All smart lights will only work with a 2.4GHz network.
Today, engineers are developing smart bulbs that can possibly connect to a 5GHz network, but we will not see this in the near future.
Smart lights need 2.4GHZ because this network has better coverage than the 5GHz network.
By better coverage, what I mean is that it can easily penetrate walls and ceilings.
Because of that, it is better to use it as a standard, considering that you will use smart bulbs all over the house, including outdoors, here there is no router.
Today, I will provide you with some answers to the most commonly asked questions about the band that smart bulbs use.
In the end, it should be clear why smart bulbs need to use 2.4GHz.
Why don’t smart bulbs work with 5GHz WiFi?
They do not work on 5GHz WiFi because they were not designed to accept that degree of transmission or radio frequency.
If your smart bulb is 2.4GHz and your router emits 5GHz, you must use a workaround.
What you can do s use a dual-band WiFi extender.
This extender will connect to your router. Then, it will emit two radio frequencies.
One is 2.4GHz, and the other is 5GHz. From this extender, you can now connect your smart bulb to the 2.5GHz band.
5GHz, in practice, is better than 2.4GHz because it is faster.
However, it is only a good option if the bulb is in the same room as the router.
Should you decide to buy a WiFi extender, keep in mind that you must make sure you are buying one that has 2.4GHz in it, and this same extender must be capable of accepting a 5GHz signal from your original router.
The other benefit of using an extender is that you can extend the coverage of your router.
For example, if your current router can only cover five meters, your extender can sufficiently extend that router’s range.
Do smart bulbs take up WiFi bandwidth?
Yes, smart bulbs take up WiFi bandwidth.
However, the amount of data that smart bulbs use is negligible.
Typically, the average smart bulb only consumes 30 MB of data per month.
This consumption, of course, happens only if you leave it on the whole time.
If you turn off the switch from time to time, then the bulb uses fewer data.
Because it uses a small amount of data, smart bulbs are not that expensive when it comes to internet use.
So, how much does it cost?
In the United States, the average cost per GB of data is $3.12. So, if we do the math, the cost per MB of data is $3.12/1,000 = $0.00312.
If a smart bulb uses 30 MB of data per month, you are paying $0.00312 x 30 = $0.0936 per month per smart bulb.
The amount of $0.0936 is not even close to a dollar. But then, let us say that it is a dollar.
In this case, you will only spend a lot of money on data if you have a lot of smart bulbs
Do Philips hue bulbs work with 5Ghz WiFi?
No, they are not likely to work. The thing with Philips is that you can buy a hub from them.
What you must do is hardwire the hub to your router with an ethernet cable.
This hub, which we call the Hue Sync Box, is what will transmit WiFi to your Philips bulbs.
Generally, Philips bulbs do not connect via WiFi at all.
They will not work if you do not have the hub. These bulbs were not designed to connect directly to WiFi.
Why won’t my smart bulb connect to my WiFi?
There are many potential reasons why your smart bulb is not connecting to your WiFi.
In this section, I will provide some of the most common reasons and also how to solve them.
WiFi Range
It is possible that the bulb is too far from the router. Some routers only have a coverage of 20 feet. If you exceed this limit, the router and the bulb can no longer connect to each other. To solve this problem, you must find a way to get the router closer to the bulb. If this is not possible, use a WiFi extender.
Location
The other possible reason is that your router is being blocked by something, like a wall or ceiling. If your router is downstairs and the bulb you are trying to connect is upstairs, it is not likely to work.
One solution to this is to buy a WiFi extender. However, the speed of the internet will get slower as you put the extender farther away from the router or the source.
At best, you must speak to your internet service provider (ISP), and then tell them that you want a smart home. ISPs have plans where they will put several routers in strategic places in your house.
These routers will work together and give you internet in all parts of your house. This method is by far better than buying extenders.
Connection Settings
Make sure you are connecting the bulb to a specific router where you are also connecting the app on your phone. Also, make sure that you are connecting to 2.4GHz.
So, let us say that the phone app of the bulb is connected to Router 1. In this case, the bulb must also connect to the same router to establish a connection. If not, it is not going to work.
Summary
The 2.4GHz band is the optimal radio frequency that can penetrate walls. It has better coverage than 5GHz, but then it also transmits data at a slower speed than 5GHz.
Smart bulb manufacturers do not want to produce ones that connect to 5GHz because there really is no significant difference in the speed of these two when it comes to smart bulbs.
If the manufacturers make a 5GHz smart bulb, this bulb will have a hard time getting signals between walls and ceilings, which makes it useless.