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Trouble connecting to 5Ghz

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ric9887

Trouble connecting to 5Ghz
« on: September 28, 2016, 04:24:34 pm »
Just got the UK Echo and it doesnt see my 5Ghz wifi. 2.4 is fine.
My phone, laptop etc. connect to 5Ghz without a problem, just curious if anyone has noticed this ?
I dont think its a proximity thing with the AP as I've tried moving the Echo closer to the AP and it never sees to SSID from 5Ghz.

It says on the Echo box - This device is restricted to indoor use only when operating in the 5150-5350Mhz range.
My AP is set to use channel 100=5500Mhz.
Not sure if this has anything to do with it.

DParker

Re: Trouble connecting to 5Ghz
« Reply #1 on: September 28, 2016, 05:33:24 pm »
Just got the UK Echo and it doesnt see my 5Ghz wifi. 2.4 is fine.
My phone, laptop etc. connect to 5Ghz without a problem, just curious if anyone has noticed this ?
I dont think its a proximity thing with the AP as I've tried moving the Echo closer to the AP and it never sees to SSID from 5Ghz.

It says on the Echo box - This device is restricted to indoor use only when operating in the 5150-5350Mhz range.
My AP is set to use channel 100=5500Mhz.
Not sure if this has anything to do with it.

I think you have your answer there.  Try configuring your router to use a channel down in the range of...say...36-48 and see what happens.

Edit: OK, I looked up the general European regulations and it appears that I misinterpreted the bit in red above.  It simply means that if you opt to use any of the channels in that frequency range you can only do so if the communicating devices (including the Echo) are indoors.  So, given that...

Where is your E5 located relative to your router?  What's the distance and number and composition of the walls (if any) separating them?
« Last Edit: September 28, 2016, 10:33:39 pm by DParker »

mike27oct

Re: Trouble connecting to 5Ghz
« Reply #2 on: September 28, 2016, 07:52:44 pm »
Not sure if UK Wi-Fi channels are much different than US, although I think they may be. 

I have all my Echo devices running on the lower 2.4G band, not the 5G band.  Why, because they don't need 5G; they are audio devices only, not video devices that basically require 5G for great video streaming.  Also, for the Echos, using the 2.4G greater range capability is a plus for Echos.  I reserve the 5G band for any device that can stream VIDEO, meaning FireTVs, Chromecast, phones and tablets, and place slower and audio devices that just stream AUDIO on 2.4G.

mindmagic

Re: Trouble connecting to 5Ghz
« Reply #3 on: September 29, 2016, 07:44:02 am »
I had the opposite problem - my UK Echo wouldn't connect on 2.4 GHz but 5 GHz is OK.

Offline jwlv

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Re: Trouble connecting to 5Ghz
« Reply #4 on: September 29, 2016, 09:35:02 am »
I don't know if this has anything to do with it but US wifi is limited to channels 1-11.  From what I've read UK wifi has two extra channels (12 & 13).
I certainly hope that Amazon knows this and used a wifi chip that can access all the channels for the folks in UK.

NastyMatt

Re: Trouble connecting to 5Ghz
« Reply #5 on: September 29, 2016, 12:22:06 pm »
Low channels ie 1-13 are for 2.4ghz - higher 40+ is 5ghz.

I wouldn't worry about which it picks up unless you are in a crowded (wifi) area - then 2.4ghz tends to suffer (overlapping channels etc)

DParker

Re: Trouble connecting to 5Ghz
« Reply #6 on: September 29, 2016, 12:41:58 pm »
Low channels ie 1-13 are for 2.4ghz - higher 40+ is 5ghz.

I wouldn't worry about which it picks up unless you are in a crowded (wifi) area - then 2.4ghz tends to suffer (overlapping channels etc)

This right here^.

mike27oct

Re: Trouble connecting to 5Ghz
« Reply #7 on: September 29, 2016, 02:57:28 pm »
With all above said, if all is working right, 2.4G is the best band for Alexa devices.  How can one tell if all is "working right"?  By using the Android app called Wi-Fi Analyzer (or PC/Mac program, inSSIDer) to examine Wi-Fi signal to :
Select the best (less crowded) channel for both bands, check signal strength of both bands at Echo device location, other checks that can be made with the apps, and optimize router settings, overall.