Although they require a strong Wi-Fi connection, wireless security cameras can save you the trouble of installing specialized cabling. Here’s how to improve your camera’s signal.
Table of Contents
Reposition the Router or Cameras
Related: 2022’s Best Security Cameras
It’s difficult to choose a single tip to top this list, but altering the position of the router or cameras is a nice one because it’s simple and low-tech. Read through the full post to discover which options are ideal for your specific scenario, but if you’re only going to attempt one, this should definitely be it.
If you’re experiencing lost connections between your Wi-Fi security cameras and your network on a regular basis, or if you’re experiencing major performance difficulties, you need a stronger connection between the router and the cameras.
Moving the router to a more central place in your house is frequently all that is required to ensure that devices with previously poor connections now have a strong ones.
It’s also a good time to consider what’s between the router and the cameras because many visible and hidden elements in a home’s construction will obstruct Wi-Fi signals. Even if it is impractical to place your router in the center of everything, try shifting the camera to avoid things that obstruct the signal.
Check for Wi-Fi Channel Congestion
Whether or not fiddling with Wi-Fi channel assignments will result in a better camera experience is very dependent on the type of cameras you have and the area you’re in.
If you have modern Wi-Fi cameras that use the 5GHz band, channel congestion is unlikely to be the cause of your difficulty. However, 5Ghz has a lower range than 2.4GHz, and if your cameras support both 5Ghz and 2.4GHz, they may fall back to 2.4GHz if the 5Ghz signal is poor.
Furthermore, if your Wi-Fi router and Wi-Fi cameras are hundreds of feet or more away from any other Wi-Fi system, channel congestion or difficulties are unlikely.
If you reside in a heavily populated neighborhood with close-knit neighborhoods or an apartment complex, it’s worth researching which channels are busy and making suitable router settings to use alternate channels.
Upgrade Your Wi-Fi Hardware
You can reposition your router, make channel congestion modifications, and still be dissatisfied with the Wi-Fi camera performance.
When it comes to home network hardware, especially wireless home network gear, there are a lot of aspects to consider, and it may be time for a router update.
The development of demanding Wi-Fi devices such as smartphones, smart TVs, and Wi-Fi cameras places a high demand on routers, and a router that functioned great for your home in the past may not be strong enough for your current configuration.
While you may cope with the scenario by utilizing a Wi-Fi extender to get that final bit of coverage, we advise you to avoid bandaging your Wi-Fi network with extenders. Because they, for the most part, deserve their terrible image.
What good is a security camera that functions haphazardly if you want the fastest and most optimal connection to your home security cameras? —it’s worthwhile to think about upgrading to a more traditional strong router or a mesh network.
The benefit of adopting a mesh network is that you can quickly shift nodes to increase coverage, and if you need an extension, the platform is expandable by default—just by adding additional nodes.
Upgrade the Camera’s Antennas
This option is only available to folks who have cameras with removable antennae, but it’s a fairly nice trick for those who have such cameras.
Internal antennas buried inside the camera’s body are used by firms such as Nest, Arlo, and others. Many cameras from suppliers like Reolink, Amcrest, Swann, and the other “white box” security camera businesses, on the other hand, include adjustable and removable antennae.
These detachable antennas nearly often employ the RP-SMA (Reverse Polarity SubMiniature version A) connection type, which is a form of tiny coaxial that is the industry standard for antenna connections.
If, for example, you have an ideal location for a Wi-Fi camera in terms of view angle and power availability, but the Wi-Fi signal is poor, you could easily replace the detachable antenna with a bigger antenna or even move the antenna with a short extension wire to minimize interference. There are also two-in-one systems available that combine the extension cable with the antenna.
If you require the camera on a corner but the house’s construction is interfering with the signal, you might run a short extension down the gutter or tucked into the siding and position the antenna with a line-of-sight view into the house via a window.
If the camera is within a building (say, a detached garage or shed), you could even pass the antenna through the wall, allowing the camera to remain inside while the antenna has an unobstructed view of your house and the Wi-Fi network.
Lastly, before we leave the issue of wireless security cameras, a word of caution. If you use all of the above tips and tactics, you will boost the signal quality between your cameras and your Wi-Fi router, which will improve your camera experience.
