How To Change Your Vodafone Router From 5ghz To 2.4ghz

Vodafone routers use band steering by default, which merges the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands under a single SSID and decides which band your device uses automatically. If you have a 2.4 GHz-only device, such as a GivEnergy Wi-Fi Dongle, a TP-Link Tapo plug, or an ESP-based smart-home sensor, the router may push it onto 5 GHz and refuse to connect. The practical fix is to temporarily disable the 5 GHz band, connect your device, then switch 5 GHz back on.

Why does this happen on Vodafone routers?

Most Vodafone-supplied routers do not give you a clean option to run 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz as separate, named networks. Band steering is enabled by default, so both frequencies share the same network name. A 2.4 GHz-only device sees that SSID, tries to join, and the router either rejects it or drops it onto the wrong band. As one user on the GivEnergy Community Forum put it: "the simplest reliable way I know of to avoid it is to have a dedicated 2.4 GHz network." The trouble is that Vodafone does not make that straightforward.

How to connect a 2.4 GHz-only device to your Vodafone router

The most widely reported workaround, suggested on both the GivEnergy Community Forum and PistonHeads UK, is this:

1. Log in to your Vodafone router admin panel (usually at 192.168.1.1 or 192.168.0.1 in a browser).
2. Find the wireless settings and disable the 5 GHz band entirely.
3. Connect your 2.4 GHz-only device to the now-single-band network.
4. Go back into the admin panel and re-enable 5 GHz.

A PistonHeads community member described it directly: "In the router's settings there will be an option to turn off the 5 GHz - do that temporarily so the SSID is only on 2.4 then connect the cameras." Once your device has stored the credentials, it should reconnect to 2.4 GHz after you bring 5 GHz back up, because 5 GHz-capable devices will migrate back to the faster band and leave 2.4 GHz free for the others.

What if your Vodafone router has no option to disable 5 GHz?

Some Vodafone router models hide or remove this setting entirely. If you cannot find a toggle for the 5 GHz band, there are two further options worth trying.

First, use an old spare router as a dedicated 2.4 GHz access point. Connect it to the Vodafone router via ethernet, configure it with the same SSID and password as your existing network but set it to 2.4 GHz only, then point your smart devices at that. This approach has worked reliably for ESP smart-home devices connected to a Vodafone router for up to 18 months, according to an SNBForums user.

Second, contact Vodafone support and ask whether a firmware update or hidden setting can separate the bands on your specific model. It is not guaranteed, but some router models do have this capability locked behind a support call.

Known issues with 2.4 GHz stability on Vodafone routers

Even when you get 2.4 GHz-only devices connected, Vodafone routers can cause problems after a reboot. One SNBForums user running two separate 2.4 GHz SSIDs alongside one 5 GHz SSID found that four ESP devices failed to reconnect to the second 2.4 GHz network for several hours after a router restart. Running a single 2.4 GHz SSID rather than two reduced the problem.

Turning off the Vodafone router firewall does not fix 2.4 GHz connectivity issues for devices like the GivEnergy dongle, so that is not a route worth taking. If you have already tried the temporary 5 GHz disable method and the device still drops off after reboots, the old-router workaround above tends to be the more stable long-term solution.

Quick checklist before you start

• Confirm your device is genuinely 2.4 GHz only (check the manual or the manufacturer's spec page).
• Have your router admin password ready (printed on the router label if you have not changed it).
• Do the setup close to the router to get a strong signal during pairing.
• If using the temporary 5 GHz disable method, warn anyone in the house that faster Wi-Fi will drop for a few minutes.

the simplest reliable way I know of to avoid it is to have a dedicated 2.4GHz network

In the router's settings there will be an option to turn off the 5Ghz - do that temporarily so the SSID is only on 2.4 then connect the cameras.

Tags: vodafonewifi-setupsmart-homerouter-settingsconnectivity