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[caraM]

Help me see if I'm thinking this through correctly, please...

Briefly, my setup is the DIR-882 handing out IP addresses within a certain range, some devices with static IPs so I can always access their management pages easily, and a DIR-615 running DD-WRT set up ages ago as a client bridge, on the same SSID, basically to connect to the 882 via wireless but then to connect my NAS via ethernet.  I don't know if this still makes sense, but it's how I set it up ages ago and I'm afraid to change too much.  And, YES - I know my tech is outdated, but it still works.

I just added a Firestick, however, and they recommend that you connect to 5GHz if you can.  So I hoped I could designate that in the 882 *by client,* but you can't do that.  I'd have to set up 2 separate SSIDs and, because I'd prefer that my primary devices (notebooks, iPhones) connect automatically, I was going to take the original SSID name (let's say it's MyNetwork) and make it the 5GHz SSID, and then call the 2.4GHz band MyNetwork-2.4.

That means I'll have to reconfigure all of my older devices (at least 6 of them:  cameras, printer, NAS, husband's old iPod) to connect to MyNetwork-2.4.  I'd have to know which are NOT connecting to MyNetwork, and manually reconfigure them all with that new SSID.  And, because I'm pretty sure that the DIR-615 is 2.4GHz only, I'll also have to ensure that its SSID matches the 2.4GHz SSID... right?

I'm not sure it's worth the effort or risk to my tenuous setup, but is this the only way to ensure that newer devices connect to the faster band?

[me_iauras]

In theory that's what "Smart Connect" is for ; it's DLink's marketing name for what's known as band steering . This means that both 5 GHz and 2,4 GHz are being broadcast as the same network (same SSID & password ) and the router should steer/encourage the clients with dual band capabilities to connect to the 5GHz radio leaving the 2,4 GHz one only for the older clients with single band radio .
That's the theory ; in real life the "Smart Connect" implementation isn't the best and many clients who would otherwise be able to use the 5 GHz band are stuck on the 2,4 GHz one . Your mileage might vary .
From your description you're using it now since you don't have 2 separate SSIDs for the 2 bands ; you can identify which band the clients are connected to in the "Connected clients" tab . The ones connected to the 5GHz band have 5G under the radio icon


You can always save your current config and try the option with 2 different SSIDs but maybe also get help from someone more knowledgeable on the subject if you're not sure you can revert back your current config .