I don’t know about you, but I hate the idea of being kept prisoner inside the house, simply because I want to finish up on my work or talking to someone online. Yet, outside the house the sun is shining warmly, the birds are chirping, and you are just dying to get out on the patio or go work in the yard.
You find yourself kept prisoner by your weak Wi-Fi signal that cannot penetrate the walls of your house and reach outside to your yard. The only time you should be held prisoner is when you need to recharge your mobile devices; and that only because electricity is yet to go wireless, but that might change if wireless electricity transmission startups get their way.
Back to your weak Wi-Fi signal outside the house! There are a couple of things you can do to boost the network strength outside your house. They are simple DIY tips anyone can do;
#1 – Move the Router closer to the Window
This tip is a no-brainer and the cheapest on this list. By moving the router closer to the window next to your yard, you automatically boost the signal in that area of your yard.
However, before you use this trick, check to see if by moving it to your window the router will still be connected to the internet. That is especially important if your ISP is supplying you internet connection via wires, as opposed to wireless cellular broadband connection.
#2 – Buy a Wi-Fi Extender
If tip #1 above is not possible, then you will have to dig into your pockets and buy a Wi-Fi extender. Note, by moving your router next to the window, some rooms in the house might start getting weak to no network signal. In such cases, getting a Wi-Fi extender makes more sense as there will be no point in inconveniencing other people using the internet inside the house so you can browse while on the patio.
If you have an old router laying around somewhere in the house, you can configure it to act as an extender. However, routers turned into extender tend to reduce the connection speed. You’re better off getting an extender than configuring another router into one.
#3 – Get a Powerline Adapter
If you are going to be a good distance from your house, so much so that an extender will not help, you can buy a powerline adapter, which turns your electrical wires into Ethernet cables. That way, you can use the powerline running from your main house to wherever it is you will be at; assuming that place is getting its power from the house.
The powerline adapter comes in a pair; one gets plugged into your Wi-Fi extender (can work as Ethernet cable as well) while the opposite side gets plugged into your router or Ethernet outlet in the main house.
#4 – Connect Ethernet wires
If you don’t have powerline cables running from your house to the far-off location outside your house where you will be working. You can always buy a long Ethernet cable and connect it to the main house outlet.