I’m trying to extend my Mesh router network to a dock I’ve got at the back of my house in Florida, which is probably 350 Ft away from the house.
Does anyone have any suggestions on a repeater i can use with my Wyze Mesh network that would be rated for outdoor service?
Thanks,
Dave
You could put another mesh node in a container or dry spot between the 2 locations, or use a wired back haul with point to point microwave extenders.
Agreed, a container (especially a thin clear plastic one) shouldn’t hurt the reception too much, especially for 2.4 GHz which goes through walls, cement, brick, etc fairly well anyway. The only concern I would have is that it might trap heat inside. So, it might be good to account for heat build-up somehow without allowing for too much humidity/condensation/bugs to get inside. 
Yes sir. You want something like this. If don’t like this price, look around for this type device by someone else. Prices vary and fluctuate with season.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BKSM4NV1/?coliid=I1H5C4U1XKMKEK&colid=2E2MQMGBAPG6W&psc=1&ref_=list_c_wl_lv_ov_lig_dp_it
It gets the signal down to your dock, then you attach the satellite router to it.
There are all sorts of big and small utility boxes you can house the units in to prevent water entry.
My big concern with putting the satellite router in an enclosed box is the heat that it generates !! Have you guys felt the bottom of these routers when they are operating? I actually build a little stand to put it on a wood shelf, because I was afraid the heat would damage the surface of the shelf !! Putting it outside in Florida weather seems a bit concerning to me?
Will one of the exterior rated WiFi range entenders work?
Thanks for the help!
Dave
Heat is definitely a valid concern.
I would not recommend a Wi-Fi extender like that because it won’t properly extend your mesh network, and will just create a separate network, that your device needs to switch back and forth between. It can also cause interference and other issues.
I also hate most network extenders because they have always caused me more network problems than they solved. Any devices I connected to then almost always had horrible connectivity issues, and the interference was often horrible just like you said. I tried about 4 different ones before I decided they were horrible solutions.I finally searched some articles about extenders and learned this is really common to the point that they make you more frustrated with worse problems, not less.
I rarely recommend extenders now.
Mesh is best, bridge is next best. Extender is last resort.
I recommend listening to some YouTube videos from people that have first hand experience with specific models. Maybe you will see one that’s application mirrors your requirement versus just across an open field. Goes without saying to question a device that the YT creator sponsored the video. Its nice to have the resources these days to benefit from others experiences so we don’t all have to re-invent the wheel to find out best practices. Eh?
It sure would be nice to hear from someone at Wyze on what ambient conditions the Mesh routers can handle? I’ve got a covered boathouse on the dock, so I could easily mount one up in the eaves of the boathouse, but I feel it would be a short lived device without some other kind of protection.
I know the routers are made for indoor applications, but I doubt I’m the only one wanting to extend their mesh network outside, to a shed/garage etc.
Dave
They likely wouldn’t be allowed to say any more than the official tech specs:
I have an Eero Mesh system with a combination of one Eero pro 6, one Eero pro, and a couple of Eero pro plug-in beacons. I’m currently only using one of the beacons, but it’s been outside in my gazebo since 2021 and covers my whole back yard and even some devices 100 feet away, like our camper in it’s parking spot.
The key to using one of your mesh nodes outdoors is keeping it dry, temperatures don’t seem to be any issue in my case. I live in rural NY State, so we get temps ranging from 90’s in the summer, to below zero in the winter, and mine has worked fine.
As long as you can come up with something to keep it dry and a decent height, a mesh node outdoors should work fine, Mine is about 7 feet high, just under the roof of our gazebo, but it’s also a high point of out property, so coverage distance is great.
It seems like this would be a popular device for Wyze users who have their mesh routers to have an outdoor mesh device to cover the outdoor cameras. eero just released their outdoor WiFi 7 mesh device. Come on Wyze, do what you do and make one cheaper!
You should look at the TP-Link BE63 WiFi 7. I got 33% off on Prime Day recently. What I really like about their software, you can assign a specific device, such as a Wyze camera to a node of your choosing. This makes sure you device is within reach of its signal. Works great. Made a difference for me. I have not seen this in any other manufacturer. And I buy a new mesh router about twice a year to play with features then sell it on eBay.
Did you look at the BE95? Other than price, do you know if there are any other differences?
Asking as I am planning on getting my son some of these
Hi Spamoni. No, didn’t look beyond price. Too often, I don’t see a way to learn the details like this device to node assignment feature (TP-Link calls it connection preference) without buying one. And 95 was more than I was willing. I’d been eyeing the 63 for a while and wasn’t willing to give them what they ask. I think most WiFi 7’s are too pricey. I’ve wanted to try Orbi, but they want too much and their had a 40 and 75 device limit.
I have to Internet providers. Spectrum and Starlink. Starlink is backup. I use it to play around with the extra routers I buy. I had an older Orbi on it. Worked great, but had a 40 device limit, so when I pushed it to the ceiling, changing devices that are easy to switch (not Wyze) to TP-Link to Orbi, the 41st etc, just would not connect. Ruined my day. Scratched it.
I noticed nearly all manufacturers don’t tell us about these hidden gems. Gotta get one, and dig in to find stuff. I guess I should be more organized and put it into a big spreadsheet, - but that’s work.
Sorry, I can’t be more useful.
I have FiOS and so does my son. I agree that the BE95 is way expensive which is why I was hoping you could provide your insight. 
I have the TPLink 6E setup and it has been rock solid for the most part.
Here is a video I watched in doing research.
Good video. I had the TP-Link BE75 6E and it was rock solid. You are spot on with that assessment. I had always thought of TP-Link being B Grade. But they surely are not. Never paid much attention to the real story that they have a vast product line. Not only Tapo and Kasa “stuff”, but a professional product line. That helps me accept that they put effort into their product development. After such luck with their 6E, I wanted their WiFi 7. Doesn’t do much good to move up to 7, if your clients don’t talk 7 to it. So, I found some WiFi 7 (BE200) small modems for my desktops and laptop. Easily recognized by Win11 and when I went to connect to my WiFi 7 2.4, a message popped up that said, I could connect to the 6 GHz WiFi at a 19% performance gain. (Whoa, where did that come from? Never seen anything like that before." So, I did, and performance is better, as I am still on WiFi, but faster than 2.4 was and not competing with all those slower passive devices. Cool. This stuff just keeps getting better.
I put my 6E stuff on eBay and sold it in a couple of days. Catching new stuff on sale, then waiting for the sale to end/die down, makes our used stuff sell better than in a rush. Worth the effort.
I was also reading that it handles throughput better and therefore you get better performance overall, even if you don’t have a WiFi 7 Device.
How are you liking it?
Can I ask if it had built in Matter Support?
Best router, even best mesh router sys that I have ever used. I think I have had about 7 now. Matter? Didn’t think to look yet. But I think Matter has a ways to go. A few matter IoT devices I have added to my net have features that don’t show up, going straight matter install than via their native app then moving to Alexa. app. I use Alexa routines, but seldom use her for voice activation of routines. Triggers, button switches, timers, even a couple of cameras. So Matter doesn’t help.
Thanks.
Long time ago I had the deco’s but had major issues with streaming. Then I went to ASUS and they worked well. I then went to the Wyze router Pros and those functioned great for me, but decided to switch when the firedome was removed because they went out of business.
I then decided to try the Deco’s again and amazingly they worked great. So I was doing some research and some of there models do support Matter, but was not sure if it was that one. Would be nice to connect the matter devices directly to the router.