Forum Discussion

Kirby68's avatar
Kirby68
Network Novice
2 years ago

Dual band router

I have the T-Mobile 5G home wifi gizmo.  I have a printer and another device which are not compatible with 5G.  If I connect a Linksys dual band router to the T-Mobile device, will that fix the issue? Description for the Linksys says it will transmit on both 5G and 2.4 G.

  • @Kirby68 I agree with @ahallasjr in that your gizmo (T-Mobile Gateway) comes with both 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz bands working. Because many devices only connect to 2.4Ghz, both band should be working. 

    If you connect the Links's router and it broadcasts on both 2.4G and 5G, be careful they don’t step on each other. Open the T-Mobile Internet app, and at the bottom of the screen, tap the NETWORK link, there you can manage your networks. You can rename the network names and set up separate 2.4 and 5 networks individually or automatically together, or delete the network. If you connect the Linksys and use it, you might want to delete the T-Mobile network to avoid overlap. 

    I hope this helps! 

  • ahallasjr's avatar
    ahallasjr
    Transmission Trainee

    I believe the 5G refers to the connection between your “gizmo” and the cell tower. By default the “gizmo” automatically accommodates 2.4G an 5.0G between your “gizmo” and locale devices. If your 2.4G device does not connect, you can try using the app to create a new 2.4 band. You will now have a 5.0G band and a new 2.4G band for local devices.

  • copz1998's avatar
    copz1998
    Connection Curator

    @Kirby68 I agree with @ahallasjr in that your gizmo (T-Mobile Gateway) comes with both 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz bands working. Because many devices only connect to 2.4Ghz, both band should be working. 

    If you connect the Links's router and it broadcasts on both 2.4G and 5G, be careful they don’t step on each other. Open the T-Mobile Internet app, and at the bottom of the screen, tap the NETWORK link, there you can manage your networks. You can rename the network names and set up separate 2.4 and 5 networks individually or automatically together, or delete the network. If you connect the Linksys and use it, you might want to delete the T-Mobile network to avoid overlap. 

    I hope this helps! 

  • jw65's avatar
    jw65
    Network Novice

    @Kirby68 What gateway are you using?Is it the silver Nokia or one of the black Arcadyan ones?I know you can log in to Admin on the silver Nokia and change the WiFi settings but,i think the new black gateways have that feature blocked.

    There is a YouTube guy NaterTater that has some great videos on setting and working with T-Mobile home internet gateways.

    As for your printer you have to have the printer setup software on your computer and use the USB cable to install it.Then use the software to activate the WIFI setup.That was my experience installing my old Canon MP495.

  • Ülka_V's avatar
    Ülka_V
    Network Novice

    I had older WiFi devices that wouldn’t connect to the gateway’s WiFi, so I renamed the 2.4GHz WiFi SSID1 to a separate name from the two 5GHz WiFi bands SSID5 & SSID9 so it now shows up as a separate 2.4GHz WiFi network and they all connect to it now. Some older devices might want WPA encryption, so you could change that setting to WPA/WPA2.