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If you are looking for more info about Netgearโs Smart connect router then our updated 2024 guide will answer all your pressing questions.
Netgear is one of those brands that take on technological advancements for the good of its users. They always have something great up the sleeve, but Smart Connect is a feature that left people tongue-tied.
Smart Connect isnโt the ordinary feature you may have encountered. Itโs among the greatest and most useful things from Netgear to the world. Basically, it enhances the userโs experience while they are using the Netgear routers. So far, itโs all smooth sailing, and pretty much everything seems to be going for Smart Connect.
However, some people believe Netgear Smart connect is degrading the performance of their routers and creating problems. For those that lack information about this topic, we will be discussing more in this Netgear Smart Connect review. This should help you learn a thing or two concerning Smart Connect and its function.
Table of Contents
What is Smart Connect?
Smart Connect is designed to balance 5GHz wifi connection into two bands. This allows the Router to choose the better band for increased wifi performance. Since many of modern homes require a stable internet connection, this is a welcome technology.
It improves wifi usage so that you donโt have to experience poor or slow internet connection while carrying out day-to-day online activities. In fact, Smart Connect helps the user create additional wifi access, and this boosts the speeds of internet connections on each device.
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With so many devices connected to your wifi network, Netgear Smart Connect still recognizes a speed increase. It also proceeds to enhance user experience and in the process, save your time by allowing access to the fastest internet. But for the Smart Connect to really work, the two 5GHx bands should have the same wifi network name (SSID) and password (network key). As such, whenever you connect to the Router, only one 5GHz SSID is visible, and it connects to both of the 5GHz bands.
If Smart Connect is enabled and for some reason the SSID and password for both radio bands donโt actually match, wifi settings for the first 5GHz radio overwrite wifi settings for the second 5GHz radio. Therefore, the feature wonโt work at all.
Why use Netgear Smart Connect?
Smart Connect has a key factor: improving user experience by allowing access to the fastest internet. But, do you really need it? Well, considering how difficult it is to do anything without a stable internet connection, Smart Connect is a crucial feature. To perform some essential tasks like videoconference, Zoom meetings ,or even stream, itโs important to receive the fastest internet speeds possible. Hence, you should consider Netgear Smart Connect because it fastens your internet connections even when there are tons of devices on the home network.
Itโs not easy to find a normal internet connection with the speeds you want. This is assuming you want the blazingly fast speeds that will take on several devices in use at the same time. When there are only two devices connected, the internet speeds may not be affected. But itโs a different story when other devices are added. With Smart Connect, there is a good chance you wonโt have to face anything like this again. Thatโs probably why people prefer this feature. Your internet connections are at par even when two or more devices are using it.
What Smart Connect does is it divides internet speeds among the devices to ensure speeds are not affected. Therefore, if your main concern is incredible speeds, Netgear Smart Connect might be of great help. It will put things in order for you so that you donโt have to worry about poor connections and slow speeds. We can say that Netgear Smart Connect is the real deal in the technology world.
How to launch Smart Connect
If you are interested in Smart Connect and want to use it, a few steps would launch it. Firstly, you are required to launch a web browser either from your computer or mobile device connected to the Routerโs network. Simply enter the username and your password. The default username is set as Admin.
Now select Wireless and the wireless setup page will pop up. Once you have reached this point, proceed to select Enable Smart to connect. The last step is to click Apply button and this saves the settings. Smart Connect is now successfully enabled. Afterward, your issues with internet speeds should be resolved.
The Pros and Cons of Netgear Smart Connect
The Pros
- It allows you to have the best of Both worlds
- Offers better stability
- It offers better performance
- Increases the speeds
- You roam between the bands to pick the one with the best performance
- The 2.4GHz is longer ranged
Cons
- It might not work so well for everybody, to some there would be buffering when watching movies on Netflix.
Is Netgear Smart Connect Any good?
The feature is good because it allows the users have the best of short and long ranges. The 2.4GHz is the band that most people are advised to take when they need better stability while the 5GHz is the one that you need if you want more performance and enhanced speeds. The 5GHz band will usually connect to a device that is close to the Router. For devices that are far from the Router, the 2GHz band can connect. If you want to experience a world of better stability and enhanced speeds, then Netgear Smart Connect will be a great idea.
The Router devices will automatically connect to the higher GHz radios, meaning that close to the Router, you will always have more speeds and a better-performing internet connection. For devices that are far, you will only enjoy greater stability with the connection, but the speeds can be compromised. The feature is always good for people that would want to connect to the internet and enjoy both stability and better performance even when they are in the next room or far from the Router.
Netgear Smart Connect is also an automatic feature meaning that it connects automatically to the devices depending on how far they are from the Router. This will essentially mean you donโt have to be shifting from one band to the other depending on what you want in real-time.
Every internet user knows how important internet speeds and stability is. It is something that we all want, especially because we want to complete our tasks faster. The main reason why you should choose this feature is that it will improve the internet stability and at the same time help you complete the tasks as needed. You donโt have to inquire about additional costs trying to outsource your work.
While having a normal internet connection seems normal for everyone, there are different things that will affect the speeds. If you believe that your speed and the Internet connection is not fast and stable enough, this is the opportunity to use Netgear Smart Connect.
How to enable and Disable Smart Connect on my Router
The process of enabling or disabling the Smart Connect Feature on the Router is very easy. However, it might vary from one Router to the other. Here are some of the steps that you can follow right now to enable Smart Connect on your Router.
- Visit the web browser via phone or computer that is connected to the internet
- Click here to open the log in screen. This applies for Nighthawk Router.
- Key in the logins which is the password and the name. In most situations, the user name is โโadmin and the default password is โโPasswordโโ The username and the password are case sensitive. After this, the basic Home screen will display.
- Click on Wireless and the Wireless Setup page will display
- Click on the Smart Connect-SSID for the 5GHz radios and check the box. This turns on Smart Connect feature and clearing the box turns off the smart Connect Button.
- Now click on the Apply Button and the settings will be saved.
What are users saying about Netgear Smart Connect?
There are many people that have shared their thoughts on Netgear Smart Connect. Most of them say that this feature works for them, while others complain that the feature is not the best for them. Here are some of their thoughts. A reviewer on Reddit.com says that she has a GB by AT&T with 15 devices. This means she could connect Smart plugs and a few computers. The author was seeking advice on why she should or shouldnโt enable this feature. One reviewer claimed that the feature didnโt work well for Ian Party where more than ten people were supposed to be connected simultaneously. Another one claims that this feature didnโt work for her because there were cases of Buffering and slow speeds when an additional person was connected.
On Snbforums.com, people shared their thoughts about the same. Most of them feels that this should be managed using the Smart Connect Feature but you need to tailor settings depending on your environment and preferences. He claims that he has never had any issues with a single SSID for all the bands in three years, and setting this feature was not a priority. But for people that make a lot of Wi-Fi calls because they donโt have landlines and a GSM, this feature would greatly help.
The band steering is also expected to be very different from a dual-band router and it wonโt help that much. Weโve also come across an individual claiming that she went for the Smart Connect feature as recommended and eventually set 5 devices. When she went to the devices on the Router, she discovered that 4 of the devices out of five were connected to the 5GHz while one device that was very important to her was connected to 2.4GHz. The Alexa and other devices were on the 5GHz while the LG Smart TV was on 2.4GHz.
However, in such a situation, it is very advisable to deal with the settings manually. You can choose to change the password and the ssids. You can eventually pick the SSID that you want and connect to it. This means that you can easily choose the devices that you want on 5GHz and the ones you need on 2.4GHz.
FAQs
Is it better to use Smart Connect?
Yes, it is always advisable to enable Smart Connect when you have different devices that are released at different times. Some devices might not support all the GHz frequencies. Some may only support 2.4 GHz while others might support 2.4GHz and 5GHz. The smart connect functionality comes in handy to assist routers to increase bands efficiency.
What is Smart Connect on a Netgear Router?
It is the functionality that balances 5 GHz WI-Fi connections into different bands. The Router needs Smart Connect to choose the best radio band for the device that is currently connected for the best performance.
What does Smart Connect Do?
Smart Connect balances the 5GHz bands and connects them into two different bands and the Router will be able to choose the radio band that works best for the connected devices. This way, the Router will perform the best.
What us Smart Connect with Nighthawk?
Smart Connect is the functionality that makes sure your Wi-Fi has the greatest performance. It actually ensures that your device is connected to the best band for optimal performance.
Conclusion
This post has covered a detailed Netgear Smart Connect Review with all the information you needed to know about it. This is something that most people want to familiarize with. For those that want to know more about Netgear Smart Connect, I suggest you read through this article thoroughly. In case of any troubles, opt for troubleshooting options available in the internet. You can as well choose to change the password and reconnect the devices as needed to select the ones you need on 5GHz and the ones you need on 2.4GHz for optimal performance.
