I'm using a spare HH5 as a 2nd WiFi AP, to bolster my home network's WiFi coverage.
It's all setup correctly:
- Ethernet to router
- DHCP disabled(handled by my router)
- IP address in the same subnet, but outside the range of the router's DHCP
- WiFi bands split to separate SSIDs, and using non-overlapping channels
It's been working flawlessly for years.
However I've recently added a number of Google Nest Minis & smart plugs to the network, and I'm finding that the Nest Mini connected to this HH5's 5GHz band will periodically drop out.
Other devices (my phone, laptop, & a smart plug) are still able to access both the 2.4 & 5GHz bands, but to get the Nest to reconnect I have to reboot the router. (A reboot of the Nest is not sufficient).
This indicates to me that it's something failing in the router's WiFi stack; perhaps lease time isn't renewing properly?
The router & nest have both been factory reset, but the problem persists.
This HH5 hasn't been used as the primary router for a long time, so I suspect its firmware is outdated.
Do HH5's simply need an Internet connection in order to update themselves, or do they have to be actively used as the primary router on a BT connection? (I'm no longer a BT customer, moved over to Plusnet some time ago).
Is there a way to manually update a HH5's firmware? or force an update?