Roulez Électrique
Home FAQ Sign in
Back View the PDF

Wi-Fi Connection of Charging Stations

Separate the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz networks

Practical Guide – Electric Drive Club

Why Separate Wi-Fi Networks?

Some electric vehicle charging stations only use the 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi band for their internet connection and initial setup.

Modern routers from Vidéotron and Bell generally use a single Wi-Fi network name (SSID) for both the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands. The router automatically chooses the band it considers most appropriate for each device.

In some situations, this can complicate the installation of a charging station. For example, the phone used to configure the station might be connected to the 5 GHz network while the station communicates only via 2.4 GHz. Smart 2.4 GHz devices can thus be more difficult to detect or configure. This type of issue is notably described in the Bell community for smart devices that only operate on 2.4 GHz.

One solution is to temporarily separate the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz networks to force the phone and charging station to use the 2.4 GHz network during setup.

Vidéotron – Helix

By default, the Helix Fi station uses the same network name for the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands and automatically distributes the devices between the two bands. Vidéotron normally recommends maintaining this configuration.

How to Separate the Networks

  1. Open the Helix Fi app on your phone or tablet.

  2. Select Wi-Fi.

  3. Select Wi-Fi Details.

  4. Tap on Edit Wi-Fi Settings.

  5. Enable the option Separated Bands.

  6. Assign different names to the two networks.

For example:

  1. Tap on Save.

  2. On the phone that will be used to configure the charging station, open Wi-Fi settings.

  3. Explicitly connect the phone to the Home-2.4G network.

  4. Then proceed with the Wi-Fi configuration for your charging station.

This procedure corresponds to the one published by Vidéotron for separating Helix Wi-Fi bands.

Important – Helix Wi-Fi Extender

According to Vidéotron, separation of the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands is not possible when Helix Wi-Fi extenders are used.

If you use Helix extenders and your station refuses to connect, contact Vidéotron technical support or consult the manufacturer of your charging station to learn about other available configuration methods.

Bell Canada – Home Hub 3000, Home Hub 4000, and Giga Hub

Bell modems also use an optimization function that can group the Wi-Fi bands under the same network name.

The following procedure is documented in the Bell community for Home Hub 3000, Home Hub 4000, and Giga Hub.

How to Separate the Networks

  1. Connect a computer or phone to your Bell modem’s network.

  2. Open a web browser.

  3. Access the modem’s administration interface at the address:

  1. Enter the modem’s administration password.

  2. Select Manage My Wi-Fi / Gérer mon Wi-Fi.

  3. Disable the automatic optimization option, depending on the interface version:

Let the hub optimize the Wi-Fi

or

Whole Home Wi-Fi

  1. Confirm the warning and save changes.

  2. Return to Manage My Wi-Fi if necessary.

  3. Open Advanced Settings / Paramètres avancés.

  4. Disable:

Keep a common network name / Conserver un nom de réseau commun

  1. Assign different names to the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz networks.

For example:

Home-2.4G
Home-5G

  1. Save the changes.

  2. Connect your phone to the Home-2.4G network.

  3. Proceed with the Wi-Fi configuration of your charging station.

These steps correspond to the procedure shared and identified as a helpful solution in the Bell community.

Recommended Option at Bell: Temporary Separation

It is not always necessary to keep the two networks permanently separated.

A solution proposed on the Bell community is to:

temporarily disable Whole Home Wi-Fi → configure the device in 2.4 GHz → re-enable Whole Home Wi-Fi.

It allows for subsequent retention of automatic network optimization and the features associated with Bell’s Wi-Fi ecosystem.

Permanent separation can notably affect the use of certain functions of the Bell Wi-Fi app and Wi-Fi extension pods.

Tips for Connecting Your Charging Station

During the initial setup, stand near the charging station and ensure your phone is connected to the 2.4 GHz network.

If the station is still not detected, temporarily disable the phone's cellular data during setup, then retry the procedure suggested by the station's manufacturer.

Once the station is properly configured and connected to the internet, you can, depending on your router and station, reactivate automatic Wi-Fi band management.

Do not reset your modem or charging station without first noting your network names, passwords, and current settings.

In Summary

A charging station compatible only with 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi may sometimes have difficulty being configured when the router automatically uses the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands under a single network name.

Temporarily separating the bands allows explicit connection of the phone and station to 2.4 GHz, which can greatly facilitate setup.

Once installation is complete, it is generally preferable, when it works with your equipment, to revert to the Wi-Fi configuration recommended by your internet provider.