WiFi Range Extender

Guys I have a TP-Link Archer C7 & TP-Link TD-8616 ADSL2+ modem used with AT&T DSL. I just ordered a Ring Video Doorbell and it requires a strong Wi-Fi signal. Using the Wi-Fi Analyzer app outside my front door I’m getting the readings below.

If you don’t have a strong Wi-Fi signal Ring recommends a Wi-Fi extender. They say while there are many to choose from they have tested & recommend the TP-Link TL-WA850RE or Netgear EX2700.

I wouldn’t consider my Wi-Fi signal as very strong would you? I’m thinking I may need an extender and would like to have one on hand so I’m not waiting on it.

What do you think of the extenders they recommended? Is one better than the other?

 

It's not a strong signal indeed although it's hard to tell if the signal really is not that strong or does the phone have a bad reception.
Since s strong signal is needed to ensure decent throughput for smooth video playback, you might want to check if you can smoothly play a Full HD YouTube videoon you phone standing where the bell will be.

While the bell uses 720p video, it's hard to tell what sort of format and compression it uses so using FHD for the test should compensate for that. Also you might want to do a SpeedTest in that location to see how the throughput looks - you might not need an extender at all.

If you do, you certainly don't need one with an Ethernet jack so you can use TP-Lilnk's TL-WA854RE rather than 850RE.
Netgear has external antennas which is nice but does not necessarily mean the range will be better.

 

Thanks for replying downloads. The phone I'm using is a Droid Turbo so you would think the reception would be fine.

I played a Full HD YouTube video on my phone out on my porch where the doorbell will go and it plays fine no stuttering.

I did a SpeedTest out on my porch and it shows:
Download - 5.2
Upload - .66

I know my upload speed isn't as high as it probably should be but I'm hoping the Ring Doorbell will work well enough. I tried out a Netgear Arlo I bought for my mother and it worked reasonably well out on my porch. It had a little lag but not too bad. Anyway they are similar in how they work.

So to give the Ring Doorbell every opportunity to succeed at my house do you think an extender would help in that regard?

 

Upload seems low indeed. What should be your Internet speed or what do you get some 6 feet from the router?

 

I have AT&T's fastest DSL package which really isn't all that fast:
Download - 6.0 Mbps
Upload - 512 Kbps

 

So you are getting almost all you can get out of this connection - upload is even slightly better. There is no need for an extender - it won't make things any faster.

 

Ok thanks! I guess the Ring will work or it won't but at least now I know there's nothing else that can be done if it doesn't.

 

Downloads I came across another brand of video doorbell (Zmodo Greet) that seems to imply that your WiFi signal strength is the most important thing for THEIR product to work. Or at least their support page emphasizes you need a strong WiFi but mentions nothing about bandwidth. http://support.zmodo.com/index.php?action=artikel&cat=2&id=106&artlang=en

Do you think I would have a chance of this doorbell working for me if I had a range extender?

 

Oddly I can't see the post in your link - I get "access denied" for some reason.

Either way, bandwidth is a function of a signal strength - that's why they require good signal strength. There is no reason for this apart from the fact that you need to have signal quality good enough to be able to seamlessly transmit video.
That's assuming that the signal is strong enough for a sustainable connection - it can't get disconnected and connected once again every few minutes.

As I said before - I don't think you are going to need an extender at all unless the doorbell turns out to be so much worse than your phone in terms of reception and range that it actually needs an extender - which is always a possibility. That said, if it turns out not to be stable you can always buy an extender later - although I doubt you'll need to.

 

Thanks! I did go ahead & try the Ring Doorbell and we were pretty sure it wouldn't work and it wouldn't. What was surprising to me though was that it hardly worked at all and according to Ring support tech it was because my download speed wasn't at least 1Mbps.The Arlo on the other hand while not a video doorbell but a video camera that works on the same principle actually didn't work too bad... it just wasn't what we wanted. It too required a minimum 1Mbps but worked while the Ring did not.

From the link I posted:

Is my WiFi signal strong enough?
posted this on November 17, 2015 08:04AM

In order to allow you to access live video at any time, receive live alerts and motion detection, and receive calls on-demand, the Greet communicates with cloud servers constantly. As a result, you will need a strong wireless signal where you install the Greet. In order to check your WiFi signal strength, you can download a free WiFi signal strength app in Google Play or the App Store. While standing at the location where you would like to install your doorbell, hold your phone upright and run the WiFi signal strength app. For optimal performance, it is recommended that your WiFi signal is -60dB or better.



Going by the screenshots I posted of my WiFi signal strength it appears my WiFi might not be strong enough for the Zmodo Greet either. Guess I could always try one and send it back like I'm having to do with the Ring doorbell.

 

Well, your upload (I assume you meant upload of minimum 1mbps) might be a problem on its own. Upload has to be good enough to stream HD video and 0.5mbps might not be enough to do this.

Your signal strength is not bad actually - it could be better (and it would have been with an extender) but it's not that far off from good and as a result even with that reception your phone could utilize your Internet's connection full potential.
It's another matter if the doorbell has as good reception as your phone (the latter being much more expensive and more advanced might give it an edge).

As for why one bell worked and the other did not - most likely different video encoding/compression. I looked for info about that on the Ring Video Doorbell website when you originally asked this question and found nothing.

 

So guess bottom line is there is no way to know for sure what, or if any video doorbell or video camera will work at my house. There are too many variables and each system is different the only constant is a .5mbps upload.

It didn't occur to me that while I could successfully stream HD videos on my phone (at the doorbell location) that doorbell/video device's reception might not be as good.