Having wi-fi on your deck, porch, etc… is nice, but more and more people are needing wi-fi outside to enable the increasing number of outdoor smart devices, like lighting, security cameras, garage door openers or timers for your garden hose. With the right hardware, you can extend your wi-fi beyond your exterior walls for any of those reasons or to stream video by the pool.
Your best bet would be to invest in a device that is meant to be left outside. As an example, Netgear makes an extender or wireless access point called the Netgear Orbi Outdoor. That device and a few others made by Ubiquiti, EnGenius or Hawking, are designed for outdoor use.
You’ll need to do some homework before investing. One rating to check is the IP or ingress protection rating which will tell you what temperature range the device can withstand. Also, make sure the device is compatible with your current wi-fi equipment. The Netgear Orbi Outdoor is only compatible with the Netgear Orbi system. Another option is to upgrade your current router with a mesh system inside your home. They can cover over 5,000 square feet, so that may be adequate to give you coverage outside.
Tip of the month
Download your Facebook data
Whether or not this latest data breech on Facebook has you nervous enough to end your relationship with the social media, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to download your Facebook data just to see what they have collected about you. You will need to do it from a web browser and not the mobile app, but here are the steps:
Click the little flower like image in the top right of any Facebook page and select Settings.
You should be taken to the General view of Settings, but if not, click on General at the top left-hand column.
At the bottom of the General Account Settings page, click Download a copy of your Facebook data.
Click the Create File button on the right.
Follow any prompts. Facebook will let you know when your file is ready.
