SmartThings Hub On TP-Link Mesh Network plus Device Selection Questions

I’m planning on starting off with SmartThings hub and most likely GE smart switches, but would like to verify I won’t have any issues with my network. I have the TP-Link Deco mesh system which uses 1 ssid, and I’ve read some people have had problems with specifying to which network some smart devices connect. I’m new to the smart home scene, but my basic understanding has left me with a few questions:
Once set up, do smart devices connect directly to the SmartThings hub or via the router? Or a combo of both?
If the network pairs me to the 5ghz network, will I be able to control the hub if it’s on the 2.4?

I have the Orbi (Netgear), but the basics should be the same. It’s also a single SSID for both bands. I have a handful of Wifi devices and none of them have an issue. They link up to whichever is available (the smart home stuff generally on 2.4, mobile devices & laptop on 5). My v3 hub is wired to a satellite which is in turn connected to the modem via the backhaul 5GHz band.

The best way to answer this is with ”it depends”. Keep in mind that you are building up to 4 separate meshes.
Mesh 1: ~900mhz zwave - Connects to and controlled by smartthings hub
Mesh 2: ~2.4 ghz zigbee - Connects to and controlled by smartthings hub
Mesh 3: ~2.4ghz WiFi - Connects to TP-link mesh, can potentially be controlled by smartthings hub
Mesh 4: ~5ghz WiFi - Connects to TP-link mesh, can potentially be controlled by smartthings hub

To make sure mesh 2 & 3 don’t interfere w/ each other:

To find zigbee, zwave, wifi and Ethernet devices smartthings supports:

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The hub itself doesn’t have an issue. Most models of smartthings hubs don’t even have a Wi-Fi radio, they are working via ethernet cable. They don’t care what your Wi-Fi is doing. And when you use the app on your phone, the app talks to the smartthings cloud on the Internet which then sends messages back to the hub, they don’t actually communicate directly. So no issues there.

What you read about has been some individual Wi-Fi End devices which often only work on 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi. This includes some of the video doorbells, some TV streaming devices, some ceiling fans, some Wi-Fi switches and plug-in pocket sockets. Those have to talk to their own app on your phone in order to get set up the first time, and they often will work only on 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi. The problem isn’t with the device itself: if you have a dual band router, It will usually choose the best Wi-Fi band for each device, and if the device doesn’t support 5.0 it won’t try it.

The problem is with that device’s app on your phone. In many cases at least for initial set up your phone has to be on the exact same Wi-Fi band as the device, but it could be that your WiFi router keeps trying to put your phone, particularly if it’s an android phone, on the 5.0 band at which point you won’t be able to complete the set up for the 2.4 GHz device.

All of that is independent of smartthings itself. It just has to do with setting up the original Wi-Fi end device.

Once you get it set up and working with its own app, then if there is a SmartThings integration you should be able to set that up cloud to cloud.

So… The smartthings hub itself is not an issue. And if you do have an issue, it’s probably an issue you would have whether you had a smart things hub or not, because it’s about a mismatch between your phone and the Wi-Fi End device.

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Thank you all for the responses, very helpful.
Without getting too far off topic, my plans are to eventually add a Phillips hue bridge with bulbs and LED strips. The GE switches I’m considering are Z-wave while hue uses Zigbee. Am I better off with a hue alternative as to reduce the the traffic on 2.4ghz? If so, what are the best options?