How to extend wifi signal

[#1]

Hi

Ive bought two wifi securty cameras to fit outside my house. Unfrtuanteely the house has thick stone walls, and the router is under the stairs because that where the phone line comes in.

So I need to boost the wifi somehow.

Im using the Plusnet One hub, and have FTTC (No FTTP in my area).

What can I do to boost the wifi to the outside of the house? Will extenders do the job? Mesh? Ive even seen plugs that you put in the sockets. Ive no idea how any of these work, or which will do the job for me.

Thanks

[#2]

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@vertex1 wrote:

Hi

Ive bought two wifi securty cameras to fit outside my house. Unfrtuanteely the house has thick stone walls, and the router is under the stairs 

So I need to boost the wifi somehow.

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You can try WiFi extenders but there's no way to guarantee that they will work.

What sort of cameras are they?

[#3]

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@vertex1 wrote:

Ive bought two wifi securty cameras to fit outside my house

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Just my opinion, but I can't see how 'WiFi' and 'Security' can be compatible in this setting owing to WiFi being prone to unreliability and it can also be easily jammed.

Just saying.

[#4]

"I can't see how 'WiFi' and 'Security' can be compatible in this setting"

It's relative, yes both the unreliability and "jamability" of WiFi are considerations but having some cameras recording gives some feeling of security.

To address both of these drawbacks some sort of mesh system may help. I would go down that route rather than "WiFi extenders" personally.

Read reviews carefully before purchasing and purchase a mesh system from somewhere good with returns!

One other thought...

If you have an Android phone the Ubiquiti WiFiman app is very good for checking signal strength. They also make some jolly good WiFi equipment.

[#5]

They are eufy s340. I have a eufy HomeBase so recordings are kept localling (within the property)

[#6]

Read product descriptions carefully.  There’s a range of products which will “extend” your WiFi coverage.  They are not all the same.

Repeaters use the existing WiFi signal to extend the area of coverage, however the half the capacity of the WiFi network.  The signal from the router needs to be relayed by the repeater utilising bandwidth and time.  To be effective they need to be within good signal space of the router.

WiFi access points proved a separate WiFi signal.  Ideally they should be connected direct to the hub by Ethernet cables.

dLAN is Ethernet over power which can provide a very remote WIFi access point connected to the router using the electricity ring main in your house, avoiding the need to run Ethernet cables everywhere.  Take a look at the Devolo range.

[#7]

I thought (RTFM time) the Eufy cameras talked directly to the Homebase unit via its own proprietary wifi-type network?

The Homebase storage unit then does/can connect to your network as well.

This needs clarifying/checking before you change anything. Eufy make their own network-specific repeaters.

(FYI I have some Eufy kit but NOT a Homebase centred sytem for that very reason)

AI comment: If you pair the S340 with a HomeBase 3, the camera must be within a clear wireless range of the HomeBase itself, not your home Wi-Fi router. If the camera is going on a far exterior wall and your HomeBase is tucked deep inside the house, the proprietary signal might struggle. In that case, running the camera in standalone mode on your home Wi-Fi (or a Wi-Fi mesh node closer to the camera) often yields a more stable connection.

[#8]

Another possibility is to locate the router at a place where the Wi-Fi (and any additional requirements), will be satisfactory, connecting it using ordinary twin telephone wire from the phone line box. As you are simply extending the telephone feed, there is no practical limit to the length it can be inside the house. You do obviously also need to divert any Ethernet cables to the new router position.

(As often mentioned on this forum, this setup is just the same for FTTP except the connecting cable needs to be Ethernet)

[#9]

Hmm, perhaps its as simple as connecting the Homebase to the router over wifi. Then moving the Homebase closer to the cameras. I think Ill only need to move the Homebase 6 metres from the router in order to get a better signal to the cameras. So basically the Homebase acts as a relay(?) (or an extender?) . 

[#10]

Technically neither.

It is a closed network device which only supports the proprietary cameras over private WiFi.  It is just a single device on the hub’s network.

[#11]

For ip cameras I always recommend power over Ethernet rather than WiFi. That aside, to extend your wireless then the key factor is having a wireless point (you can repurpose a second router for this) connected by Ethernet to your main router. Drilling holes maybe a pain but it is by far the best solution.

[#12]

I thought (RTFM time) the Eufy cameras talked directly to the Homebase unit via its own proprietary wifi-type network?

The Homebase storage unit then does/can connect to your network as well.

I believe the s340 can either be paired with the homebase using its own proprietary wifi  and the homebase then connected to your router wifi 

OR the both s340 and Homebase can be connected to your router wifi and the Homebase Multi-bridge feature used to connect to the s340

So its really down to positioning of the router & homebase to achieve the best configuration

[#13]

I got a Reolink WiFi doorbell camera and Home Hub for local storage. The camera talks to the Home Hub using proprietary 2.4 and 5 GHz WiFi networks, but the Home Hub has to be connected to the router using an Ethernet cable.

I don't know if eufy is the same. If so, you may have to move the Homebase closer to the cameras and run an Ethernet cable  back to the router from there for it to use.

I have my Reolink Home Hub near the router as it is on the same UPS for backup in case the power fails.

I hope that helps.

[#14]

The way I would tackle this sort of problem would be to try a temporary test. Buy a phone cable (less than £5 from Toolstation etc for 10 metres), move the router to a likely spot, connect it up and see how it works. If necessary, move it to find the best spot.. Success is much more likely than adding random gismos in the hope of magic.

In general there is the best chance with a transmitting antennae as high above ground as possible – for example a mobile phone mast, though not exactly the same.

[#15]

Thanks all for your very helpful suggestions. The fact that the cameras dont actually use the 'normal' wifi, but Eufis proprietry wifi is complicating matters. 

Im going to buy a eufy Wi-Fi Repeater and see how it goes. Ill post back update here (might be helpful for another eufy customer)