NWA50AX V7.00(ABYW.2) - Strange behaviour with 2.4 GHz

GiuseppeR

Hello everyone,

I have a pair of APs in an organization:

with strange behaviour regarding 2.4 Ghz WiFi.

I set a standard SSID with all frequencies enabled:

as you can see there is nothing special.

Name this SSID like "WIFI-Master".

Anyway, also after rebooting the APs, I was unable to see WIFI-Master transmitting at 2.4 GHz (I was trying with IoT things, so really basic WiFi needs).

The only way I had to get a 2.4 GHz SSID was to set another SSID (name this one like WIFI-Master_Guests) with only 2.4 enabled:

After this setting, I was able to see both WIFI-Master and WIFI-Master_Guests running at 2.4 GHz on those IoT devices.

To be complete, before enabling WIFI-Master_Guests, I was unable to enter in the network WIFI-Master also using manual mode on devices (writing SSID name and password, without scanning the nearby networks)

Zyxel_Judy

Hi @GiuseppeR ,

We have attempted to reproduce your situation using:

• Device: NWA50AX
• Firmware version: 7.00P2

Using the inSSIDer tool for testing, we can still detect the SSIDs broadcasting on both 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands. This appears to differ from what you are experiencing

To better support you, could you enable Zyxel support.

Additionally, please provide us with the name of your Nebula organization/site here or via the private message by clinking to my account > Message.

Zyxel_Judy

Hi @GiuseppeR ,

I was unable to see WIFI-Master transmitting at 2.4 GHz

Could you clarify how you verified the absence of the 2.4GHz SSID when using a single SSID with all three bands enabled? Did you use network analysis tools like inSSIDer, check the WiFi list on your end device, or use another method?

We would appreciate if you could record a video demonstrating the complete process, showing:

1. The initial state where the 2.4GHz SSID is not visible
2. The steps of adding a new SSID with 2.4GHz
3. The final state where the 2.4GHz SSID becomes visible

GiuseppeR

Hello @Zyxel_Judy

the problem followed these key moments at customer site:

• for some reason the TV (6-7 years old model) was unable to connect to WIFI-Master, the TV was scanning for some SSIDs without finding WIFI-Master. So I tried to add WIFI-Master manually, writing name and password, I saw the spinning wheel running but no connection. Multiple tries of course, to check if the password for the SSID was correct
• while doing previous process with TV I was able to scan and see the WIFI-Master network on newer phones and connect to it with one of them (e.g. a Samsung) seeing the icon of WiFi with number 6 on it
• I rebooted the closest AP to that TV, unplugging and plugging again RJ45 cable, but no different results on connecting that easy TV to internet
• I did the same with remote cameras (e.g. baby-monitor), I'm referring to cheap cameras with 2.4 GHz only WiFi capabilities available in their specs sheet. Multiple tries, no results.
• I had the customer PC right there, so I entered Nebula with customer account and set the simplest SSID I could create (no steering, no band selection, nothing special as you could see with your access in Nebula). So I had WIFI-Master_Guests working on 2.4 GHz only.
• I came back to TV and there I saw it connected to WiFi-Master automatically
• So I went to a baby-monitor and those camera were able to go online too

Now there is still WIFI-Master_Guests enabled to force 2.4 GHz band.

Let me tell you that this is the first time I meet this sort of error. Very very strange behaviour.

I'm at your disposal, see you soon

Zyxel_Judy

Hi @GiuseppeR ,

Since your phone can detect the 2.4GHz SSID on channel 6, this confirms the AP is broadcasting 2.4GHz signals normally. If only your IoT device cannot detect the 2.4GHz signal when the SSID has all three bands (2.4/5/6GHz) enabled, this likely indicates a WiFi driver issue with the IoT device.

As a best practice, we recommend creating a separate 2.4GHz SSID specifically for IoT devices to prevent compatibility issues. Therefore, your current setup with a dedicated 2.4GHz SSID is both appropriate and recommended for your environment.