Forum Discussion
Turn off WiFi on T-Mobile Home Gateway
Is it possible to turn off WiFi on the T-Mobile Home Gateway, I would like to hook my wifi router and avoid having both WiFi active
- corvi42Roaming Rookie
I wrote a simple Python script to automate the method described in the NaterTater video, above.
- secnerretNetwork Novice
T-Mobile customer service offered to replace my KVD21 gateway with a Nokia gateway… will see if that gets as good of a 5g connection and allows for better ethernet and WiFi control.
- zerodayNetwork Novice
Is there a way to unplug some connectors internally? I have ROG Rapture GT-AXE11000 and four mesh 6E nodes. All hidden ssid. I do not need the network overlap.
- icanseeuseeingmNetwork Novice
BrianR wrote:
FrostBite wrote:
Using the T-Mobile Home Internet 5G Arcadyan KVD21, you can turn off wifi. Only way I know to do this is from using curl.exe, then importing settings from a file you create. I’ve done this via Windows 11 PowerShell. This can be complicated for some folks to do. I’d suggest an Internet search for the exact syntax and such you’d need to figure out. You’ll need to know about tokens, admin, password, network name, etc. to pass with curl.exe to disable. You’ll find sample scripts you can use as templates to help figure out.
Have you actually done that with this model router?
I just did a right now. Curl commands, you need to grab a token, pull down a config, change the config and curl the config back up. :)
Use this:
and
If you’re comfy with command line, it’s a no brainer. I have verified with my Unifi AP’s, an iPhone, a Droid, an old MacBookPro Retina and a M1 14” MacBook. WiFi radios are off!
- spazziumNewbie Caller
This looks like it’s running some customized version of OpenWRT. As a result people have found some common things that are exposed easily with curl.
Here is a good source on it. In fact this gentlemen has done some pretty exhaustive testing across all the available cellular home internet services available in the US.
- BrianRNewbie Caller
FrostBite wrote:
Using the T-Mobile Home Internet 5G Arcadyan KVD21, you can turn off wifi. Only way I know to do this is from using curl.exe, then importing settings from a file you create. I’ve done this via Windows 11 PowerShell. This can be complicated for some folks to do. I’d suggest an Internet search for the exact syntax and such you’d need to figure out. You’ll need to know about tokens, admin, password, network name, etc. to pass with curl.exe to disable. You’ll find sample scripts you can use as templates to help figure out.
Have you actually done that with this model router?
- BrianRNewbie Caller
I am absolutely livid with this tmo taking away a CRITICAL feature that had been part of the service for quite some time.
I absolutely have to be able to use my mesh system to reach the edges of my property. The wifi in any single router or node has no chance. The wifi in this router is not very good to begin with.I spent a week looking through video reviews of this and EVERY SINGLE one pointed out that A) the wifi in the routers as provided is pretty poor (which it is), and B ) no problem you can turn it off and use your already existing far better wifi and mesh systems.
So I guess this will be going back. I’m not sure why T-Mobile would want to mess with success and make liars out of all the youtubers that evangelized this system for them.
- rrickNewbie Caller
Oof. This is disappointing. I was excited to try this out - my ISP has gotten worse and worse. From the research I had done, it looked like it would have been possible to disable wifi on the gateway and just hook up my existing mesh system.
I got the tower today and immediately noticed how limited the options are. I was hoping to come here and find a secret menu like a few other people mentioned.
I know that a lot of the responses to this are “why would you want to disable the wifi?” That’s a good question, so I’ll break it down for myself:
- I have an existing mesh system that I paid decent money for pretty recently. I’d like to keep that.
- I have a number of existing wifi devices that I don’t want to program a new network onto. (Yes, I know I could set the new gateway to match the SSID and password, but still.)
- I have a lot of smart devices on Zigbee, which generally uses the same spectrum as wifi. I just got them to play nice with my mesh network, and I don’t want to be forced to mess with it again. Interference is real!
- The security/prioritization/device management options for the gateway/router are extremely limited compared to my current system. (Or even the one I had before it.)
Side note - I had read that the gateway would have a battery, allowing me to easily test it in multiple locations. I guess not?
I hope that a firmware update for the gateway could fix a lot of this. The way it stands, though, I’ll have to be blown away by the speeds if I’m gonna keep this service. Has anyone been successful in exchanging the gateway for something with a little better customization?
- marc734Newbie Caller
OMG - OK so that’s pretty pathetic.. I just received my grey GW today and set it up. After a few failed connection attempts through the app, turns out that the app needed an update.
I am very close to the T-Mob tower -like ½ mile. My connection is excellent with 5 full bars and great 5G speed on my phone.
So far, I am hitting 340Mbits down and 42Mbits up w ~20ms (or less) ping times. Ethernet connection to GW shows gbit up/down but no noticeable difference in internet speeds or ping. (in a handful of first pass tests).WiFi coverage from this box doesn’t seem very good. From my office on the same floor and 100ft away, it drops significantly.
I have an Asus ROG GT-AXE11000 router so it makes absolutely no sense to use the T-Mo GW as my wi-fi router.
So I ask WTH?!?!
Why not provide an advanced tab on the T-Mo router to allow some advanced settings -or even- frankly a “hidden” unpublished page that would allow an advanced user -or even a basic user with a mesh wi-fi system to go in and configure additional options such as disabling wifi altogether??
Hmm… Quite a fail in my opinion - I am sure this was done primarily to reduce support calls -but to be honest -this will have the opposite effect as to increasing calls by frustrated users who are coming off other providers -especially those with owned cable modems who have their own wifi routers.
If it was a hidden page -this would address the concern about a novice messing up settings while at the same time allowing a more advanced user to configure the things they need (like disabling wifi, setting static IP, changing DHCP scopes, etc..) Sheesh.. Come-on T-mobile -At minimum -let us disable wifi! Please…
So, I will spend the next few days playing around with things but hoping to minimize wifi interference between the Tmo GW and my personal router.
If anyone has a simple known “secret menu”, “hack” or other means to disable wi-fi please share it. - FrostBiteNewbie Caller
Using the T-Mobile Home Internet 5G Arcadyan KVD21, you can turn off wifi. Only way I know to do this is from using curl.exe, then importing settings from a file you create. I’ve done this via Windows 11 PowerShell. This can be complicated for some folks to do. I’d suggest an Internet search for the exact syntax and such you’d need to figure out. You’ll need to know about tokens, admin, password, network name, etc. to pass with curl.exe to disable. You’ll find sample scripts you can use as templates to help figure out.
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