How to extend your Wi-Fi outdoors to watch important games

It’s great to be able to connect seamlessly Wifi Although you can connect to devices throughout your home, frustration often mounts the moment you try to connect your Wi-Fi network to devices outside. This is especially annoying if you’re trying to connect. Laptopprojector, or big screen tv for big match. You can move your router closer to your garden or front porch as long as the Ethernet cable can reach it, but that doesn’t always solve the problem.

As outdoor activities increase, smart device – include lit, Surveillance camera and garage door opener — You need to be able to extend your Wi-Fi beyond your home’s exterior walls. It may be difficult, but with the right hardware, you’ll soon be able to enjoy your garden while streaming videos and posting photos to social media from your front yard. (See below for more Wi-Fi tips. Why your router may be in the wrong locationand our Home Internet Cheat Sheet. )

If you want to use Wi-Fi outdoors, try a weather-resistant device

Most options that CNET writers have considered over the years don’t require drilling holes or running new wiring outdoors. Still, getting reliable and fast Wi-Fi outdoors can require an initial investment. If you set it up the right way, it may cost more initially, but in the long run it requires little maintenance and provides great coverage.

Your best bet may be to use a Wi-Fi device that is meant to be left outdoors. There aren’t many inexpensive options, so you’ll need to decide which setup will best suit your home.

outdoor Wi-Fi extender — sometimes called a wireless access point or wireless repeater — is probably the easiest option because it’s the only solution that requires installing the hardware externally. Many of these devices are enterprise-grade, but some manufacturers also offer consumer-grade outdoor extenders. These devices are built to be exposed to the elements year-round and have hardware that can communicate wirelessly with your router, providing superior Wi-Fi coverage even outside your home.

The first step is to find an extender that is compatible with your current router. Or you can upgrade your entire network by purchasing new routers and extenders. There aren’t many wireless extenders designed for outdoor use, but some well-known manufacturers include Netgear, Ubiquiti, EnGenius, and Hawking.

Next, check the package’s ingress protection rating and the temperature range the device can withstand. IP rating primarily defines the weather resistance of a device against dust and water. The highest rating is IP69, which means it is fully protected against dust and can withstand prolonged submersion.

of netgear orbi outdoor When CNET tested it, it was a tri-band extender and performed well at over 200 feet. The main drawback is that it is only compatible with Orbi mesh Wi-Fi routers. If it’s any consolation, netgear orbi They produce some of the best mesh systems out there. Setting up the outdoor extender is easy, just plug it into an outlet and mount it on the wall.

Another option, which is a slightly more complex outdoor access point (such as Ubiquiti’s Access Point U6 Mesh), allows you to set separate modes for 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz networks. The setup is a bit advanced, but you don’t have to drill holes or run new cables.

Set the 5 GHz band to wireless bridge mode and the 2.4 GHz band to access point mode. This makes the 5 GHz band a dedicated backhaul link to the router and allows outdoor devices to connect via his 2.4 GHz. This setting will limit your speeds a bit, but should allow you to take full advantage of the 2.4 GHz bandwidth and the additional range that comes with it.

Indoor mesh Wi-Fi systems may be simple, but they’re expensive.

Another option is to utilize an indoor mesh Wi-Fi system. These typically come with one router and one or two satellite units and can cover up to 5,000 square feet. According to the latest data from the U.S. Census Bureau, 53% of U.S. homes are between 1,800 and 2,999 square feet, and another 24% are 1,799 square feet or less. The bottom line is that most of us don’t have homes as large as 5,000 square feet, so with proper placement, you can use a mesh system to provide good outdoor coverage. Moving a satellite unit may sacrifice some speed and coverage indoors, but in most cases best mesh system It is expandable and you can add more units.

Each satellite unit only requires an electrical outlet to connect the power adapter. No Ethernet cable required. The idea for extending Wi-Fi outdoors is to place a mesh router in the center of your home and place satellite units as close to the outdoors as possible. There are limits to how far apart units can be placed. For example, Asus Support recommends placing each unit within 10 to 15 meters (approximately 33 to 50 feet) of the other units.

Linksys I advised one of our writers that it’s a three-piece for indoor use. Velop mesh system Useful for outdoor coverage. Each unit can cover about 2,000 square feet, so placing one of your units 5 to 10 feet from a concrete exterior wall will improve your outdoor coverage. Everyone’s home environment is different, so results may vary. Your best bet is to place the satellite unit near a window or door.

However, this setup can cause additional problems.

In general, most mesh satellites link directly to the router, rather than linking to the nearest satellite and then back to the router. This means that they cannot be wirelessly daisy-chained in sequence to stretch the signal in one direction. This is one reason why it’s best to place your router in the center of your home.

Also, exterior walls will still interfere with and weaken the signal, especially at 5GHz. You may need to experiment with locations to find the best outdoor coverage for your environment.

For those not familiar with Wi-Fi signals, they are measured in decibels and milliwatts. The signal reading will be negative, so the closer it is to zero the better. You need a signal in the range of -60dBm to -30dBm (this is optimal). That’s your sweet spot. If you see values ​​below -80dBm or -90dBm, the signal is almost non-existent.

Although the price of mesh systems is starting to come down, they can still be quite expensive. Still, there’s no need to spend more than a few hundred dollars for a decent, modern system.For example, Amazon’s aero 6 plus It performed well in our testing, and the three-piece system can cover up to 4,500 square feet for about $300.Two-pieces are another popular choice. TP-Link Deco W7200 Mesh Routercovers up to 5,500 square feet and costs about $190.

You may want to place your indoor router or satellite unit outdoors in a covered area or weatherproof enclosure. While this may be effective in the short term, it comes with a higher risk factor. The device may overheat or freeze. Moisture, as well as foreign objects such as dust and insects, can be a factor and can clog your device’s vents. Needless to say, leaving an indoor device outdoors will void your warranty.

Indoor range extenders — cheap but unreliable

You can recreate the mesh setup above by combining a regular router with an indoor Wi-Fi range extender or repeater. This option is a little more affordable by using an extender instead of a mesh satellite unit. Setting up this approach is a little complicated, but if you follow the quick start guide that comes with the extender, it shouldn’t be too difficult.Many new devices, including well-tested devices D-Link EaglePro AIdesigned to work with a variety of routers.

Note that most wireless extenders receive the wireless signal and rebroadcast it using the same radio on the same channel, cutting your Wi-Fi speed in half. If you connect to an extender rather than a router, expect slower speeds. One way to get around this is to use a tri-band extender with an additional 5 GHz network that can act as a dedicated link to your router. This will help you get maximum bandwidth from your extender.

Many routers also function as extenders, so another option is to buy a new router and use your old router as a wired or wireless extender. Check to see if your current router can act as a wireless access point or extender. A new router will likely give you better coverage, including outdoors, so using your old router as an extender may give you the extra Wi-Fi coverage you need.

Of the two setups, the big advantage of a mesh system with a router and extender is that the mesh devices create a single network, so you can reconnect to Wi-Fi as you move from room to room or outdoors. There’s no need to connect. Mesh systems are generally designed in such a way that your phone or laptop automatically connects to the nearest mesh unit without any issues. With an extender, you will have two networks, one for your router and one for the extender, and you may need to switch when you move. Additionally, two networks can cause interference with each other, especially at 2.4 GHz.

Powerline adapters are your last resort for outdoor Wi-Fi

One inexpensive option is to use a powerline adapter, which uses existing in-wall electrical wiring to extend the signal. You can also plug it into an outdoor outlet, but finding one that is weatherproof and affordable can be difficult. Plugging an indoor power line adapter into an outdoor roof outlet can cause it to overheat.

A temporary solution is to use an indoor Wi-Fi powerline adapter, such as the Zyxel Powerline series, and connect it to an indoor outlet near where you need better coverage. Your outdoor range won’t be as long, but your current setup should be improved.

What is the conclusion?

The easiest option to extend Wi-Fi outdoors is to use a mesh system and additional satellite units. This should allow you to cover several hundred square feet outside your home. Mesh systems can be expensive, but they are usually easy to set up for novice users.

In theory, using an outdoor extender is the best option, but there aren’t many products that have better consumer reviews than the Orbi Outdoor. TP-Link also offers an outdoor unit Deco X50-Outdoor with waterproof and dustproof certification. CNET hasn’t had a chance to test that unit, but we’ll update this post as soon as we do.