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Sometimes you just want to sit in the garden under the shade of a tree and doom-scroll social media. If you have a small or medium-sized garden, then your mesh Wi-Fi system in your home will probably do a decent job of keeping you connected. Especially if you have one mesh unit just inside a window, like I do!
However, if you have a larger property, and you need to keep distant devices like security cameras or outbuildings connected, you might have considered using one of your mesh units outside. That's not a great idea for a few reasons.
Mesh Wi-Fi isn't designed to cover your backyard
Signal power, antenna design, and other practical limitations
Consumer mesh Wi-Fi systems are designed for an indoor home environment. The signal power, antenna shape and size, as well as the actual enclosure of the device were not made to be on the outside walls of your home.
The thing is, even with my little trick of putting the node near a window or right against the nearest interior wall, the Wi-Fi from these indoor mesh nodes just wasn't designed to penetrate glass, or the thick outer walls that have insulation, wiring, and other components that require more power to pass through.
Outdoor access points are the solution you actually need
If you want reliable Wi-Fi outdoors, what you really need is an outdoor wireless access point.
This works the same as a regular indoor access point, but the antenna and shell are all made to cover outdoor distances, and deal with inclement weather. All you need to do is mount the access point outside, and then run an Ethernet cable inside to one of your nodes, or even the main router itself.
Of course, while an access point is a cheap and simple option, if you have the budget for it, you can often buy an outdoor-specific mesh node that can hook into your current mesh solution seamlessly, like this eero model seen below.
While you can get something like the TP-Link EAP110-Outdoor V3 for less than $50, it's not going to be the ideal solution in every situation. It works using PoE (Power over Ethernet) and will give you decent internet access outside. While basic outdoor APs may require manual network switching, modern managed APs (like those in the Omada or Ubiquiti systems) can be configured with the same SSID and seamless roaming protocols to mimic mesh handoff.
The eero solution, which also works with PoE, forms part of your mesh network. So if you grab your phone, tablet, or handheld console and stroll outside, the handoff should be seamless, with no input from you. Likewise, the setup process should be no more difficult than adding a normal indoor unit to your mesh.
The big question is whether that added convenience and elegance are worth the hundreds of dollars these exterior mesh units command. That is, however, a question only you can answer for yourself.
Other ways to extend Wi-Fi outside
You have plenty of options, both wired and wireless
If you simply want reliable Wi-Fi on your deck or around the pool, an outdoor access point mounted on the back of your house is usually enough.
However, what if you have a detached garage, workshop, guest house, or garden office? Even that pricey outdoor mesh unit could have a hard time getting a Wi-Fi signal into a detached outbuilding for the same reasons your indoor units can't get their signal far outside.
In those cases, a point-to-point wireless bridge can send a high-speed connection between two buildings without digging trenches for an Ethernet cable. Once the connection reaches the remote building, you can install another access point inside to provide local Wi-Fi. The TP-Link Omada Point-to-Point bridge costs just over $100, and has a range of just over half a mile.
If running cable is possible, though, Ethernet remains the gold standard. A buried outdoor-rated Ethernet cable connected to an outdoor access point will almost always outperform any wireless extension solution. Just ensure you pick the right category of Ethernet cable, because exceeding the maximum recommended length can cause your connection to drop entirely.
If your outbuildings are on the same electrical circuit as your main router, then you could also try Powerline Ethernet, which has a decent amount of range over copper wire, but speeds might not be great depending on the exact condition and quality of the power line. This is, however, very much a "last resort" option.
Buy the right tool for the job instead of a bigger mesh kit
The premium option here is obviously to fork out the cash for a proper outdoor mesh node compatible with your current system, designed to cover a large outdoor space, and easy to set up and operate. However, if you're on a budget, then a regular old access point will get the job done, especially if your needs are modest.
Don't be tempted to repurpose network gear for a job it wasn't designed to do. You'll end up wasting time and still have terrible reception in your backyard anyway.
