How to get Great Wi-Fi in your Backyard or Outdoors

Wi-Fi isn’t reserved for indoors only. There’s plenty of reasons to make sure that great Wi-Fi extends to your outdoor spaces as well.

There are countless scenarios:

• Maybe on a nice day you want to sit in your backyard while working from home.
• Or, maybe you want to surf the web while relaxing on your patio, deck or driveway.
• Maybe you are working in your garage and you need internet to look up information.

If you are looking for how to set up Wi-Fi in your backyard or outdoors in general, here’s what you can do:

Make sure your Wi-Fi really is great.

Listen, if your Wi-Fi signal is struggling indoors, it’s not going to be any better outdoors. That’s why you need to make sure that your Wi-Fi signal is strong, the speed is quick, and your connection is reliable. Start there first.

If you know that your Wi-Fi network coverage is performing well inside, then skip to the next section. Otherwise, go through this checklist to boost your Wi-Fi network first:

1. Re-position your router so it can receive and send the Wi-Fi signal better.
2. Elevate your router to help it out.
3. Re-position your router antennas if it has them. Make sure one is pointing straight up and then other is pointing to the side (think of a 90-degree angle or “L” shape)
4. Upgrade your router if it is outdated
5. Lastly, use Wi-Fi boosters like extenders to maximize your coverage.

Use Wi-Fi extenders.

Spoiler alert: Wi-Fi extenders are what you need to get that great outdoor Wi-Fi you’re looking for. Yes, we also recommend them as the last step above to make your network better indoors, too.

Why?

Because they are designed to make your Wi-Fi signal reach farther, and that includes past the walls of your home to outside.

MoCA network adapters and extenders provide corner-to-corner Wi-Fi coverage, even outdoors.

To get great Wi-Fi in your backyard, you can set up a Wi-Fi extender or MoCA adapter kit two different ways:

1. Inside your home but just inside from your outdoor space. For example, if you have patio doors off of your kitchen, set it up just inside there.
2. Outside / in your garage.

All you need to set up the Wi-Fi extender or MoCA adapter kit is the device(s), a power source and an Ethernet cable (so that your connection is reliable every time).

Then all you do is plug and go.

First, plug one adapter into a power source / wall outlet (depending on where you set up) closest to your router.

Second, plug the second adapter into a power source closest to your device you will be using outdoors.

This is an easy way to get great Wi-Fi in the outdoor space around your home. The wired connection will make sure that your internet connection is stable. And just because the device is stationary to the cable setup doesn’t mean that you have to be. Once you get your Wi-Fi range extended outdoors, you are still free to move about as you wish.

Want more on how to make the most of your Wi-Fi network? Check out Actiontec’s blog for more Wi-Fi tips, tricks and news.