160 on 5ghz “recommended” when nearly everyone lives near some sort of radar is awful too.

320 on 6ghz is actually ok in theory, but the usable range is pretty limited.

11

@dave27 ( @Crease ) There is a way. I use Deco. Look under >… > Wi-Fi Settings > 2.4 GHz & 5 GHz & 6 GHz Network (yes, that’s a real choice, that long a name) > Advanced > Channel Settings. There you can turn off Auto and instead select 20 MHz the 5 GHz settings are there too, so you can disable 160 MHz. (Funny too, because they “recommend” 160.

And everyone: Don’t forget its always advisable to: a) change ONLY 1 Thing, b) Make a Note of the 'was" and “is now”, c) save, d) restart your network, so you are certain all changes are in effect e) let it percolate - give these setting time enough to affect what you are doing, so you can see if they helped or hurt. Figure out if they should remain on those settings BEFORE you make more changes. If you see something messed up, you an undo what you did, before it becomes so complicated you must reset your router(s) and start over.

Do yourself a favor, (doesn’t help anyone but yourself). Keep a log/document your settings and changes. Two weeks from now, you might not remember something you changed is suddenly impacting your work.

@dalemwebb1218, your comment that "TP-Link/Deco might have changed something, is 100% accurate. “You can depend on the fact that TP-Link sometimes (rarely, but does) change your settings to something different, during firmware updates.” Sometimes back to default, sometimes a new setting, sometimes completely 180 from what it was. Not often, but they do, do it. That’s why we want to (over time) make a log or spreadsheet or document you can store some place to refer to. I.E. Changed; changed from; changed to & date. Its your own insurance.

12

That’s not the case with my (non-Deco) TP-Link router, which allows me to leave it enabled and set channel width for my 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands in the Web UI.

I don’t think there’s any meaningful Web interface for the Deco devices, or at least I don’t recall being able to access one when I was on premises. I think they force management through the app to keep it fairly simplistic, “pretty basic”, like you said.

That’s essentially the path I described above, but I don’t see “Channel Settings” except (as noted) for “Channel Width for 5 GHz”. I’m guessing that may be because of any or all of these things:

  • I’m using Deco app version 3.10.215 (perhaps options are different in a different app version)
  • The hardware is Deco XE5300 (maybe options differ with hardware and firmware)
  • I’m set up as a “Manager” but not the “Owner” (I imagine this is probably the main factor in what I see)

Probably as the “Owner” @dalemwebb1218 has more options available, so it’s good to know that we were looking in the right place, and I appreciate the confirmation from an actual Deco user. :+1:

13

As I said I am a network neophyte; it’s all very baffling to me. Should be easier.

TP-Link says: The good news is that since you’re already using the IoT network set to 2.4GHz only, your Wyze cameras are already on the correct band without needing to touch Smart Connect on the main network at all. The IoT network operates independently and does not share the band-steering behavior of the main network.
Best as I can figure out, turning OFF Quick Connect only applies if the cameras are ‘attached’ to the combined 2.4/5 GHz network, which they are NOT.

14

I would try the previous suggestions, including testing the cams on the main network, and also adjusting the channel width for 2.4ghz if you can (seems like some models have it, some don’t). And the other things that have been mentioned. Will help narrow it down.

15

Are you able to view the camera using the Wyze Web Portal https://my.wyze.com/ ?
Even if you don’t subscribe, you can set up 1 camera for live view.

If you can view the camera on the portal, can you post a pic of the Signal Strength on the App Device Info screen?