Arlo Pro and WiFi range extender?

[michele]

If I need to put an Arlo camera out of the base station wifi range, is it necessary to purchase an Arlo additional base station and connect it to the extender wifi (as Orbi satellite) or the camera connect directly to the base station from the extender wifi (without more Arlo base stations only with extender wifi)?

Thanks!

[jguerdat · Accepted solution]

The cameras won't connect to anything but a base station so you'd use the extender to either move the existing base to a more central location for all cameras or to add a second base so the far camera can connect to something.  Note that use of a second base means any cameras attached to either base won't be able to be set up in rules with the other - each base and camera combo will be unto only itself.

[Wraithlabs]

So there is absolutly no way to extend the range of a single base station? I want to be able to cover my entire house with the four cameras that come with the base station. But from what i read in the post above you can only connect to a base station. So there is no way to connect a range extender to the wifi signal being broadcasted by the base station to allow extended range for the cameras? That seems crazy! Why would Netgear limit their system like that. There is no way i would get two base stations and have to have two seperate base station profiles that need to be armed and disarmed seperatly just to cover one house. That is extremely short sighted. The ssid is being broadcasted and i see no reason why that signal could not be extended like any other wfi signal. I am wondering if i am missing something or if this is infact true. Can anyone help me here?

[jguerdat]

You've got the gist. Since the WiFi connection between the cameras and base are unique, you really don't want an extender in there. A Netgear-supplied camera extender would be possible bout isn't available. At this point it is what it is.

[Paul_FCCL]

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Wraithlabs wrote:

So there is absolutly no way to extend the range of a single base station? I want to be able to cover my entire house with the four cameras that come with the base station..........

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Wraithlabs:

As earlier suggested by jguerdat, relocate your existing base station to a central location for all cameras and hook it up to a powerline extender. I'm certain it's going to work fine (unless camera's distance >300 ft).

Similarly, I'm relocating my router away from base station, will be connecting it all together again with range extender. Tested it already and moving ahead with it shortly.

Paul

[Paul_FCCL]

.....keeping in mind range extender will NOT extend base station signal, it will only extend your router signal to the base station. That gives you the option of moving base station to a most central location to all cameras.

Paul

[Paul_FCCL]

Also.....I would suggest use of powerline adapters/extenders better than wifi range extenders.

Take a look at this:

https://community.netgear.com/t5/Arlo-Knowledge-Base/How-can-I-increase-the-range-of-my-Arlo-Smart-H...

Paul

[Wraithlabs]

I do understand the range (300 ft) but that is line of sight and does not take into account building material. I have done signal tests with my friends Arlo base station and even though as your said it is located centrally and is well within 300 ft of the Arlo base station, my houses layout and building materials are blocking the Wi-Fi signal from the base station to where the cameras would be located on the exterior of my house. I am using a Fluke NEtworks AirCheck Wi-Fi tester so i am extremely confident that it is not just my laptop or my cell phone giving me funny readings with crappy apps. This is a high end enterprise network Wi-Fi signal anaylzer. SO i do understand what everyone is saying about the central location and appreicate the help, i am just concerned that i cant place my cameras where i want them to be located. I wish the cameras acted like the Philips Hue light bulbs where each bulb was a node on the network and extended the network from the bulb it self. Or at least if you purchased a second base station that you could appoint one as a master and one as a slave and have the slave follow the masters mode and not have to worry about the second base station as it would sound the alarm when the master did and vice versa. But having two base stations as other people have suggested seems to be just a huge headache. I understand you can view all the cameras in the app with a single log in but when you arm the base station you have to arm both of them seperatly. Who does that? you dont have two ADT alarm key pads at home that you type your pin into when you leave the house.... RIght? no one does that. You have a single base station which controls all the slave stations which are used as Wi-Fi extenders for the master base station using either the ethernet as a backbone or extending the Wi-Fi signal directly. Seems pretty simple to me. Im not sure why netgear wouldnt do this. It doesnt stop people from buy mutiple base stations as they so clearly want us to do. But it solves problems before they ever appear. I just think netgear needs to consider more options customers will want to set the system in aka different situations the system will be used in. To better market this product since the product at its core is a great home security system for most users. I will try and report this as feedback if netgear allows that but i am just affraid it will get lost in the rabbit hole and be forgotten. Which makes me want to turn to another product. I dont know what to do really but thats enough venting for me thanks everyone for your help.