So we have a camera that we use to monitor inside the house/ front door. Were looking to add a fleet of wyze cameras and i really want one to monitor our horses inside the barn. I added an extended, so we have range however we dont get any service inside the barn due to the tin siding. If necessary i will mount the camera right inside the barn door and leave it cracked (if that will even work) but is there a way to connect an antenna or any other ideas for the connection to reach inside the barn?
Also if anyone has ideas how to mount the cameras outside without having wires running all over the house definitely interested.
Basically takes the internet signal and routes it through the powerline and then back out to an AP on the other end. I say in theory, because I’ve never tried it.
The theory works:-)
I use similar power line adapters to transport wired camera traffic from my garage (not Wyze cams).
The key issue to watch for is that the two PLC devices need to plugged in to 110VAC outlets that are on the same power phase. The OP may not have any choice out in the barn - there will probably be only one branch circuit running from her fuse/breaker panel out to the outlet(s) in the barn. However, inside the house, some of the electrical outlets will be on one phase, and some will be on the other. It might take a bit of trial and error to find an outlet in the house that is (a) on the same phase as the outlet in the barn and (b) is close to a LAN connection.
These power line adapters (Trendnet, Dlink, Netgear) typically have indicator lights (green/yellow/red) that show whether they are getting a good connection across the power wiring.
Redneck antenna solution, Just run a hunk of insulated wire outside the building and then to the camera. Strip off insulation from the last foot or so. Duct tape to camera. Probably will get enough signal to work,
I’ve successfully used this one tp-link wifi extender with my Wyze cameras that are in a detached building about 40 meters away///while the throughput is low (less than 10fps/100kb/s) it has been reliable.
Something like that might work as a relay if the tin building has some unobstructed area like a window that could be put in via an extension cord. Metal and brick are troublesome for wifi only cameras.
Inexpensively, try using a small aluminum. tin or steel reflector behind the camera or in the direction you want to aim the radio signal, I recommend 3 sides and 2 bends in the metal to form a baseball backstop looking reflector. A flat sheet of thin metal about (7.5 cm) 3 inches tall and about (23 cm) 9 inches long bent at (7.5 cm) 3 inch intervals 90º to the (23 cm) 9 inch side, so basically (7.5 cm x 7.5 cm) 3 x 3 inch reflectors aimed toward the router. Moving it closer to and further from the camera to acheive the best signal between the camera and router. Also a bridge/router will provide coverage inside the barn and you can get them with antennas if needed. Also you might tell us what distance the signal is traveling. Photos would also be helpful of your unique installation.
I will have to try that! So i have a wifi extender in the house, at the closest outlet to the barn. This one:
Is that what you mean by a bridge/router? (I am obviously a complete non technical person and have no idea and need everything spelled out )
Unfortunately i dont have a picture of my barn in relation to my house but its about 200’. With the extender i get coverage all the way around the barn - just not in!
Here is a picture for reference
@maggie.lacy
This might sound anti-intuitive, but you could try putting your Netgear extender out in the barn and see if it connects. It has dual antennae, and might be sensitive enough to pick up the WiFi signal that is broadcast from the WiFi router in the house. If so, it will then re-transmit the WiFi signal inside the barn. The WiFi antenna inside the camera is quite small, so the camera is not very good at picking up weak radio signals.
In any event, I think you’ll have better luck getting reliable internet connectivity out in the barn by using powerline technology, as linked earlier in this thread by OverWatch. A powerline adapter sends the the internet signal over the electrical wiring between the house and the barn, thus sneaking past the tin siding:-)
In your photo, I don’t see any power wires running out to the barn. Are they underground?
It took me about an hour to find the sweet spot To get a good signal From my camera I set up in my pole barn, That spot ended up being right in front of The wooden door casing for my walk in door , It’s been working good ever since.
If you put it by a window in might work too, I didn’t try that because There are no windows in my door or In the area I wanted the camera to be
Yes, our power lines are run underground out to our pole barns. I will have to try the extender out in the barn. Unfortunately we do live in a rural area with only 1 internet option that is not that great on top of things
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