Extending WiFi range for a Ring Camera

Forums › LAN (ethernet/Wifi/routers/Bluetooth) › Extending WiFi range for a Ring Camera

seoras

102 posts

Master Geek
+1 received by user: 22

ID Verified

#284496 26-Apr-2021 13:37

I've got a Ring Floodlight Cam setup for the house and it works great.

On my rural property I have some sheds about 70m away where I'd like to add a 2nd Ring Camera.

My background is in networking (12 years working in Cisco R&D) so I'm comfortable with networking although maybe a little out of date (it's been 15 years since I left that industry!)

I was looking at buying a Ubiquiti NanoStation LocoM2 to extend my home WiFi to the sheds.

I'm assuming that I'll need a 2nd one at the sheds to complete the bridge? I read somewhere that you might be able to get the WiFi of the device you are connecting to, to work with just one bridge? Just wanted to verify or discount that before I go spending more money on kit I don't need? (TX would work but the other device would need a direction WiFi aerial for RX I would think and Ring Cams don't off those).

Assuming I need a 2nd NanoStation bridge - can it be configured to be both bridge and AP at the same time?

If I can't then the kit list starts to mount up.

Worst case would be:

[House Wifi] --- [Ubiquiti NanoStation LocoM2 #1] ++++++ [Ubiquiti NanoStation LocoM2 #2] --- [AP(+Switch?)] +++[Ring Camera]

I found a thread on this forum where something like this was asked but I didn't find a definitive answer in it for a complete setup.

Always worth re-asking since tech is fluid and constantly changing!

Thanks!

sbiddle

30853 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 9996

Retired Mod

Trusted

Biddle Corp

Lifetime subscriber

#2698167 26-Apr-2021 15:16

The concept of a wireless bridge is that it has an AP and a client to bridge two networks/location. If you don't have two radios it's not really a bridge.

The ideal setup is House WiFi - Bridge AP 5GHz - Bridge Client 5GHz - wireless AP+switch if needed - Ring camera

Is there any reason why you're looking a 2.4GHz for your wireless bridge?

seoras

102 posts

Master Geek
+1 received by user: 22

ID Verified

#2698171 26-Apr-2021 15:40

sbiddle:

The concept of a wireless bridge is that it has an AP and a client to bridge two networks/location. If you don't have two radios it's not really a bridge.

The ideal setup is House WiFi - Bridge AP 5GHz - Bridge Client 5GHz - wireless AP+switch if needed - Ring camera

Thanks, that's what I thought and wanted to confirm. I had hoped there was something new and less complex that I wasn't aware of.

sbiddle:

Is there any reason why you're looking a 2.4GHz for your wireless bridge?

Rural. :)

I use 5GHz in the house mainly, although I have my APs offering WiFi on both 2.4Ghz and 5GHz.

There's really not much else around me competing for channels. Our school, which is 700m up the road, uses LocoM2's to bridge to the swimming pool pump shed where there's a few bits of equipment, including the new electronic gate, that are network accessible. I'm impressed enough with their reliability in our area to feel comfortable buying them for my own setup. The pool shed setup is multi-point, not one device as I'm trying to extend to, which is why I wondered if I could reduce the kit list somehow.

nztim

4012 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 2710

ID Verified

Trusted

TEAMnetwork

Subscriber

#2698173 26-Apr-2021 15:45

I would use this Wireless Wire Cube Point-To-Point Kit, 60 GHZ With 5 GHZ Failover | SnapperNet

60GHZ with 5GHZ Failover

Then an Access point at the far end to connect the Ring - Use something like Aruba APs

Any views expressed on these forums are my own and don't necessarily reflect those of my employer.

seoras

102 posts

Master Geek
+1 received by user: 22

ID Verified

#2698184 26-Apr-2021 15:57

nztim:

I would use this Wireless Wire Cube Point-To-Point Kit, 60 GHZ With 5 GHZ Failover | SnapperNet

60GHZ with 5GHZ Failover

Then an Access point at the far end to connect the Ring - Use something like Aruba APs

Thanks for the tip. The MikroTik Bridge ($134) is more expensive though than the LocoM2 ($91).

I'm assuming that both listings I've linked to are for 1 unit and I'd need 2 which would be $268 v $182 respectively. I'd be delighted if I was wrong?

As for the AP an old Apple Airport Express will do fine I think, plenty on Trademe going cheap. (That's what I put in the school pool shed! Works fine.)

nztim

4012 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 2710

ID Verified

Trusted

TEAMnetwork

Subscriber

#2698206 26-Apr-2021 17:11

seoras:

Thanks for the tip. The MikroTik Bridge ($134) is more expensive though than the LocoM2 ($91).

I'm assuming that both listings I've linked to are for 1 unit and I'd need 2 which would be $268 v $182 respectively. I'd be delighted if I was wrong?

As for the AP an old Apple Airport Express will do fine I think, plenty on Trademe going cheap. (That's what I put in the school pool shed! Works fine.)

I go for Aruba and Mikrotik gear, because, it just works - I don't buy on price

Any views expressed on these forums are my own and don't necessarily reflect those of my employer.

sbiddle

30853 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 9996

Retired Mod

Trusted

Biddle Corp

Lifetime subscriber

#2698306 26-Apr-2021 18:00

I just wouldn't buy old school 2.4GHz gear when you can buy a 5GHz AC Loco for exactly the same $$ that will offer vastly superior performance.

If you went for a narrow beam directional antenna on an AP you'd probably be able to get the ring to connect back with a bridge at 70m, but the best approach would still be a bridge and local AP.

Quic Broadband

Move to New Zealand's best fibre broadband service (affiliate link). Free setup code: R587125ERQ6VE. Note that to use Quic Broadband you must be comfortable with configuring your own router.

tchart

2396 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 577

ID Verified

Trusted

#2698324 26-Apr-2021 19:19

I recently installed one of these;

https://www.tp-link.com/us/business-networking/outdoor-radio/cpe610/

I get around 100mbps in my office which is about 50m from our house. It's set up as an AP.

Much better than the 510 model it replaced.

It's 5ghz only though so I used one of these as a 5->2.4 bridge to get 2.4ghz for my security cameras.

https://www.noelleeming.co.nz/shop/computers-tablets/accessories/networking-equipment/tp-link-tpl-archer-c24-ac750-wireless-dual-band-router/prod200445.html

Hopefully one day everything in the office will be 5ghz and then I can get rid of the ac750.

I got both on special so it was about $200 all up.