topic Re: money back? in Buying Options & Tips

money back?

dustin85 — Mon, 26 Sep 2016 15:30:55 GMT

If I purchase a arlo system and the camera won't reach the base station because of distance from my house to my shop can I return it?my house and shop are roughly 150ft apart and I know arlo says 300ft but I've read several reviews where they say the signal really drops off in the 125ft range

Re: money back?

BrianL — Tue, 07 Jul 2015 03:42:41 GMT

Hi dustin85,

You may consider adding a WiFi extender on your network to move the base station closer to the location or area where the cameras will be deployed. Check these links and see if this will help you with your setup.

How can I increase the range of my Arlo system?

https://community.netgear.com/t5/Arlo-Knowledge-Base/How-can-I-increase-the-range-of-my-Arlo-system/ta-p/5568

How can I extend the range of an Arlo system using a WiFi range extender?

https://community.netgear.com/t5/Arlo-Knowledge-Base/How-can-I-extend-the-range-of-an-Arlo-system-using-a-WiFi-range/ta-p/5567

Kind regards,

BrianL

Arlo Team

Re: money back?

dustin85 — Tue, 07 Jul 2015 04:15:21 GMT

I'm already running a high end router in the room closest to my shop so there's no way for a extender to help me.

Re: money back?

TomMac — Tue, 07 Jul 2015 13:08:32 GMT

dustin85 wrote:
I'm already running a high end router in the room closest to my shop so there's no way for a extender to help me.

What I would try is to get a wifi signal sniffer prgm ( I actually like the one for the Kindle Fire (free) and there are other free ones for android and IOS )... many wifi prgms on laptops will give you networks/signal strenght too.

You can go to the area you planning to place the cameras and test the signal strength of you current wifi system to see how much blockage/interference there is to the location. If your getting a fairly good signal to the area, then there's a good chance the Alro cameras will work too.

It will also allow you to see other networks so the main wifi router can be change to a less used channel ( yr arlo base will pick and setup on the same channel if close to the main wifi unit )

Last, also not mentioned, if your able is, to run an ethernet cable ( good for 100m lenght ) out to the shop and place the base there for max coverage ( or run a second base to cover two locations far apart )

As to returns, most of that is the store purchased from and many have a week to 30 days return policy which should be long enough to see if you it fits your needs.

Re: money back?

jguerdat — Tue, 07 Jul 2015 13:38:23 GMT

The suggestion for an extender still applies. I use one for the deck even with my high-end Asus router. I happen to use the Netgear WN3500RP which has an Ethernet port on it and has other options that may be useful to you. By extending the range of the WiFi with the extender you can plug the base into the extender and have it much closer to the cameras, negating the camera range issue.

Re: money back?

dustin85 — Tue, 07 Jul 2015 15:09:59 GMT

I can click on the WiFi on my phone and it tells me the link speed if that would help me any and I have a program on phone called WiFi analyzer, running ethernet cable to shop would be way to much trouble, digging trench then the shop is metal so yeah lol,a WiFi extender will not help I cannot get any closer to the shop from where my router is,if I could get closer then yes it would work

Re: money back?

jguerdat — Tue, 07 Jul 2015 15:22:13 GMT

I actually have my extender outdoors in a large (6*6*6) plastic electric box you can bet at most hardware stores. I ran an extension cord into it by drilling the smallest hole the wire would fit in on the bottom (so water wouldn't get in) and then attached a plug to it inside the box. I also drilled a bunch of small holes for ventilation. With the cover on it works fine and I don't have to worry about weather. Note that my extender is a wall plug type and not the larger router-like units.

Might not work for your situation but maybe with a little inventiveness...