Although 5 GHz WiFi is speedier than 2.4 GHz WiFi, many smart plugs appear only to enable 2.4 GHz WiFi. Is this to say that your smart plugs won’t be as effective as they could be? And if that’s the case, why aren’t there more 5 GHz smart plugs on the market?
Because 2.4 GHz WiFi has a longer range than 5 GHz WiFi, numerous smart plugs accept it. The range of smart plugs is frequently more essential than the data transmission speeds. However, 5 GHz smart plugs have several advantages, and some variants are available for purchase.
What are smart plugs?
Electrical gadgets are connected to smart plugs, which are then connected to your power socket.
The company’s smart phone software (such as TP-‘Kasa Link’s Smart’ app) can then be used to switch the smart plug in and out of it, consequently turning on and off the plugged-in electrical equipment.
It can be used to switch off the internet router at mealtime (although your children may argue! ), put on a slower cooker while at work, and a variety of other things.
Several previous smart plugs only allowed one item to be connected to them (those were effectively pass-through extension sockets), but smart strips — extension cords with numerous smart-controllable sockets – are now available.
2.4 Ghz vs 5 Ghz WiFi, and Why it matters?
In October 2009, the 802.11n wireless standard introduced 5 GHz WiFi, which offers rates of up to 1,300 Mbps, especially in contrast to 450-600 Mbps in 2.4 GHz. Such speeds are, of course, subject to a few restrictions:
- Every device on the network should be capable of supporting these internet speeds (for example, your smartphone and router should both be capable of 1,300 Mbps; otherwise, you won’t be able to link at this speed).
- The speed of your internet connection is 1,300 Mbps.
- There are no solid objects between the router and your instrument (the range of 5 GHz WiFi diminishes dramatically when passing through walls, as I discuss later).
Although there are a few fascinating caveats, such as the fact that there will be tangible things (like walls) in between the router and my smartphone! In order to keep costs down, many devices are built using lower-cost components rather than high quality equipment capable of supporting 1,300 Mbps.
Similarly, only a small percentage of us enjoy internet speeds above 1,300 Mbps. Heck, I have the UK high-speed internet (through a fiber to the premises linkage), but I can only get a 300 Mbps to plan right now.
In many of these words, despite the fact that it is now more than a decade later, the world is still unable to make use of any of the advantages of 5 GHz WiFi that were revealed in 2009.
Returning to smart plugs, if the range across your smart plug and your router are low and your internet connection is high, you could be thinking, “Great, I can use 5 GHz smart plugs to their full potential!” However, this isn’t true: smart plugs only consume a small level of internet bandwidth.
They only ever acquire short amounts of internet communication, in the end, sometimes to obtain a status update – and occasionally to say ‘turn the socket on’ (or off). This implies that a 5 GHz smart plug is almost probably unnecessary.
My router says it’s “5 Ghz”: will 2.4 Ghz smart plugs still work?
Will 2.4 Ghz smart plugs continue to function if my router claims it’s “5 GHz”?
Since 2010, an increasing number of internet routers have publicly advertised that they enable 5 GHz. A few even claim to be a “5 GHz router.”
Is this to say that your router isn’t capable of supporting a normal 2.4 GHz smart plug?
Fortunately, the answer is still no. Even if your router’s label says “5 GHz,” this is mostly for marketing purposes, as most gadgets in your home will still access over 2.4 GHz.
In the router’s store listing, you’ll most likely find the phrase “Dual Band.” This implies it can connect to both the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz WiFi bands, so your 2.4 GHz smart plug will still function.
Whether you’re looking for a router and can not see the terms “multi band,” it’s most likely an older 2.4 GHz-only one.
I don’t believe I have ever seen (or heard of) a 5 GHz-only router, particularly because many wireless standards require routers to operate both the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz, bands.
Is 5 Ghz actually BAD for smart plugs?
As I mentioned briefly before that 5 GHz doesn’t operate as well through barriers.
And to some extent, this is correct.
I mean, 2.4 GHz penetrates walls (and other solid objects) much better than 5 GHz, as I’ll show you in a moment.
But it’s also correct that I have four Echo devices and a Ring Pro (all on 5 GHz WiFi), all of which can communicate with each other across several walls – and I’ve never had a problem with a connection:
My 5 GHz Ring Doorbell Professional connects to my router by passing through an external wall (soundproofing and a covering of ‘dot and dab’ drywall) before passing through an internal wall (two layers of dot and dab drywall and hard block), and also it never has any issues.
Why, therefore, is it occasionally recommended that we avoid using 5 GHz WiFi for smart devices? The justification for this is that as more solid objects are passed through, the potential range decreases. It isn’t as problematic with drywall, but concrete block walls/objects will cause it to struggle.
But, as with many stuff in life, it’s not all white and black. It will still operate OK over 5 GHz if you have a 5 GHz router and device with five blocks between them, but the overall transmit power will be lower than if you used 2.4 GHz. In practice, this means that when you travel quite far away from the router, you may notice some connection difficulties or ‘bugs.’
As a result, smart plugs are no different. If you ever want to connect a 5 GHz-capable smart plug to your router at one end of your house, you may have more connection interruption than if you merely utilized 2.4 GHz.
Forcing a 5 Ghz device to use 2.4 Ghz
On a certain note, you can typically compel your device to use the 2.4 GHz WiFi band even if it supports 5 GHz (in other words, it supports both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz).
Here you have three choices:
- You can choose whether to link on 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz depending on your device. If that’s the case, simply switch to the 2.4 GHz network if you’re experiencing trouble with 5 GHz.
- Your router may occasionally broadcast two separate wireless networks: one with the standard name and another with “-5ghz” (or something similar) at the end for 5 GHz WiFi. The Nighthawk routers from Netgear are capable of this. Connect directly to the non-5Ghz network in this scenario.
- Lastly, you sometimes can make changes by accessing the admin page of your router. You can sometimes choose to use 2.4 GHz instead of 5 GHz by clicking on a connected device, or you can simply disable 5 GHz as a wireless option entirely (if this isn’t an option on your network).
The method will vary based on your device and network model, but forcing a 5 GHz device to utilize 2.4 GHz WiFi is almost always achievable — and should enhance connection stability in the procedure.
Recommended 5 Ghz smart plugs
Therefore, I went online and found just two 5 GHz smart plugs: one that needs a hub and those that do not.
I will continue to update this page as I find more, but if you discover anything, then please just feel free to contact me and let me know so that I can add it to the list.
Leviton DW15P-1BW
The product Leviton DW15P-1BW was the first to be released; it does not need a hub and has a 4/5 rating on Amazon.
Apparently, this product has been abandoned, and the 2nd generation model does not support 5 GHz WiFi!
If you truly require 5 GHz support, get the first generation device (product code DW15P-1BW):
Whatever timetables you’ve put up are stored in the plug itself, so they’ll keep running even if the internet goes down. Also supported are Alexa, Google Assistant, and IFTTT.
Furthermore, the Sengled Smart Plug was just updated to accommodate 5 GHz, although there is still a lot of doubt regarding it.
Although the primary Amazon listing claims that it supports 2.4G and 5G, the sales page later claims that it is Zigbee-based:
Support for both 2.4GHz and 5GHz frequencies necessitated the purchase of a separate hub. Absolute protection is ensured by ETL and FCC certification. This is not a smart plug that connects to the internet. (This product truly supports 2.4g and 5g; kindly see the website description; the instruction has been updated.)
Amazon.com listing, April 2021. Sengled sales information.
On the other hand, this is incongruent. Zigbee is a 2.4 GHz wireless technology that has nothing to do with WiFi. As a result, offering 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz while still being Zigbee is unfeasible. I’m guessing Sengled (or Amazon) mixed up two things on their website by accident.
Whether the Leviton smart plug is out of stock, check Amazon to see if the Sengled sales page for the dual-band WiFi version has been updated. I will keep a sharp eye on this as well, given the sales page currently contradicts itself.
Our last hope: the Broadlink SP4D-US
In order to combat this, the Broadlink SP4D-US is used as our last line of defense.
The product has a clear image in the mind’s eye: “2.4G Dual-Band Wi-Fi 5G” is an abbreviation that stands for “2.4G Dual-Band Wi-Fi 5G.”
The Broadlink SP4D smart plug is marketed in the United States under the following names:
The Broadlink SP4D smart plug is marketed in the United States under the following names:
“Dual-Band Wi-Fi” is discussed, as well as references to “5G” technology (aka 5 GHz WiFi). Don’t you agree that this is exactly what we’re looking for?
Because the Amazon ratings are so dismal, I’ve saved this one for last because it has the most negative feedback. It has been reported by some consumers that they only have a 5 GHz connection, which they claim has been satisfactory so far.
There have been several reports that the Broadlink app failed to discover the 5 GHz WiFi network at all, and instead identified only adjacent 2.4 GHz networks, such as:
The smart plug is not compatible with the 5 G network standard. A 2.4 G connection was necessary, however the broadlink application was really difficult to operate and constantly informing me that I needed one.
Amazon received a review from 24 orange on June 22nd, 2021, which took place in the year 2021.
According to the company, if you have an Amazon Echo device and setup the smart plug through it, the Broadlink SP4D smart plug will operate in 5 GHz mode. In order to access the 2.4GHz frequency band, you must first download and install the Broadlink app on your smartphone and then configure it with it.
This may seem insignificant, but it is critical to remember. In the event that you already own an Echo, you should have no trouble obtaining this smart plug as well.
