On 9/16/2020 10:22 AM, Pat wrote:
This is sort of off topic, but I know there are some very
knowledgeable people here. I live in a small condo association (20
units) and volunteer to manage our security cameras (15 IP Cameras).
Since my unit is near the center of the property and I was able to run
fiber to a utility building elsewhere on the property, most of the
cameras are hard wired using p.o.e. and work very reliably. However,
3 of the cameras must use 2.4 GHz wifi. My personal wifi easily
covers my unit and surrounding area, but barely covers the common area
where those 3 cameras are located. That area is roughly 180 feet from
my router, so the limited coverage is not a surprise. Quite a few
years ago, I purchased a TP-Link WA7210N access point. It is
connected to my router via ethernet and is aimed toward those 3
cameras. Adding that AP, made a huge improvement, but it is still not
as good as I want. Depending on the weather, whether there are leaves
on the trees, and what vehicles are parked nearby, anywhere from 5% to
10% of the messages are lost. Sometimes, no messages are lost for
hours. Other times, no contact can be made for 3 or 4 minutes.
Usually, it is something in between - a few lost messages per minute.

I believe there are three things causing my issues. 1) At 180 feet,
the signals are still fairly weak. 2) Being is a well populated area,
interference from other wifi networks are a likely problem (one of the
cameras can "see" over 50 SSIDs), and 3) being restricted to 2.4 GHz,
all my neighbors' microwave ovens are probably causing problems. (My
own microwave wipes out those 3 cameras while running, so other
people's microwaves are likely to do the same). I have AC power
available near the cameras, but there is no protection from the
weather available for things like range extenders. I also have no way
to run new cables or fiber to that area without digging under long
runs of concrete driveway. I am hoping one of you might have an idea
I haven't thought of yet.

Pat

I wonder whether you could effectively increase the gain by placing a V
or U-shaped tin foil reflector behind the TP-Link. A good deal of
experimenting is needed to get the optimal distance.

Perhaps more practical is to connect a 2.4 Hi-gain antenna to the
antenna port on the TP-Link, e.g., $30 https://amzn.to/2ZNRGJn