I hate 5G

[puppykickr]

This is only getting worse.

My cellular service has basically gone to 0.

Now, the wi-fi - which I have to depend upon because cellular no longer works- is also failing.

Everyone thinks that 5G is soooooo much better, then comes up with excuse after excuse when the switch is made and nothing works anymore.

My online time is spent in total frustration, mostly in wasted attempts just to stay connected.

With each connection, there may be a 5-10 minute actual connection time, then another dropped signal.

Of course, as soon as I select Wi-Fi with the quick settings tile, it connects immediately most times.

Then I have to try to think about what the hell I was doing before realizing that I had been disconnected.

By then, it has usually disconnected again.

I cannot convince anyone otherwise, even when I demonstrate a (at least) two bar signal difference when standing right in front of the router.
"No, 5G is still better", they say.

This from people that cannot tell if their phone is connected with wi-fi or through their carrier.
(Seriously.)

Why the hell can't there just be a selector on the phone to disallow 5G wi-fi connection?

All I can see that 5G wi-fi does is interrupt a perfectly good 5 bar 2.4G wi-fi connection with a puny, slow, and broken up 1-3 bar 5G signal.

This is just making people pay more to get less, while making them think they are getting even more.

As far as wireless signals go, remember that it works just like wire sizes:
The bigger the number, the smaller the wire.
It is the same with cellular and wi-fi service.

 

[nickdalzell]

I have never seen the 5G signal indicator. I had an S20 FE 5G for a few months last year (March to August) and the only thing I saw was 'LTE+'. Is that Verizon's moniker for 5G? I've only seen "4GLTE" or "LTE" without the "+" next to it.

90% of places I go and work I'm lucky to get 1x/EDGE/3G at all, much less LTE, LTE+ or 5Ge (AT&T's fake 5G). I'm lucky if I get a signal period over the county line.

 

[svim]

I can't say I've ever heard or read that 'everyone thinks that 5G is so much better'. At best it's a matter of reality with the spotty 5G implementation here in the U.S. -- it's great when you're within its limited coverage range, but that's about it.
I'm in no rush for the carriers to get their sh*t together with 5G so I've just set my phones to use 4G/LTE by default.

 

[ocnbrze]

well 5G ultra from verizon is great here in LA. now most spots that i travel throughout LA has it. and its blazing fast and i have noticed that i am getting better battery life now that 5G is mostly consistent.

so far i dig it, you will not see a complaint from me.

 

[mikedt]

Why the hell can't there just be a selector on the phone to disallow 5G wi-fi connection?

All I can see that 5G wi-fi does is interrupt a perfectly good 5 bar 2.4G wi-fi connection with a puny, slow, and broken up 1-3 bar 5G signal.

This is just making people pay more to get less, while making them think they are getting even more.

As far as wireless signals go, remember that it works just like wire sizes:
The bigger the number, the smaller the wire.
It is the same with cellular and wi-fi service.

Does your phone not have something like this in the settings? That allows it to only use certain network types. And can go right down to 2G/GSM only on my Samsung.

Where I am I've not had any problems with 5G coverage in over a year.

 

[Trom]

4g is like windows 7, it worked great, then some genius came up with windows 8. Been all downhill since. My own personal piss-off came when at&t made he best phone I ever had obsolete because it wouldn't support more than one 4g signal, at&t's fake 5g(e)

 

[Hadron]

Where I live there is no 5G, where my office is there is, along the train route it varies. So what? I switch from 4G to 5G occasionally (which happens at the same speed as any other cellular hand-over) and that's it. Doesn't cause any problems.

Maybe the networks here have done a better job of implementing it? Dunno.

But it is weird that you don't have the option to just turn 5G off as Mike shows.

 

[Dannydet]

@puppykickr,
Are you saying that your wifi 5G option is failing?
On my router I have an option to connect to either my wifi 2.4 signal or my wifi 5G signal.
What condition is your router?
Might be time to invest in a new one?
It sounds like you live in a very bad dead spot...

 

[Fox Mulder]

Some apples and oranges here-
*5G* cellular service and *5GHz wifi* are two totally separate things.

 

[Hadron]

Ah, yes. Though to be honest I don't have a problem with 5 GHz WiFi either: that works when I'm downstairs, if I go too far up in the house my devices fall back to 2.4 GHz, but that happens fast enough that I don't notice the switch. I just tested my connection and was able to download at my broadband's rated speed of 150 Mb/s using 5GHz WiFi from where I am now, about 8m from my router. So if @puppykickr has problems even when stood next to the router that sounds like either the phone or the router is not up to scratch.

Can you not tell the router to disable the 5GHz connection though? That's something every dual-band router I've used has allowed.

 

[puppykickr]

Some apples and oranges here-
*5G* cellular service and *5GHz wifi* are two totally separate things.

I am very aware.

Also, I am very aware that NIETHER of them works.

That is, unless the goal of them is to frustrate and infuriate me everytime I get online, or try to make a call or text.

In that case, they both work perfectly, even better than before!

 

[puppykickr]

I have 0 comuter skills, and besides unplugging, waiting, and plugging inthe router I know nothing more about it.

As it is, I have to wait for everyone to be gone just to do that, or there will be an arguement.

Nobody uses it for their phones, they don't know how to connect to it, so I cannot convince them there is any issue.

The stupid computer is basically a facebook portal.

The issue is not any of my devices.
Only the ones that have 5G wi-fi capability have this problem.

I guess if i want to get online, I will be restricted to using one of my Android 7s or my Android 8 to maintain a competent 2.4G signal.

That means that the last 3 devices (9, 10, and 11) that I have been using are now battery powered paperweights.

Why the hell can't there just be a selection to ignore a 5G wifi signal?

Really, who needs a signal that a fly's fart can interrupt?

 

[puppykickr]

Does your phone not have something like this in the settings? That allows it to only use certain network types. And can go right down to 2G/GSM only on my Samsung.

View attachment 162981


Where I am I've not had any problems with 5G coverage in over a year.

That would only affect cellular coverage, not wi-fi.

I have basically given up on cellular service, so wi-fi is crucial if I want to be online.
And now with 5G wi-fi, even that is not working well at all.

 

[mikedt]

That would only affect cellular coverage, not wi-fi.

I have basically given up on cellular service, so wi-fi is crucial if I want to be online.
And now with 5G wi-fi, even that is not working well at all.

Of course I don't know what sort of router you're using, and how it's configured. Maybe it has an option to disable the 5GHz in your router's settings? Is the 5GHx set to a different SSID to the 2.4GHz?

But this is what we have here...where the 5GHz has a different SSID to the 2.4GHz. And any device I've got just won't connect to the "JNWGYXX-5G" 5GHz SSID if I desired.

BTW It's open WiFi, that's one reason why I'm always using a VPN.

 

[Fox Mulder]

Most routers should have the option to individually enable/disable the 2.4GHz and 5HHz radios. And yes having different SSIDs for each band lets you select which one to connect to.
5GHz offers higher speeds but less range as the higher frequency signal doesn't penetrate as well.
The phone wifi menu may have a selection for 2.4/5 network preference but not all do and the setting may be buried in a submenu someplace.

 

[Dannydet]

I would seriously look into replacing your router, since you depend on wifi so much.
Drop $150 or more and get yourself a new model.
I have a combo router/modem made by Netgear that is docsis 3, 2 bands, and handles up to 800mb
speed throughput.
NETGEAR Nighthawk Cable Modem WiFi Router Combo C7000-Compatible with Cable Providers Including Xfinity by Comcast, Spectrum, Cox for Cable Plans Up to 800Mbps | AC1900 WiFi Speed | DOCSIS 3.0 https://a.co/d/hUK3RtS

 

[campingfool]

What phone? Most have an option to turn off 5G, some that don't have an app that will allow 5G to be turned off. My 22U, running on Tracfone (MVNO owned by Verizon) had an internal switch that would turn off the option of turning off 5G when a Verizon MVNO SIM was installed into the phone. However, there's an app, Samsung Band Selection, on Google Play, a free download, allows me to turn off 5G.
Where I live, 5G is a dream. Since 4G does what I need, I did not want my phone searching for a 5G signal.
Someone told me it works on ATT too, but cannot confirm that.

 

[Hadron]

What phone? Most have an option to turn off 5G, some that don't have an app that will allow 5G to be turned off. My 22U, running on Tracfone (MVNO owned by Verizon) had an internal switch that would turn off the option of turning off 5G when a Verizon MVNO SIM was installed into the phone. However, there's an app, Samsung Band Selection, on Google Play, a free download, allows me to turn off 5G.
Where I live, 5G is a dream. Since 4G does what I need, I did not want my phone searching for a 5G signal.
Someone told me it works on ATT too, but cannot confirm that.

As mentioned above, the thread is actually about the 5 GHz WiFi band rather than 5th generation mobile phones.

 

[campingfool]

Life's a bitch then I fail to read the entire rant. Guess they would some would say; "My Bad."

However, now I have to disagree. My 5G signal on my Netgear Nighthawk router is fantastic. Admittedly, 2G is not bad either and wish my S22U would connect to 2.4g so I could get a better range. Living in the mountains, cell signal is very weak. That's the only problem I have noted with 5g vs 2.4g.
Range!

 

[nickdalzell]

This whole schebang happened with 4G LTE as well. Even then, AT&T had 'fake 4G' which was just 3G (HSPA+) gussied up with a "4G" moniker. I think the iPhone 4S or 5 was the first to promote their 'fake 4G'. They're doing it again. 5Ge is just whatever the heck "LTE+" is. Using what I think are more than one LTE signal to boost speeds. AT&T does have a '5G' indicator on their latest phones but it's not true 5G, just LTE+.

How they don't get sued for false advertising escapes me. Unless the law no longer exists?

 

[puppykickr]

It is not my router to mess with, and I wouldn't have a clue of what to do or how to do it anyway.

Nor would anyone that controls the thing.

Like I said, when it needs to be reset I have to sneak in to do it, to avoid an arguement.

Nobody knows how any of that crap works around here, and it was like pulling teeth just to get a nice six outlet strip for the computmess to connect to.

That was my doing, just to eliminate all the stupid extention cords and other fire hazard tardation that passed for electrical connections before.

If it were to be changed, it would have to be done by an Xfinity tech, and by my request when nobody else was listening.

 

[mikedt]

It is not my router to mess with, and I wouldn't have a clue of what to do or how to do it anyway.

Nor would anyone that controls the thing.

Like I said, when it needs to be reset I have to sneak in to do it, to avoid an arguement.

Unfortunately there's not a lot I can do about that here. However, if the router's 5G/5GHz net is on a different SSID to the 2.4GHz net. You can just tell your devices to "Forget network" in their WiFi settings, then they won't connect to it.

5G/5GHz WiFi SSIDs are sometimes suffixed with a "-5G", to differentiate them from the 2.4GHz SSIDs.

 

[Hadron]

Though none of the 4 dual-band routers I've managed over the years has offered separate SSIDs for the different bands, so I'd not be shocked if this one doesn't. Particularly when the router is provided with the service (which I guess is the case here from what's said) they do like to keep things "simple".

 

[mikedt]

Though none of the 4 dual-band routers I've managed over the years has offered separate SSIDs for the different bands, so I'd not be shocked if this one doesn't. Particularly when the router is provided with the service (which I guess is the case here from what's said) they do like to keep things "simple".

Maybe it's a regional or country specific thing? Because many of the WiFi routers and APs I use do have an identifier for their 5GHz bands. And so phones, tablets, laptops, etc. can just ignore if desired.

The SSIDs are the same apart from the "5G" suffix.

 

[Dannydet]

Puppykickr, I would like to offer my condolences pertaining to your *ucked up situation at home...
You are basically a slave to whoever is running the place you are living at.
I think we've all chirped in here to try to help a man out...