How to improve WiFi signal around the house?

B0bbyEwing

Going to be 2 usage scenarios here but maybe the same answer applies for both. The basis of this questioning for both is home CCTV.

1) 1930s built house. Cavity walls, although if you go in a straight line from the router then you actually only pass 1 cavity wall with the other being a false wall.
The camera at the back of the house would probably be about 10-12mtr from the router itself. 

There may be an additional camera a further (approx.) 5mtrs from this - so 15-17mtr in total. This one would act as a wildlife cam at the bottom of the garden

If it matters then I downloaded a WiFi signal app. I stood where the security camera would be at the back of the house (so in the 10-12mtr range from router) and it said the signal was -77dBm on a 5GHz band on a BT Smart Hub 2 router. Not really knowing what this meant I then went & stood right next to the router & the -77dBm changed to -20dBm.


2) The other is a 1895-1905 built cottage. No cavity walls, they're just flipping thick! 
Router in this house is at one end of the house but any & all cameras are likely to be needing positioned at the far end of the house & a tad beyond maybe, near one of the sheds. This is (very approx as I'd need to go through & get my tape) around 15-25mtr from the router (in a straight line, which includes going through very thick wall & ground as the lower level of the house is kind of below ground level). I think their router is a Sky Q one.

So looking for good solutions to improve the WiFi signal strength that preferably don't break the bank.

Cameras will be solar powered wireless ones. I've already picked up a Eufy one for the front of my house but then that's literally on the other side of the wall where the router is so there shouldn't be a problem with that one. Just mentioning what sort of camera I'm looking at.

GunJack

1. shouldn't have a problem in the 30s house.

2. You will almost certainly need a solution in the solid wall cottage. 

Something you've not really considered, is that the router wifi will probably be very superior to the camera's wifi - remember, it's not just router that's important in the equation...to see what I mean, try standing in the same position with different mobile phones and checking signal strength then.

Newcad

As you already have a wifi camera available then an obvious step may be to try it in the proposed locations for the other cameras.

That will give you an idea of if you need anything extra or if your current setup(s) are good enough as they stand.

If you do need extra range then maybe a simple Powerline Extender will do the job?

Heedtheadvice

Firstly if the cameras will work on the 2.4GHz band then that is much better over the longer distances. Not quite as fast as 5GHz band but perfectly adequate. Retry signal strength measurements in that lower band.

Also of interest is not just signal strength but signal to noise/Interference levels. You should also note, as as well as strength,  the other signals of local wifi systems ( such as neighbour's ones ) that may be on the same channels that your WiFi is using so as to avoid them. Routers are often set up to do this automatically by monitoring channel signals at their location but the situation could well be different at the Camera locations so you could set the channel manually for least Interference. I would be looking for any other signal to be 10dB lower than your own at the Camera and at your router. ( in your example for the -70dB reception interfering signals to be -80dB or lower.

Nevertheless -70dB is rather low and may or may not be good enough. It may work some of the time but as reception signals etc vary over time could well be intermittent or hardly ever working. It is  bit uncertain at that level. -60dB or better should be an aim. ( and as mentioned in post above all these levels depend on the devices capacity for transmission and reception.

So you might be able to improve the 'modern' house situation by optimisation but the stone house will be more difficult or impossible.

As mentioned above a budget solution could be power line extenders to locate one or even two surplus routers to act as WiFi sources close(er) to the cameras. Those routers would need to be set up via their admin settings but that is fairly easy. The proviso being that not all routers allow you  to get to those admin settings so a surplus one you may have or second hand one will need confirmation of that. Many allow that facility especially the BT older routers but it will need someone else to advise on other individual routers as outside my knowledge! They need not be modern routers.

There are other options such as WiFi extenders and even mesh systems that can help easily and they might be worth looking at if you have issues already with wifi coverage in the property to give  you a better solution but at a cost.

If you get really good signals at the closest points of the building to the wild life cameras then you might be able to use them on WiFi. Above comments on signal/ noise any there too but a cable solution, if possible, to extend at least part of the way would be good but that might not be easy. Try WiFi measurements first unless you have close outbuildings with power.

As a further note some old stone buildings might have thick walls but transmission is much better in/ through ceiling/roof spaces so consider positioning.

....edited to tidy up typos and for better clarity...just!

Vitor

I've not been impressed with Powerline adaptors, the actual speed has been a fraction of that claimed in the marketing blurb.

Mesh networks have worked for me with external cameras on 2.4Ghz WiFi; one device on the ground floor at front connected to router and the other one in back bedroom on 1st floor.

Undervalued

Vitor said:

I've not been impressed with Powerline adaptors, the actual speed has been a fraction of that claimed in the marketing blurb.

Mesh networks have worked for me with external cameras on WiFi.

I have found them to be very good but only when plugged directly into the same ring main. Whilst they will still work when connected to other circuits in the house, supplied from the same consumer unit, the speed can vary and in some circumstances be seriously reduced.

400ixl

You can get Gbps speeds over Powerline adapters in the right circumstances, 100+ Mbps is usually easily achievable unless the underlying electrical wiring is really old and fragile (introducing Noise) or they are crossing consumer units (which normally means they don't work at all). They have improved a lot over time, 20 years ago they did only really provide maybe 30Mbps on ones classed as 200Mbps, but a lot has changed over the years.

Saying that, if you can get a mesh to work then that is the better way.

2.4Ghz wifi is a good suggestion for use cases where range and obstructions are required over bandwidth & speed.

A mesh will certainly be the best way to go, if you look at the TP-Link Deco range you can also get an external Wifi access Point for the mesh to get the best coverage in the garden if required. With Mesh AP's you can use a mix of wireless and wired for the backhaul between them. Could be worth running cabling if the walls are causing an issue in some locations, or connecting the mesh routers via Powerline adapters if they work.

jshm2

If the house wiring is relatively new, then your easiest option will be AV600 powerline adapters (assuming your internet is not the best speed, and will not utilise AV1000). Will also be cheaper than getting the whole place ethernet wired. 

Not all Powerline adapters are the same. The Devolo and Netgear ones are usually crap. I've had consistent speeds with TP-Link ones. BT ones very good, but only at the right price. 

Mesh is usually overkill, but often useless if you've a slow internet connection to the property anyway. Your money would be better spent getting some cheap "Chinese" extenders instead, unless you have a fibre connection. 

All in all. Check where your power sockets are, and see if you can get a wifi camera within the range of one. 

If you've old wiring, then your best bet will be to get a cable straight up to the roof/attic and install a switch there. Then a couple of wifi extenders at each end. test your signal in each room and move the extenders accordingly to ensure consistent coverage. Obviously if you're in a three story brick building, it will not be very consistent. But you get the idea.  

spile

To improve wireless access I would add a wired (this is important) wireless access point to the parts of the building that have poor coverage.