Wifi Calling Only Working on 2.4ghz, not 5ghz

[savigny]

I'm having a problem that began right around the time I got the iPhone X.

I'm in an area with bad cell service (1 bar on AT&T), and I rely on wifi calling to make calls from my house. Since about November 2017, I have been unable to make wifi calls while connected to the 5ghz network at my house. Wifi calling never activates. Switching to the 2.4ghz network works fine. I have a Netgear R7000 router. I'd prefer to use the 5ghz network because of congestion on the 2.4ghz network, but I also want to be able to make phone calls reliably.

Has anyone else experienced this issue? I'm running the 11.3 beta on an iPhone X. The issue also happened on 11.2 - I upgraded to the beta to try to resolve it, but no luck.

 

[keysofanxiety]

Odd question but is your router's 5GHz wireless encryption set to WPA2-PSK (may be called WPA2-AES) only? So no mixed or legacy modes (e.g., WPA Auto).

If not, could you try to set it to that mode, then restart your router and try again? Just to reassure you that this won't cause any conflicts with devices already connected, beyond maybe re-entering credentials.

 

[savigny]

Yes, both the 2.4ghz and 5ghz networks are set to WPA2-PSK [AES].
Thanks for your help in trying to resolve this.

 

[Chazzle]

I would check your router's QoS setting and be sure that WMM is turned on for your 5ghz radio.

 

[keysofanxiety]

Yes, both the 2.4ghz and 5ghz networks are set to WPA2-PSK [AES].
Thanks for your help in trying to resolve this.

Somebody with your router has suggested the following, but not sure where it would be in your router settings: "Enable QOS checkbox and then press the Update Now button"

Does that make any sense to you - or does that work?

Also could you download the Speedtest app and run a Speedtest on the 2.4GHz and the 5GHz bands with your phone connected to the Wi-Fi? Just so we can see if there's a clear hit in performance between the two bands and if maybe that might be contributing to the problem.

Sorry I'm stabbing in the dark here with troubleshooting, keen to at least whittle down what isn't causing the issues.

 

[savigny]

Thanks for the help. I don't have QoS turned on on the router because it doesn't play nice with my Xfinity connection (limiting the speed).

After installing today's beta of iOS 10.3, wifi calling has returned to 5Ghz. We'll see how long that lasts. But it makes me think the problem is not with my router.

 

[ManuCH]

Just as an additional data point for you: I use 5 GHz only at home, and I'm on iOS 11.2.6 on an iPhone X. Wifi Calling works perfectly and always has.

Not that it helps, but maybe it points you to the right direction.

 

[snowman1]

I had a similar problem, and for me at least, it was more of a reception problem. The 5 Ghz band is faster but also has less range compared to 2.4 Ghz, so in my case, my router simply wasn't good at maintaining a good signal on the 5 ghz band. And from what I can tell, the iPhone needs a stable 2-bar minimum (talking about the bars of the wifi icon) connection to make wi-fi calling functional.

 

[cynics]

Many carriers prefer to leverage their network and wont switch to Wifi calling until their network is nearly unusable.

For future reference if wifi calling requires the use of the UDP ports 500 and 4500 so make sure they aren't blocked.

Wifi calling requires reasonable reception but more importantly throughput. If the Wifi is dead even with good reception to the router it will use cellular.

I don't know if any US carriers are doing this but if you dont have emergency contact info filled in your iPhone may not even try to connect to Wifi calling until it is.

On the router QoS and various WMM services maybe required.
[doublepost=1521170241][/doublepost]

I had a similar problem, and for me at least, it was more of a reception problem. The 5 Ghz band is faster but also has less range compared to 2.4 Ghz, so in my case, my router simply wasn't good at maintaining a good signal on the 5 ghz band. And from what I can tell, the iPhone needs a stable 2-bar minimum (talking about the bars of the wifi icon) connection to make wi-fi calling functional.

In general that is true (high frequencies can't penetrate as well) however that is a lot more too it. Beam forming (a tech that focuses the signal) alone on modern routers can increase range back to reasonable levels. Also, less penetration is a benefit in very wifi congested areas, not only does 5ghz offer more non overlapping channels but creates less noise causing less interference to devices that are far outside a realistic range.

Definitely use what works for you but depending on the size of your home it maybe time to consider a new router, or at least there is room for improvement possibly.

 

[ab3tt0r]

I am having the same problem with a Asus RT-AC3200

if I connect to the 5G radios, i loose WiFi calling.

I even put everything on a single SSID to use band steering, no joy.