Where Do I Place My Router, Camera, and/or Extender?

The biggest factors which may weaken Wi-Fi strength are:

• Distance

• Physical obstructions (certain materials absorb the Wi-Fi radio waves and prevent the signal from “bouncing” further)

• Electronic interference from other devices in the vicinity

So when you are deciding on the placement of your devices, consider the path that the Wi-Fi signal will have to travel from your router to your camera and any obstructions they might encounter.

There is no easy way to find the best placement. The best way is to try a few different placements and see which works best.

Adding an Extender

An extender is simply a relay point from your router. For placement purposes, you can think of it as a “second router.” Once you’ve added an extender, now you should consider the path from the router to the extender and then the path from the extender to the camera.

Installing an extender close to the camera is not necessarily the best option. Instead, try placing the extender where it has an unobstructed path between both the router and the camera.

Similarly, if the camera is behind an obstruction, you may be tempted to place the extender right in front of the obstruction in order to “punch through” to the camera. This may work but an alternative solution is to try to go around the obstruction.