Due to the distance from my router and the structures in between, two of my seven cameras are intermittent on my security monitors at times. I’ve had to go out and restart them many times, which takes care of the problem for awhile.
So, I opted to by a wifi extender.
I purchased the ExendTecc Wifi Extender, for all the positive comments made about it.
Well, for some reason, both cameras get passed the QR code when trying to establish a network connection with the extender but then say can’t logon on (or some such). I’ve verified the ssid, the speed, the password. I’ve also verified with my cell phone that the ExtendTecc Wifi Extender network is good to the camera locations but when selected, the cameras just do NOT finish logging on.
When you configured the extenders did you use your existing SSID or did you give the extenders a new SSID?
The reason I am asking is I have seen issues if you use your existing SSID.
Initially it may seem to work but quickly seems to degrade the network. Giving each extender it’s own SSID cures this.
You might also check if the new extenders have a location assistant. This tool let’s you know if the extenders are in a good location.
Another possibility is if you can use one of the wifi bands as a “backhaul”. In my case, since all the devices are 2.4gHz, I use the 5gHz band as the backhaul. I currently have 17 devices on my garage extender. It works great and allows the signal to go through at least 4 drywalls.
You may need to tinker a bit but once you get it right it is stable and reliable.
p.s. In case the extenders don’t work out I’m using TP-Link RE315’s. They are dirt cheap. $20 on Amazon.
I looked it up and it seems it’s a repeater, which means it broadcasts the same ssid names. Nothing wrong with that, I use repeaters myself. I just don’t trust this particular model. A little on the slow side and an older model.
Did you accept the default network name of the extender - according to their instructions it adds “-pro-2.4g” to the end of your SSID. Is that what you’re attempting to connect the camera to? I’m thinking you may still be attempting to connect to your main wifi rather than the extender.
May want to factory reset the cam and try setting it up after that. As long as you name it the same thing in the app, it will get its settings back.
Well they’re going through the camera setup using the QR code as they said, not sure why they’d be doing that if not changing the SSID. If they’re using the default settings of that extender, it will use a new SSID and require setting the camera up again, so my assumption is that’s the reason.
I like this suggestion, too. I recently added one of those to my LAN, but I’m using it in AP mode. It’s connected via cable to a Powerline Ethernet adapter from a TL-PA4010KIT, and another Powerline Ethernet adapter has a cable connection to the ISP gateway on the other end. I like the versatility of these devices.
Photos I see online of what I think might be @jefreedn’s device show it with an Ethernet port, as well, but I don’t see an explanation of how that can be used with this particular unit.
I’m also uncertain about @jefreedn’s description of the problem and troubleshooting involved so far, though.
On that particular model? I didn’t spend a lot of time looking, and I don’t know if I found the exact product @jefreedn was referring to, anyway. A picture I saw showed an Ethernet port but no explanation of how to use it, so I wasn’t sure (still not).
One of the things I like about the TP-Link RE315 that @ronl4625 mentioned is its ability to be used in “Access Point Mode” (Ethernet backhaul) or “Range Extender Mode” (Wi-Fi backhaul where a client device without Wi-Fi capability—like an older desktop PC—could connect to the Ethernet port). I bought it specifically for the AP option.
What I see listed on the product page as the theoretical maximum under ideal conditions is 600 Mbps. Their Windows PC utility shows inter-device connections with a red arrow for < 50 Mbps and with a yellow arrow for > 50 Mbps, and I do see a red arrow sometimes when I check it (I think dependent upon where the devices are located/which electrical circuits they’re using, so I’m not surprised with the goofy wiring in this house). Right now the numbers I’m seeing between some nodes range from 32-567 Mbps, depending on which nodes I check (I currently have 4). That’s good enough for me, and I like the stability of wired connections.
I was initially skeptical of these things but bought a pair several years ago because I was having some much trouble with Wi-Fi interference from a microwave oven, and it turned out to be a good solution—even in a house with older wiring and the nodes not on the same circuit—so I eventually picked up a second pair.
Right now I’m on AT&T DSL 50/10, but the technician is supposed to show up this morning for the switch to 500 symmetric fiber, so I’ve been monitoring the front yard Cam v4 to see when the truck shows up.
I say that to say that my real bottleneck in day-to-day use with these things has tended to be the connection out to the Internet, if anything, so in my experience these adapters have actually exceeded my expectations, plus they’re unobtrusive and super simple to use.
That was just a guess, might also be outgoing port but usually on a WiFi extenders like that it is backhaul.
Those speeds are not to shabby.
I got couple some 15 or so years ago as my daughter’s rooms were on the second floor and the computers had ethernet only. It was a cheap alternative and they worked pretty good through aluminum wiring. If I remember correctly they were getting around 80Mbs, sufficient for surfing and YouTube. I find them good alternative to spotty WiFi.
Bell Canada offered me 300/300 for CAN$80 for two years. After that it goes up to CAN$100 a month. Also, they offered 3000/3000 for CAN$100 for two years also, going to CAN$120. Right now I have 1000/50 and paying CAN$75, I think I’ll stick with it as I have bundled two phones as well. 1000/50 is pretty good for me for now.
If you go back in history (90’s) the early wifi units all had a required ethernet connection. You would then select the wifi unit to be in bridge mode (extend existing network) or AP mode (new network).
We used to quip “wifi was just wireless ethernet”.
Wifi has matured over time so the ethernet connection is optional. If you can run the twisted pair to the extender then it adds stability and a speed increase. If you cannot run twisted pair then the power line adapters become attractive or a wifi band for backhaul.
There is a fairly new technology called moCA. It runs ethernet over your existing coax. Of course it needs coax and the adapters are pricey (>$100) but it can reach speeds of 2.5gHz with low latency. I’ve been sniffing around it
I’ve seen cheap repeaters with one or two network ports. The LAN ports are for older peripherals with no WiFi capability. Sometimes there’s a WAN port for direct connection to a router.
Yeah, that and extending Wi-Fi (coupled with an extender in AP mode) without running cable are good uses for them, I think, though, unlike @ronl4625, I’m using the same SSID on both WAPs without apparent issue. We’ll see what happens now that the new gateway for the fiber is up, since that’s different hardware, but I don’t anticipate any issues.
Or if you don’t want the hassle, like me.
Now that we’ve veered away from the original topic somewhat, I’m curious to see what additional information @jefreedn might bring back to the conversation.
