Recently, I discovered that one of our home security cameras that supports Apple's HomeKit framework and HomeKit Secure Video for iCloud clip storage had started turning on and off from the local network. I often saw dozens of “[name] is offline” and “[name] is online”, the messages scroll through the notifications every day. Sometimes it stays offline for hours, even though it's within sight of a router in the same room and has worked for months without a problem. Since the camera is inexpensive and a few years old, I bought a replacement to check if the original was dying: the new camera immediately showed the same connection problems in the same place.
Was the equipment broken? Turns out it was a Wi-Fi connection issue.
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There was a solution. A few months ago, our HomeKit-enabled smart thermostat refused to reconnect to Wi-Fi after a local power outage. I found the solution by configuring a different option on my router. I tested this solution on old and replacement cameras, and it worked. I created a separate Wi-Fi network to which I connect all smart devices that can be configured to join a specific Wi-Fi network. To explain why and how this works, let's start with a refresher on Wi-Fi.
Wi-Fi hits the wall
Wi-Fi was launched in the late 1990s on the unlicensed 2.4 gigahertz (GHz) band, a frequency range divided into narrow, overlapping channels that everyone can use but is not guaranteed that they are free from other users (unlike cellular frequencies, which are licensed and exclusive to each carrier).
This worked quite well for the low initial maximum speed of 11 Mbps. As Wi-Fi has improved, it has expanded to a much wider area of unlicensed spectrum at 5 GHz and, more recently, 6 GHz. These higher frequency bands have shorter wavelengths (based on the number of cycles per second at which they vibrate) and have wider channels, which allow for a much higher data rate. Modern Wi-Fi in the 5 GHz and 6 GHz bands can exceed 1 Gbps.
These shorter wavelengths, however, have a harder time passing through walls, ceilings, furniture and other objects. The longer wavelengths of 2.4 GHz are better at passing through without as much absorption, meaning more signal (and therefore more data) reaches greater distance across rooms and floors. The 2.4 GHz band maxes out at about half the maximum throughputs of 5 GHz and 6 GHz, and typically only delivers tens of megabytes per second of data. However, this is sufficient for smart devices, which often transmit very little information. Even a 4K security camera has a data stream that fits comfortably within the 2.4 GHz window.
You probably never noticed the difference in performance between frequency bands because all modern routers are dual-band 2.4GHz/5GHz or tri-band 2.4GHz/5GHz/6GHz and your devices always strive to choose the fastest data rate, regardless of band. Router manufacturers initially kept 2.4 GHz in their Wi-Fi base stations for backward compatibility reasons, because hundreds of millions of computers, phones, and other devices may have been sold with it. only 2.4 GHz integrated (a certain percentage of them remain in use). But it also improves range when a router is placed in an area in which 5GHz or 6GHz signals are absorbed to one room or more.
HomeKit and other smart devices often only include a low-power Wi-Fi radio, especially if they're battery powered. Many are stuck in the past supporting only 2.4GHz because it reduces cost and power consumption.
How can you leverage your router and the 2.4GHz band to improve smart device connections? Set up a separate 2.4 GHz guest on one or more routers near your smart equipment.
Separate networks improve consistency
When setting up a Wi-Fi network in your home, you may have one or more routers, or have opted for a mesh network (such as that created by adding “nodes” that self-configure with other nodes .
In most cases, the default configuration has all bands and routers using the same Wi-Fi network name and password. This allows for seamless roaming throughout your home. However, each of your devices chooses which router and band to connect to based on the logic built into the device. If your iPhone or security camera selects 5GHz broadcast from a weak and distant router, you can't force it to change.
The way to choose a band and router is to name the networks distinctly. Almost every router sold in the last decade offers several options:
- You can set a separate name and password for your 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz (or 5 GHz/6 GHz) networks.
- You can enable a guest network in one or more bands with its own name and password, but with additional configuration needed to work with HomeKit.
The first is less useful, as it can affect roaming. Using a guest network makes more sense, as it leaves your main network intact but gives you the advantage of selection. If you have routers in your home, you may even be able to configure each router's guest network 2.4GHz radio with a unique name (the password may be the same).
For example, on the router closest to my smart home devices, a NetGear Nighthawk, I enabled the guest network, set its SSID or network name to broadcast (making it selectable in a menu), and checked “Allow guests to see each other.” and access my local network. This last bit is very important: without “guests” seeing your local network, your smart home devices won't be able to reach your HomeKit hub. The language varies by router manufacturer and sometimes even between models made by the same company, but there should always be a switch you can turn on. disabled “guest isolation” or turn on “see devices on the local network.”
This setup on a NetGear router locks connected devices to a nearby strong signal while still allowing them to interact with the main network.
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Once this network was configured, I used the application for the cameras, both Eufy models. Although they are HomeKit compatible, Eufy also details setup and other options within its own app, including updating firmware. This is where I was able to select the 2.4GHz guest Wi-Fi network and the offline/online switching stopped immediately.
A few months earlier, I had used my smart thermostat's physical interface and a corresponding app to connect to this 2.4GHz guest network. It was more complicated: I had to put the thermostat into a special connection mode from its panel, connect to its private short-range Wi-Fi setup network, and use the thermostat's app to select the new 2.4 GHz network.
Your mileage will vary
Not all HomeKit devices can change their Wi-Fi networks: some are locked to your iPhone, iPad, or Mac's network when you add them as an accessory. But those with apps or interfaces can let you choose a Wi-Fi network without disrupting their association with your HomeKit hub and your home defined in the Home app.
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