One location with two WiFi SSIDs?

Tips & Tricks
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TL;DR - How can cameras be set up on two different WiFi SSIDs in one location (not two different locations)?

I have 5 Wyze Cam v3 that I’m adding outside my house. One location is on a shed on my back yard and I need to use a WiFi repeater to get a strong enough signal to connect. This results in two different SSIDs and some camera are on one SSID, and others on a different SSID.

All my other Wyze devices are on my dedicated IoT network (SSID “iot”), but the camera on the shed needs to connect to the SSID “iot-beaconhd” from the repeater. Eventually I fiddled around to get things like I wanted, but this is one of those situations where 1) It seems much harder than it should be, and 2) Even though I got things to work like I want I’m not sure how I did it and what I would need to do again to repeat the setup.

Here’s what I think I did:

1 --Try connecting the camera through the Wyze app, using the pull-down menu to change the network name from “iot” to “iot-beaconhd” and entering the password. Result: Camera times out saying, “Unable to connect”.

2 – Set a “home” location different than the default: add a “Suite 2” on the second line of the address, then re-run setup. Result: Camera accepts the network change after using the pull-down menu and entering the password. All cameras now work as desired.

3 – Reset one of the other cameras to see if changing the home location will change setup for any Wyze devices I add (I have some Wyze plugs on order). Result: This is where it gets weird. The pull-down list shows only the networks available in my doctor’s office (!) which I visited between the previous step and this step. I rebooted my phone and was able to complete the setup.

I speculate that the Wyze app scanned the available WiFi networks while at the doctor’s office. That’s weird; it shouldn’t do that, or if it was it should re-scan when setting up a device. And I should have forced-closed the Wyze app first to see if that fixed the problem berfore rebooting my phone.

It seems that the Wyze app doesn’t gracefully handle using two SSIDs at the same location. Of course, I could be completely wrong, but if so what is the right way to do this setup?

Technical details of my environment, in case that makes a difference:

  • WiFi access points: Unifi U6-Lite (wired back to router)
  • WiFi repeater: Unifi UAB-BeaconHD (WiFi connection to a U6-Lite AP)
  • Router: Unifi UDM-Pro
  • Phone: Google Pixel 4a 5G
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I, like you, have 2 different routers in my home. One for IoT, the other for all else but have had to use the “all else” router for the Wyze switches because they refuse to work with my IoT router. I am able to setup and access my Wyze devices any of the Access Point 2.4 Ghz SSIDs with no issue (other than the one described :wink: ). It should just be a matter of having the SSID name and password correct. Where the Wyze app should just display the SSIDs remembered or available as you have mentioned.

Not sure why the Wyze app only showed your Dr office SSIDs other than that is what the phone had in it’s list of remembered connections but the reboot seemed to have solved for that.

What Wyze App Version are you on?
What mobile device are you using and OS version?
Seems like it may be a mobile device issue, but this is only me saying so because I have not experienced this with somewhat of a similar home network design. FWIW I use a Pixel 6, iPhone 12 Pro Max, and Samsung Note10+.

1 Like
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@R.Good. I just browse through different parts of the forum and stumble on good ideas and info. Here, you mention you have a router that Wyze stuff does not like. Without trying to be nosy, can you share what router does not like Wyze, so we know which one to stay away from?

Thanks.

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Hey @Sam_Bam

For sure. My issue was with the Spectrum Askey RAC2V1K and the Wyze Switches, only the Wyze switches.

No matter what I did I could not get the Wyze switches to stay connected to that router.

A lot of conversation here, but I ended up just replacing that router.

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We’ve been talking about this lately here on the forum. You should go back and check the specs on that problematic router. Check and see what the device/client allowed count is. For instance, I just bought a pair of eero 6 routers. They each have a limit of 75 devices. And you don’t have any control of which the device connects to. I had 88 on one and 60 on another. They would not “automatically balance” and devices connected to the first kept falling offline. Replaced the router and all those issues disappeared.

After you check the specs, count all your connected device. You can use the free tool called Fing to check how many if you are unsure. You could just be exceeding the device count on the old router. I understand. You have replaced it. But would be nice to know if that was the problem.

We all keep adding more devices to our WiFi home networks and we just assume they can handle the added load/count. Maybe not.

1 Like
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Possible stupid question… any reason you HAVE to have different SSIDs? Its seems to work out fine for my acre with two outbuildings (each having to have their own router due to metal sidings) that the SSID and password are set as the same as eachother.

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For me, there’s not enough situation description to understand the setup and comment directly. If your arrangement works for you, have at it/do it. To different routers? Do you have two separate cable modems bring Internet service to each building? Isn’t that adding to your total costs? If you are paying for a second cable modem’s connection, I think it would be cheaper long term to replace that second connection with a strong mesh router system, putting two nodes as close each other as possible to improve the signal.

Maybe you have wire run to a second router from your first router? And each has the same SSID? Okay, I guess that works for you. But somewhere near center between the two, their individual signal is trying to cancel the other out. The signals are stepping on each other. I guess you can live with that. As you take your tablet or phone between the two locations signal from one router drops/disappears as the other comes into range of your device. I guess your two networks don’t need to share info with each other.

With those separate SSIDs, I guess you are at the mercy of the subdevices’ app allowing multiple SSIDs for you to “see”/manage/access the subdevices at each location. Sort of like Wyze’s app, and your Wyze account allows you to “see” all the cameras at multiple locations and with different SSIDs. Like I said earlier, if it works for you - great.

Trying to visualize the worse case? What if your next door neighbor’s house was 30 feet from yours and he was running a router with the same SSID as you (and same password), your handheld/phone device is going to bounce connections depending on signal strength as you move around your property - closer to his. But who cares if you trust him and he you. I think the consequences for managing your devices are unpredictable.

Most of us want the same SSID for all our devices. Most of us want everything on the same network more than same SSID. Allows us unfettered access to the information we are gathering from the device without remembering to connect to the other net.

Story for you. I know a guy that was fussing 'cause he needs an Internet signal on the 3rd floor of his high rise for his car. But he lives on the 30th floor. Can’t get Internet cable to the parking garage. I asked a couple of questions. Have any friends that live on the 6-8 floor, 10-14 floor, 18-22 floor, 26th floor? “Yeah, I’m the HOA president”.

Good, ask if you can place a router in their units? So, I gave him this idea. You could buy/move to a mesh system that allows multiple nodes. Place a node in units on different floors each passing the signal up/down floors vice across a large house. I didn’t try to recommend a manuf or model. And he’s smart enough to decided if its worth the experiment to find it practical neighborly-wise and cost wise.

I hope this helps.