How to Extend the WIFI Signal Range of Your Wireless Security Camera？

WIFI IP camera is an easy-to-use device, especially for the installation without construction between the camera and the recorder. The WIFI cameras eliminate the cabling over sky or underground. However, WIFI signal has limited range of distance. Understanding what can strengthen and weaken a WIFI signal will help you get a good quality of surveillance video. The following solutions can tell how to get the better WIFI signal.


Barriers Affect Wireless Signal

WIFI can spread in a certain range in the open area, up to 180 meters, but if the signal need to goes through a wall before arriving at the router, the WIFI signal will drop 40-50%. Pass two walls make the signal even worse.

Quick Tips for Extending WIFI Signal

Fortunately, here we have a couple of advices may help.

1. PoE Solution

Choose the wire connection, such as PoE solution in CCTV surveillance project instead of WIFI unless the cabling is difficult.


2. Get rid of the obstacles

WIFI need an open area. Avoid the strong obstacles between the camera and WIFI router is the golden rule. As we known, WIFI signal will drop down seriously after it passes through the obstacles. Get rid of the obstacles must be considered no matter for indoor or outdoor installation. WIFI can provide reliable connection in the open area, but not over obstacles.


3. Use WIFI Bridge
WIFI Bridge may be a good choice if the distance is too far from the WIFI router. The bridge can extend the signal up to 20 KM. Normally the WIFI bridge work in pair. The receiver needs to face to the transmitter. Wireless bridge is used for outdoor, mainly connecting two networks, but we can replace one side to our IP camera and reach long wireless distance.

4. Set up WIFI repeater

If the large obstacle is unavoidable, we will need a WIFI repeater. It is used to extend the WIFI network coverage. The repeater receives the signal from the router and transmits it further. In the CCTV installation, the WIFI repeater can make the signal pass around the obstacles and reach the router.

5. Dedicated WIFI Camera NVR

If the above tips can’t deliver the satisfied result, we can consider the dedicated WIFI camera NVR. The dedicated camera and NVR has better signal range than WIFI camera and router solution. More important, we can place the WIFI NVR to the best position to receive the signal from all WIFI cameras. In the open area like the factory or farm, dedicated WIFI camera NVR can take care of the problem of dealing with the sky cabling.

6. WIFI Receiver

The WIFI receiver device can be installed outdoor, receives video from different WIFI IP cameras and bring the video back to a router or NVR via cable connection. The wall penetration is done with the cable connection instead of WIFI.

Don't try to challenge the signal penetration with WIFI. Find the way to pass thru the obstacles, the connection will be good. Know more about What are the Pros and Cons of IP WIFI camera NVR? And for more tips to learn How to boost WIFI signal for your wireless IP camera？

What are the Pros and Cons of IP WIFI camera NVR?

If you ask me whether we should choose WIFI system over PoE solution in CCTV surveillance project, I would say don't consider the WIFI unless wire is not the good option. "The wireless is not stable", people always say to WIFI. Technically, it is not about the 'stable'. The WIFI signal will drop down 30-50 % once it penetrates a wall. If the signal needs to go through several walls in the scene, the WIFI cameras could face serious signal dropping. Another thing is the WIFI camera still requires power, it is not really wireless.

What is the value of WIFI camera NVR? Firstly let's take a look at the picture below. The red spot is the place we would like to install CCTV camera. The blue area is the empty without facility. With PoE solution, we would have to be cabling over the sky in the blue area. Those make the installation difficult and ugly. In the open area like the farm or factory, we always could see the similar sense. The cables have to either go over the sky or underground. The WIFI camera NVR could provide better solution in this sense.

The WIFI camera doesn't need to be cabling back to the NVR, so no need to deal with the sky cabling here. The transmission distance is not the problem. The WIFI can reach 120 meters distance in open area. The challenge is the wall. If we place the WIFI NVR inside the building, the signal needs to penetrate at least one, even two walls before arriving at the NVR. The signal could be dropping sharply. We can use the WIFI receiver to settle this issue. The WIFI receiver is the device which can install outside, receive the video from different WIFI IP cameras and return back to an NVR with cable connection. After we deploy the WIFI receiver, the wall penetration takes a cable connection instead of wireless signal. The power is not the issue in this sense, each building has available power.

The key to deploy the WIFI camera NVR is trying everything possible to avoid the WIFI penetration over the wall. In the above case, we use a receiver. Can we simply move the WIFI NVR outsider to receive the signal? It is properly not a good idea. The hard driver will turn into issue once we move the recorder outdoor. The limited operation temperature of hard driver is around 55 degree. Data could be losing, even shorten use life when the temperature rise up to the limit. That is why we can see it always has cooling system in the data center to control temperature for hard drive. With sunshine, the temperature will arrive at 55 degree very quickly inside the NVR.

In the practical application, we can even integrate both WIFI and PoE with a receiver. The NVR will connect all the cameras in the network, both from wire or PoE. WIFI camera NVR can eliminate the cabling deployment in the open area, just try to avoid wall penetrate. The solution will be working fine.

How to boost WIFI signal for your wireless IP camera

If you are installing wireless IP cameras for home security, or if your wireless cameras keep dropping off the connection from your WIFI network, what should be considered firstly is the WIFI signal issues in your home.

We recommend a signal test before your buying wireless IP cameras.

How to test my WIFI signal?

Simply you could use your smart device, stand right below the location and check out the WIFI connection icon on the screen. “Excellent” or “Good” means the location is ideal for installing 720P wireless IP cameras.

You can also pretest the signal strength by 3 steps.

Step 1.Draw out your home blueprint and note the location of cameras.

Step 2.Draw a straight line between your wireless router and the location.

Step 3.Count the amounts of internal walls.

Materials like walls and doors can degrade signal strength, which slows your WIFI speed.

Understanding How Barriers Affect Wireless Signal.

walls absorb signal strength

How to boost my WIFI signal?

1.   Change the position of your wireless router

Put your wireless router high and central in appropriate location. Don’t hide your router in covert places. 

2.   Adjust your wireless router

Upgrade your wireless router on the aspect of antennas. The amounts of antennas make effective influences on signal strength. If you are using a double antenna wireless router, switch antennas up perpendicularly. Perpendicular antennas improve the connections between your router and cameras

3.   Use WIFI repeaters

Wireless router has a range of limited coverage. If your cameras are out of the range, using a WIFI repeater can be the option. It is used to extend the coverage area of your WIFI network. All you have to do is to plug the WIFI repeater into any outlets and ensure the WIFI repeater can receive your existing WIFI network.

4.    Use extension cables for your cameras

Now that we learn materials at home make interference on your wireless IP cameras, there is another solution to boost the signal strength by using extension cables for your cameras. Extension cables are used to extend the WIFI signal reception range of your cameras. Running extension cables helps minimize the amounts of internal walls between the cameras and your WIFI router. It is optional and all depends on the location of your cameras.

Update 2017-Nov: 

Use a power line Wi-Fi adaptor. Normally it has transmitter and receiver works in pair. Find out how power line WiFi adaptor can carry the network signal for your WiFi IP camera.