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Writer's pictureTom Curnin

How To Extend Your WiFi Network Outdoors

Updated: Jul 13


Stay Connected Outside with Outdoor Wi-Fi

Enjoy Fresh Air and a Change of Scenery for Work, School, and Entertainment

Looking for more info on home Networks and WiFi?


It’s safe to say we are living in unusual and unprecedented times. The impact of COVID-19 has been especially hard in the New Jersey area and has forced many adjustments to daily life. With stay-at-home orders currently in place, the home is now the hub for everything at the same time – work, school, and entertainment. With all the electronic communication that’s happening in the home, networks have never been more stressed. You may be using video for work from home. Kids may be using video for schoolwork and interacting with teachers. Everyone is using more video for entertainment and information, from Netflix to YouTube to the news. Now that spring weather is coming, spending time outdoors at home can be combined with all of these activities if you have the right infrastructure in place. With some outside activities limited in public spaces, your backyard can become a retreat for work and play. To make the most of it, you need a robust outdoor Wi-Fi installation in your New Jersey home. Keep reading to learn about the options for robust connectivity outside.

Extending Range Outdoors Your router may have enough range to give you a wireless signal outdoors, depending on the location of the router and the robustness of the equipment. That signal, however, may not stand up to usage by multiple devices. If your home is wired for ethernet with Cat5 or Cat6 cable, a wireless access point (WAP) can plug into a robust wired connection near your outdoor area and extend the wireless signal. If you are building or adding something new outdoors, like an outdoor kitchen or patio extension, we highly recommend running network cable outside, which then offers a variety of options for stable outdoor network speeds.  Mesh Networks If you don’t have ethernet wiring mesh networks could be the answer.  Mesh networks have become popular in the past few years for extending Wi-Fi through larger homes and outdoor areas. They may be a viable option for some homes, and work by "daisy-chaining" wireless signals from one device to another rather than having every connection going back to a central point. There are limitations to mesh networks; however, based on the allowed distance from one device to another, walls, and the limitations of the frequencies they employ. Multiple Networks Bravo AV’s standard practice is to set up a primary network for the family and a GUEST network for their friends.  For high use/high traffic networks Bravo AV can segregate traffic on VLANs to increase overall performance. Getting Started Bravo AV takes a comprehensive and holistic approach to every project. We evaluate your desires and needs, current setup, and future use cases to recommend and install the outdoor Wi-Fi system that will serve you now and in the future. We're not wedded to any specific technology; we use technologies and products that will work reliably in your environment. Make the most of your time at home with outdoor Wi-Fi for all your connections. To get started, fill out our contact form or start a live chat with us below. We look forward to hearing from you! Continue learning with our Comprehensive Guides on Network and Wi-Fi Solutions:



Contact 

Bravo AV 80 Morristown Rd.

Bernardsville, NJ 07924

Tel. (908) 953-0555


Tom Curnin, the owner of Bravo AV, is a CEDIA Professional Designer, a certified THX Level 1 home theater professional, and a member of the Home Acoustic Alliance trained to Level II. You can contact Tom directly at (908) 953-0555 or through email at Tom@BravoAV.com.


Last updated July 13, 2024

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