Why it's a good idea to set up a separate Wi-Fi network for just a few devices, and how to do so.
If you use a home automation system, we'll explain why you should create a separate Wi-Fi network for those devices. As you will see, it can provide certain benefits and even solve some major problems. We'll teach you everything you need to know to better manage your home's connectivity without jeopardizing overall performance.
When we talk about home automation devices, we're referring to a variety of devices such as Wi-Fi-enabled light bulbs and sockets, smart speakers, sensors, and more. They are incredibly useful because they allow you to automate tasks, gain greater control over your home, and even save energy. But it's crucial that they are properly connected to the network.
You can set up a Wi-Fi network as an alternative to your primary network on your router. This is also known as a guest network. It will have a different name and password, and you can configure it however you like. It will be easier to activate or deactivate it without having to access your primary network. These are the main advantages:
You can separate them all at once
The first advantage is that you can connect or disconnect all your smart devices from the network at once. If you have a lot of sensors, for example, and you don't want them to activate when you leave the house or in certain situations, simply disable the guest network you created, and that's it.
When you need to reconnect to them, you'll simply need to re-enable the network. You can avoid having to go through this process one by one by disconnecting and reconnecting your smart devices.
- More security
Keep in mind that smart devices, especially older ones, may have security vulnerabilities. They could be targets for hackers who can remotely control them and compromise your privacy without you realizing it.
By creating a separate network, you'll be able to keep these devices isolated from the rest of your equipment. You'll have better control over security, and therefore, the likelihood of problems will decrease.
- Avoid compatibility issues
If you have a new router with Wi-Fi 7, it will be configured with WPA3 by default. However, older devices will not be able to connect. You will need to configure it to work with WPA2 or create a parallel network. This is another reason to do this.
What you can achieve with this is that your home automation devices connect to a network other than the main network, which you configured to allow older devices and avoid compatibility issues.
- You can take advantage of traffic priority
One feature you can use in your communications is traffic prioritization. This allows certain devices or programs to make better use of available resources. For example, you can allocate a specific bandwidth to a computer, so it will always have a guaranteed share.
By separating your home automation devices into a separate network, you can take advantage of this. Whether you want to prioritize home automation or other devices, you can achieve greater separation.
In short, these are some reasons why it might be beneficial to use a separate Wi-Fi network for your home automation devices. It's something you can easily configure on your router.
To create a separate Wi-Fi network on your router, please refer to this explanation: This is a hidden mode you may not know about on your router that you should activate now.