Smart Connect Issues.

[R.A.T. Army *MST3K*]

I recently got a new WiFi router, a NetGear NightHawk. It has a new feature, new to me, Smart Connect, which I’m sure many of you have and use on your routers, but my previous router was very old.

When I enable smart connect, all of my devices connect, except my laptop. It’s less than 2 years old, but is lower quality. I only use it for word documents, PDFs and internet browsing so it’s specs are low by design.

I tried everything to make it connect to the Smart Connect network. I finally broke down and called…tech support. She was able to make my laptop connect to the network, but only by disabling Smart Connect.

I would heavily prefer to have smart connect enabled, but I cannot figure out why the laptop won’t connect.

Has anyone run into this issue before? Has anyone solved it?

If you want anymore information, let me know.

[Revelene]

Smart connect is pointless for anyone that even slightly knows about their own network capabilities.

Just disable it and select the bands yourself.

2.4ghz for the older devices, longer distances and to get through more walls. 5ghz for newer devices, higher bandwidth usage, short distances and in more open areas with less walls.

[R.A.T. Army *MST3K*]

Well, "Don't use it," really does not solve my issue. I would like to use this feature in my home.

I'm looking for answers to why the laptop will connect to the network if smart connect is off, but not while it is on. While every other device works fine.

[Revelene]

Escrito originalmente por R.A.T. Army *MST3K*:

Well, "Don't use it," really does not solve my issue. I would like to use this feature in my home.

I'm looking for answers to why the laptop will connect to the network if smart connect is off, but not while it is on. While every other device works fine.

Some devices are just not compatible with that feature.

[R.A.T. Army *MST3K*]

That is quickly becoming the only answer. Which is very disappointing since the laptop is not even two years old.

Smart Connect has been around longer than that.

[Talby]

I always disable all types of wifi auto-connect features - I don't think there is one that does not have any security problems. Just use a clever passphrase w/ random character twists of 40+ characters with WPA2 (and maybe rotate them every 6 months or so), all will be well.

[Supafly]

Escrito originalmente por R.A.T. Army *MST3K*:

That is quickly becoming the only answer. Which is very disappointing since the laptop is not even two years old.

Smart Connect has been around longer than that.

Just because it's around doesn't mean ever device must support it. Wireless charging has been around for over a decade yet the majority of devices don't support any version of it. Father in-laws laptop is reasonably new but it won't connect to his 5G wifi band even if he puts laptop next to it. It is only capable of 2.4G despite 5G being available before the laptop was built.

I have my Router set to hide my network and not broadcast my SSID. I have a few family members and friends whose phones won't connect to my network without manually removing and re-entering the network ID and password every time they visits. No one in my home needs to do that. We come and go and our devices connect everytime without a issue.

USB 3 has also been around for years yet there are plenty of USB 2 devices released every year. Reason is simple. USB 2 is cheaper to produce and if that is all the item requires to work there is no need for a higher cost.

[Revelene]

Escrito originalmente por R.A.T. Army *MST3K*:

That is quickly becoming the only answer. Which is very disappointing since the laptop is not even two years old.

Smart Connect has been around longer than that.

The laptop itself may only be 2 years old, but the wireless card may be a lot older. Even if it was made last week, support can only be supported if the hardware is designed to.

Smart Switch simply switches a device between bands. That is something you can do by yourself. The feature is almost useless, especially for a home user.

[R.A.T. Army *MST3K*]

Update:

I kept messing around, trying to figure this out. Even the, just not compatible approach, still bugged me since I have a 8 year old cell phone that I used as a Chromecast remote that took to it perfectly.

I found nothing, nothing, and no one could help.

The router had a firmware update yesterday and now everything works fine. x100

[Revelene]

Escrito originalmente por R.A.T. Army *MST3K*:

Update:

I kept messing around, trying to figure this out. Even the, just not compatible approach, still bugged me since I have a 8 year old cell phone that I used as a Chromecast remote that took to it perfectly.

I found nothing, nothing, and no one could help.

The router had a firmware update yesterday and now everything works fine. x100

Age of device is meaningless. You can have a 1 year old computer with a component from 10 plus years ago. It also has no bearing on compatibility.

That said, I'm glad you got it working, even if it is a useless feature for a home user.

[R.A.T. Army *MST3K*]

Yeah, I'm glad too.