The thought of spending Saturday afternoons indoors while you can have it all streaming your best music dipped in your outdoor pool is mind-numbing. Not at the watch of the best outdoor long range Wi-Fi range extender.
Ok, I know what you are thinking,
Can You Put a Wi-Fi Extender Outside?
Why not?
While stretching strong Wi-Fi outside your home sounds far-fetched, at least to your router’s ears, it is doable.
Technology today allows you to virtually break the walls of your home and take the rich Wi-Fi outside with the help of a good Wi-Fi range extender. And you don’t have to bleed to get it done.
There are great consumer-level Wi-Fi range extenders going for as low as $40 built to withstand all kinds of the weather outside.
Such a device has an Ingress Protection rating as high as IP66. A good example is the COMFAST AC1200 High Power Outdoor Wireless Access Point with PoE. It has a weatherproof casing that allows it to keep working despite harsh cold or heat.
That guarantees you the same level of fun outdoors as you would have indoors.
Think to flood your entire home with Wi-Fi and still being able to access the internet in every corner of your yard.
Streaming 4K videos on your garden’s big screen and gaming with your gang at the poolside courtesy of a good outdoor long-range Wi-Fi extender. All these without compromising the Wi-Fi speed of the devices serving the rest of the family indoors.
But using an outdoor Wi-Fi extender isn’t the only way to increase Wi-Fi coverage outside your home.
How To Extend Wi-Fi Outside?
There are three main ways you can take reliable Wi-Fi outside with you. The first is as explained above; using an outdoor Wi-Fi range extender.
The second way involves using a mesh system. This requires you to place some of your satellite units near the windows or doors to push the boosted signal outwards. In this case, the router and satellite units stay indoors.
Though the NETGEAR Orbi Outdoor Satellite Wi-Fi Extender is an outsider by design, it can stay indoors and serve the purpose.
But you can also use a non-mesh Wi-Fi extender to close the deal. Like the NETGEAR EX6110-100NAS AC1200 Wi-Fi Range Extender.
When the strictly-indoor device is placed near the window or door of the spot you need to be serviced with strong Wi-Fi, it floods reliable signals as desired.
How far can Wi-Fi go outdoors?
As far as the manufacture of the Wi-Fi range extender commands it to go. Keep the figure in feet for safe imagination.
From the list of best outdoor long range Wi-Fi range extenders below, you will realize the manufacturer sets the theoretical distance the device can cover. But there are limitations within your home that can lower that.
Think of the concrete wall of your garage, trees flooding your backyard, and the metallic security door securing your barn.
They all contribute to how well the Wi-Fi signal from your router can flex its muscles. Most often, it only serves a few feet away from the main door.
It’s obvious your router has its limited ability to flood Wi-Fi in your home and yard, that’s where the outdoor Wi-Fi range extender comes in.
If you need the reliable wireless signal from your router to serve your garage that is about 100 feet away from your home, install one of the outdoor Wi-Fi range extenders below; say the Winegard RW-2035 Extreme Outdoor Wi-Fi Extender right outside your home where it can pick the router’s signal.
It will pick, boost, and thrust the Wi-Fi far allowing you to stream movies on your smart TV installed in the garage!
But that’s not all.
Say you pick a dual-band Wi-Fi range extender from the list below. Set up the 5GHz band to wireless bridge mode allowing the 2.4GHz band to service the wireless devices outside your home craving for strong Wi-Fi.
That makes the 5GHz band a dedicated backhaul; a free highway for the extender to communicate with your router. The bandwidth there is uncompromised!
And though this cuts the overall speed a little; of which you may never even notice, the devices under the service of your Wi-Fi range extender will enjoy the full wrath of its 2.4GHz band.
That spells the end of dead zones, buffering and latency in one stroke!
So are you ready to install a long-range Wi-Fi range extender in your home now?
While evaluating extenders in the market today, we tested a fair number and settled on those delivering pleasant coverage, presence of PoE (to be explained at the end of the list), and ability to handle outdoor life as a matter of priority.
However, some indoor devices showed great stamina to withstand the competition hence their presence in the list. Here are some of those we fell in love with.
Top 10 Best Outdoor Long Range Wi-Fi Range Extenders
1. Superboost Wi-Fi Extender
This easy-to-setup long-range Wi-Fi range extender promises to flood up to 2,500 feet of your home with strong and stable Wi-Fi feeding about 15 wireless devices with the signal. It comes with one wired LAN port for your wired device.
Though it prefers to stay indoors, the extender promises to push the signal through wood, concrete, and metal to get reliable Wi-Fi to your beautiful garden.
To connect to your wireless router, plug the extender on one of your power outlets in your home, and push the WPS button. You are on!
The device works with most of the routers in the market today and operates in five different modes; as a router, WISP client router, Access point, client, or repeater. It is equipped with an overvoltage protection control and a security encryption module.
It weighs less than 4 pounds and keeps its cost around $40. Quite fair for its excellent services if you ask.
2. TP-Link Long Range Outdoor Wi-Fi Transmitter
While other extenders have both 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands with the latter offering backhaul capabilities, this one has the 2.4GHz band only. That doesn’t make it a weakling.
It uses TDMA (Time Division Multiplexing) to deliver high throughput, low latency, and has the ability to support a fair number of wireless devices.
Trust it to last outdoors providing you with reliable Wi-Fi at 300Mbps. Expect it to spread the Wi-Fi across over 1,000 feet courtesy of its built-in high gain MIMO antenna.
The presence of passive PoE (Power over Ethernet) allows you to link it to your router via Ethernet cable across 200 feet. That also allows it to be reset remotely when need be.
TP-Link Long Range Outdoor Wi-Fi Transmitter has a centralized management system and operates as an Access Point, Client, WISP Client, or AP router mode.
The extender is known to work between -30°C and 70°C; which covers most parts of the world!
It’s over 1 pound in weight and costs about $40.
3. Hawking Hi-Gain Outdoor Dual-Band Wireless-600N Access Point/ Bridge (HOD45B)
Looking to create an outstanding outdoor hotspot?
Look no further. The Hawking Hi-Gain Outdoor Dual-Band Wireless-600N Access Point/ Bridge (HOD45B) is well equipped to provide strong Wi-Fi from one building to another, between boats, at the dock, in large homes and even hotels.
The outdoor Wi-Fi range extender promises to cover over 1,000 feet radius with blazing-fast Wi-Fi; 600Mbps courtesy of the 2 x 5dBi removable omnidirectional antennas.
It has a heavy-duty weatherproof design allowing it to tolerate harsh weather; –20°C to 60°C and is certified to IP67 standards.
It comes with a 1Gbps PoE port that supports up to 100 feet Ethernet cable. It operates in several modes; outdoor Access Point, Wireless Bridge, wireless universal repeater, wireless bridge point-to-point, wireless bridge point-to-multipoint, and Wireless Distribution System.
Hawking Hi-gain Outdoor dual-band wireless-600N access point comes with a pole/ wall mounting kit to facilitate its outdoor life. It weighs about 1.6 pounds hence no need to worry about the pole or wall to mount it on.
4. TP-Link EAP225-Outdoor Omada AC1200 Wireless Access Point
The easy to install dual-band device is encased in a waterproof enclosure to help it endure harsh weather; dust and water included.
Built for outdoor life, it has a 6KV ESD lightning arrestor for protection against lightning, certified to IP65 standards, and is Passive PoE compatible.
The Access Point enjoys free cloud centralized management and with the use of the Omada app, its deployment and management are super convenient.
Wireless devices served by this Access Point can expect 1200Mbps with 2 x 2 MU-MIMO technology. The 2.4GHz band covers about 700 feet while the 5GHz band feeds 1,000 feet courtesy of its 2 omnidirectional detachable high gain antenna. The devices can also expect seamless roaming no matter where the user goes within the network
It is a lightweight device weighing less than 6 ounces, almost unnoticeable and costing about $70.
5. COMFAST AC1200 High Power Outdoor Wireless Access Point with PoE
The dual-band Access Point is known to boost Wi-Fi coverage by over 200 feet while the device is situated about 100 feet away from the router.
It’s built for outdoor living with an IP66 rating backed up with ABS shell enclosure to give it winning characteristics such as water and dustproof, lightning protection, antifreeze, and high-temperature protection. This allows you to either mount it on a pole or the wall.
It operates in 3 main modes; as a Bridge, wireless Access Point for big yards, or as a wireless router for medium-sized yards.
The 2.4GHz band offers 300Mbps while the 5GHz does 867Mbps. This is made possible by the 2 x 5dBi high gain Omni-directional antennas hence guaranteeing stable Wi-Fi coverage.
The Access Point supports PoE and comes with a PoE adapter. It is easy to install, weighs about 1.5 pounds, and costs below $70. Its performance is unbeatable!
6. NETGEAR Orbi Outdoor Satellite Wi-Fi Extender
When you want to take the party to the poolside, NETGEAR Orbi Outdoor Satellite Wi-Fi extender answers to all your needs.
It has an IP66 rating making it rain and sun resistant; no need to worry about pool water splashing on it. But for safety reasons, mount it on the wall to spare it the unnecessary falls as you have your fun.
Setting it up as a Wi-Fi range extender to communicate with your router requires your everyday browser; no special expertise needed. Expect it to expand Wi-Fi coverage up to 2,500 feet.
When used as part of the Tri-band Mesh system, expect a 1.7Gbps wireless backhaul on the 5GHz band between it and the router hence elimination of buffering, latency, and dead zones. It also allows seamless roaming as you watch your movies, play online games, or make video calls. That allows you to walk to the house and later join the gang at the poolside without any interruptions. The one Wi-Fi name for all the network keeps you connected always.
Being part of the tri-band Mesh Wi-Fi, it’s better to deploy it as a whole Mesh system. But that doesn’t mean it can’t work with other routers. It does, except with Orbi Wi-Fi 6 systems.
Though it isn’t heavy physically; about 3 pounds, pocket wise, it is; get ready to part with about $400 for the perfected coverage.
7. WAVLINK AC1200 Outdoor Wi-Fi Range Extender
The uniquely shaped long-range Wi-Fi extender comes armed with 4 external 7dBi omnidirectional antennas backed by built-in high power amplifiers to extend Wi-Fi coverage up to 2,100 feet. Quite a distance for an easy to deploy 1.4-pound device costing below $150.
It has an IP65 rating enabling it to bear wild temperatures between -30°C and 70°C and continuous moisture. It has a built-in 15kV ESD lightning arrestor and a waterproof RJ45 connector making it an excellent option for outdoor networking. It operates in 4 modes; as a wireless outdoor router, repeater, Access Point, or WISP.
Being a dual-band, the 2.4GHz band offers 150Mbps while the 5GHz band delivers 867Mbps. It supports passive PoE power supply using Ethernet cable; keep the cable length below 200 feet for best results.
WAVLINK AC1200 Outdoor Wi-Fi Range Extender promises to pick and deliver stable wireless signal secured with 802.1X, WAP, and WPA2.
8. Outdoor Wi-Fi Antenna BAS-2301 Extender
Unlike other extenders in this list, BAS-2301 only supports routers that have an external detachable antenna. That is because it comes with an RP-SMA type connector that connects to the router’s antenna port using a coax cable. This means the router’s antenna must be yanked off.
The setup allows the Wi-Fi range extender to act as the outdoor 12.5 to 15dBi antenna to the indoor router boosting the Wi-Fi coverage up to 1,500 feet in radius with unnoticeable speed reduction.
Though it operates on 2.4GHz band only, it is the best long-range Wi-Fi extender for the shop in front of your home, warehouses, and restaurants with outdoor dining area.
The heavy-duty long-range Wi-Fi range extender isn’t shy of heavy rain, dust, or sun. It weighs 3.08 pounds and costs less than $40.
9. Winegard RW-2035 Extreme Outdoor Wi-Fi Extender
Winegard RW-2035 Wi-Fi extender is built for the outdoors to boost Wi-Fi coverage up to 1,000 feet radius. That makes it most suitable for homes built in the woods, garages, and restaurants, spelling the end of dead zones in the compound.
Its easy once-off setup allows you to pick the perfect spot for it, install and forget it. Don’t let its dominant black color, UFO looks or physical size fool you, it’s built with light plastic reducing its weight to a mere 3.5 pounds.
The outdoor long range Wi-Fi range extender comes with its mounting hardware. Just look for the perfect location outside and mount it on a wall or pole and you are set for high-speed Wi-Fi. Use an Ethernet cable to feed power to it; it is PoE ready.
Though using only 2.4GHz band, its 3 amplified omnidirectional high gain external antennas ensure unbeatable signal strength for all the devices you need to use outdoors. Your security cameras, lights, and related controls no longer have to starve for Wi-Fi.
10. NETGEAR EX6110-100NAS AC1200 Wi-Fi Range Extender
The EX6110 Wi-Fi range extender is an indoor device that isn’t shy to push Wi-Fi coverage up to about 2.3 square feet.
The dual-band extender uses both bands to give you great Wi-Fi speeds in areas of your home that would otherwise be considered dead zones. Expect about 1200Mbps speeds.
Before installing it, download NETGEAR’s Wi-Fi Analytics App on your smartphone and test the signal strength from your router around your home; indoors and outdoors. Identify the location you need Wi-Fi signal but isn’t sustainable and plug the Wi-Fi range extender to a power socket nearby. Next, test the signal strength again. Test the Wi-Fi speed as well.
The 802.11ac Wi-Fi range extender blends well with the environment remaining almost unseen. It works well with any router and has high power amplifiers to boost the Wi-Fi signal strength to meet your taste!
For a device going for less than $100, the deal is more than fair.
How to Handle PoE-enabled Wi-Fi Range Extenders
The last thing you need after finding your preferred Wi-Fi range extender is failing to get it working. And since most of the Wi-Fi range extenders in the list above have PoE, it’s only fair that you understand a thing or two about this PoE.
PoE means Power over Ethernet.
Every electronic device needs the power to turn on and work and for most, that means plugging to a power outlet. If a wired networking device, the need for a second cable to allow it to join the network comes in. That makes wiring untidy.
PoE Wi-Fi range extenders have the advantage of using one cable to cater for both power and networking needs. The secret to merging power and networking cables is the use of an Ethernet cable; CAT 5e or CAT 6, plugged to a PoE-enabled switch which acts as the power source (PSE) such as NETGEAR 8-Port Gigabit Ethernet Unmanaged PoE+ Switch (GS308PP). Or you can use a PoE injector right after your ordinary switch.
Once the PSE and your Wi-Fi range extender are mounted in the location of your choice, connect the 2 with an Ethernet cable following the length instructed in your extender’s manual. Theoretically, the Ethernet cable can span up to 4,000 feet but according to the Wi-Fi extenders we tested, 200 feet worked without compromising the setup.
Both PoE and non-PoE devices can use the PSE without causing havoc. But the biggest advantage of having a PSE installed is that most devices depending on Wi-Fi today are PoE-ready. Like your security cameras. You will no longer be restricted to hiring an electrical expert to install a power cable, run 2 cables to serve the devices, or install such devices near power outlets; you can place them wherever you want.
What is the Difference Between Wi-Fi booster and Wi-Fi extender?
In essence, the terms are interchangeable.
Though different manufacturers have different specifications for their Wi-Fi range extenders, the resulting device aims to boost the strength of your Wi-Fi so it not only covers every spot in your home but also delivers a stable signal. The Wi-Fi repeaters do the same job because, in reality, they are not any different.
Are Wi-Fi range extenders any good?
With all the research given above, you are the judge!
Wi-Fi range extenders come to kill all dead zones in your home; indoors and outdoors. Yours is to install the device in an area where it can pick the weakening signal to boost its strength and thrust it far and wide to the areas where you most need it.
Think of the many areas in your yard that could use strong Wi-Fi but aren’t able to access it because your router; sitting behind closed doors, isn’t able to serve such. You are only a great outdoor long range Wi-Fi range extender away from having just that. What are you waiting for?