Different ssid is the only way I have found to do this.
I have a visible 5Ghz that everything connects to but a hidden 2.4 network with 2.4 in the network name.
this post was submitted on 29 Mar 2025
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Other way I know of: disable 5ghz on the router, connect device, enable 5ghz.
Yeah, that's what I've done in the past. It seems unnecessarily clunky. Why can't I control my own WiFi connection? Like, I get why the default is 5ghz when it's available, but it's not even a Advanced option.
I think you can't change that on any other os. It should be implemented better in the app. You just type/share the ssid and password and the app should trust you that you know what you are doing, and it will be able to connect even if it's not the network you are currently connected to.
E.g. the shelly app allows this, you can just type any ssid and pw.
I think you can't change that on any other os.
Small correction: Using Networkmanager in KDE/Linux you can select the frequency (and even individual APs) in the GUI.
Yeah, they're cheap Tuya devices, and I regret buying them for many reasons. Good to hear that shelley has more flexibility, once I have saved some money I want to replace the tuyas.
These comments have confirmed what is found from googlin, it's not possible. I'm just kinda surprised? Is there a technical reason? And it's not just these switches, I've had the same problem with trying to setup a chromecast in rented accommodation where I can't change the WiFi router settings.
It just seems like a simple option to include. I can choose whether my sim connects to 3g or rg or 5g, but not for WiFi. And from my the posts I've found im not alone. Can rooted phones do it?
The Ghz shouldn't make a difference, so long as it's on the same network. The spectrum used is the physical medium, a device on the WiFi and wired networks of the same network can talk to each other. Different AP may (should) be on separate channels within the given spectrum to avoid signal overlap, but still work the same.
Why would you have to specify what frequency it's on? The only thing the phone would need to replicate to the device is the network ID and key.
I have a network and SSID just for IoT devices that is 2.4ghz only, and also isolated from my main network.
But creating a new SSID just for those devices on 2.4ghz is the best option IMO. I also set the minimum data rate to 1mbps on that SSID because some IoT devices work a lot better.
I don't believe you can do it natively. However, I have managed to convince my phone to swap from slow 2.4GHz to 5.2GHz by using the Fritz! Wlan app, which exposes some more WiFi control.
I can imagine recent Android versions having patched that out, though. WiFi permissions are usually only granted to system apps these days.
I believe there's also an ADB command line way, but I don't remember it. Furthermore, you could try looking into developer options to see if there's a toggle in there, or perhaps a method to select the WiFi country so you can pick one that won't connect to your 5.2GHz band.
As long as the SSID and password are the same, and both are routed to the same network, IoT apps shouldn't struggle to connect, though. You can try temporarily disabling 5.2 GHz in the router but I kind of doubt that it'll fix your problem unless you have a really uncommon setup. Even with my weird guest network setup, cheap tuya IoT seems to connect just fine. Tuya all goes through the cloud anyway.
I do that with my Asus mesh network (using Merlin-gnuton firmware.) I actually have been having problems because most phones now rotate the MAC address, I have to do it with rules
edit: And I prefer not to have them use different ssids, which I guess is the other way. Iirc, my router would let me make 2.4 a separate network.
If you're using Tuya devices and your network is dual band (same SSID for 2.4ghz and 5ghz), it'll work just fine without needing to change frequencies. I have a couple of very old Tuya lamps that I connected just like that