How to extend your Wi-Fi connection outside

It’s easy enough to get a Wi-Fi signal anywhere in your home, but extending it to the backyard can be a little more difficult. It’s especially annoying when you try to connect to one laptopprojector or Big screen TV for a big game. You can place your router as close to your garden or porch as your Ethernet cable will take you, but that doesn’t always solve the problem.

With the increasing number of outdoors smart devices — included relief, security cameras And garage door openers — you need to be able to extend your Wi-Fi beyond the exterior walls of your home. It can be tricky, but with the right hardware you’ll be streaming video while enjoying your garden or posting photos to social media from your front yard in no time. (And for more Wi-Fi tips, check out why your router might be in the wrong place and our home internet cheat sheet.)

If you want Wi-Fi outdoors, try a weatherproof device

Most of the options our CNET writers have explored over the years don’t require drilling holes or running new outdoor wiring. Still, getting reliable, fast Wi-Fi outdoors can require an initial investment. If you install it correctly it may cost more initially, but in the long run it will require little maintenance and provide you with excellent coverage.

Using a Wi-Fi device intended for outdoor use may be the best choice. There aren’t many cheap options, so you’ll have to decide which setup works best for your home.

One outside Wi-Fi extender – also called a wireless access point or wireless repeater – is perhaps the simplest option, as it is the only solution that requires installing hardware outdoors. Many of these devices are enterprise-grade, but some manufacturers also have external extenders for consumers. These devices are built to be exposed to the elements all year round, and they feature hardware that can communicate wirelessly with your router, giving you excellent Wi-Fi coverage outside your home.

The first step is to find an extender that is compatible with your current router, or you can purchase a new router and extender to upgrade your entire network. There aren’t many wireless extenders designed for outdoor use, but a few notable manufacturers include Netgear, Ubiquiti, EnGenius, and Hawking.

Then check the protection rating of the packaging and the temperature range that the device can withstand. The IP value defines the weather resistance of the device, mainly against dust and water. The highest rating is IP69, which means it is fully protected against dust and can withstand long periods of immersion under water.

Another option that is a bit more complicated for an outdoor access point, such as the Access point U6 Mesh from Ubiquiti – allows you to set separate modes for the 2.4GHz and 5GHz networks. The setup is a little more advanced, but you don’t have to drill holes or run new cables.

You set your 5GHz band to wireless bridge mode and the 2.4GHz band to access point mode. This will make your 5GHz band a dedicated backhaul link to the router and allow your outdoor devices to connect via 2.4GHz. This setup limits your speed a bit, but you should still be able to take full advantage of your 2.4GHz bandwidth and the extra range that comes with it.

Indoor mesh WiFi systems may be simpler, but more expensive

Another option is to take advantage of an indoor mesh Wi-Fi system. These usually come with one router and one or two satellite units and can cover up to 5,000 square feet. The most recent data from the US Census Bureau shows that 57% of American homes are between 1,800 and 2,999 square feet, and another 20% 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, a mesh system will give you decent outdoor coverage. You may sacrifice some speed or coverage indoors by moving the satellite units, but most of them best mesh systems are expandable and can add additional units.

Each satellite unit only requires an electrical outlet to connect the power adapter. No Ethernet cable is required. The idea of ​​extending your Wi-Fi outdoors is to place the mesh router centrally in your home and place the satellite unit(s) as close to the outside as possible. There is a limit to how far apart you can place the units. For example, Asus support recommends placing each within 10 to 15 meters (about 33 to 50 feet) of the other units.

Linksys told one of our writers that it is inside, three-piece Velop mesh system can help with outdoor coverage. Each unit can cover approximately 2,000 square feet, so placing one of the units 5 to 10 feet away from an exterior concrete wall can improve your outdoor coverage. Everyone’s home environment is different, so your results may vary. It is best to place the satellite unit near a window or door.

However, there are more potential problems with this setup.

In general, most mesh satellites link directly back to the router, not to the nearest satellite and then back to the router. This means you can’t wirelessly daisy chain them to stretch your signal in one direction. This is one of the reasons why it is best to place the router in the center of the house.

Additionally, your exterior walls will still interfere with and weaken your signal, especially on 5GHz. You may need to play with the location to figure out which spot is best suited for outdoor coverage in your area.

If you’re not familiar with Wi-Fi signals, they are measured in decibel-milliwatts. The signal value will be negative, so closer to zero is better. You want a signal between -60dBm and -30dBm (which is best). That’s your good point. Your signal is virtually non-existent if you see anything around -80dBm or -90dBm or lower.

The price of mesh systems is starting to drop, but they can still be quite expensive. Still, you shouldn’t spend more than a few hundred dollars for a decent, up-to-date system. For example, that of Amazon Eero6 Plus performed well in our tests, and the three-piece system can cover up to 4,500 square feet for around $200. Another of our top picks, the two-piece TP-Link Deco W7200 mesh routercovers up to 5,500 square feet and costs $189.

You might be tempted to leave an indoor router or satellite unit in a covered area outside or in a weatherproof enclosure. This may work in the short term, but the risk factors are high. The device may overheat or freeze. Humidity also plays a role, as do foreign objects such as dust and insects, which can clog the device’s vents. Not to mention, leaving an indoor unit outside will void your warranty.

Indoor range extenders – cheaper but less reliable

You can replicate the above-mentioned mesh setup with a regular router paired with indoor WiFi boosters or repeaters. This option is a little more affordable, with the extenders taking the place of the mesh satellite units. Installing this approach is a little more complicated, but you shouldn’t have much trouble following the quick start guide that comes with the extender. Many newer devices, such as the well-tested ones D-Link EaglePro AIare designed to work with different routers.

Keep in mind that most wireless extenders cut your Wi-Fi signal in half because they receive the wireless signal and then rebroadcast it using the same radio on the same channel. Expect your speeds to be slower if you’re connected to an extender instead of the router. One way around this is to use a tri-band extender with an additional 5GHz network that can act as a dedicated link to your router. This allows you to get the maximum bandwidth from the extender.

Keep in mind that many routers also work as extenders, so another option is to buy a new router and use your old one as a wired or wireless extender. Check your current router to see if it can function as a wireless access point or extender. A new router will likely give you better coverage, even outdoors, so using the old router as an extender can give you the extra boost in Wi-Fi coverage you need.

Between the two setups, the big advantage of the mesh system over the router plus extenders is that the mesh devices create a single network, so you don’t have to reconnect to Wi-Fi as you move from room to room or outdoors. In general, mesh systems are designed so that your phone or laptop automatically connects to the nearest mesh unit without any problems. If you have an extender, you have two networks, one for the router and one for the extender, that you may need to switch between as you move. Additionally, having two networks can cause interference with each other, especially on 2.4 GHz.

Powerline adapters are a last resort for outdoor WiFi

A cheap option is to use powerline adapters, which use your existing electrical wiring in the wall to extend your signal. You can plug some into an outdoor electrical outlet, but you’ll be hard-pressed to find an affordable one that’s weatherproof. An indoor powerline adapter can also overheat if you plug it into a covered electrical outlet outdoors.

A workaround would be to use an indoor Wi-Fi powerline adapter such as the Zyxel Powerline Seriesthat you plug into an indoor electrical outlet near where you need better coverage. Your outdoor range won’t be great, but it should improve your current setup.

What is the end result?

The easiest option to extend Wi-Fi outdoors is with a mesh system and additional satellite units. This should give you a few hundred square feet of coverage outside your home. Mesh systems can be expensive, but installation is usually easy for novice users.

In theory, the best option would be to use an outdoor extender, but there aren’t many consumer-reviewed products available outside of the Orbi Outdoor. TP-Link also offers an outdoor unit, the Deco X50-outsidethat is certified waterproof and dustproof. We haven’t had a chance to test that device yet, but we’ll update this post when we do.