Want more Wi-Fi range

When out in the front yard mowing, or out behind my garage hanging clothes on the line, I'll sometimes be getting stoppage while streaming Apple Music. If I turn off Wi-Fi (i.e. go to 100% cellular) no problem. But I'm trying to use LESS cellular so I can get a monthly "kick back" from T-Mobile ($10 if I don't use all my data). This seems to indicate to me I need a more powerful Wi-Fi unit than the Netgear R6300v2 provided from Spectrum?? (The location in the house is roughly halfway between the weak spots, so moving likely won't help and is not feasible at this time anyway).
Suggestions/experiences??

 

Mesh networking. Many manufacturers, but I now have excellent Wi Fi coverage over a wide area with such a system (BT Whole Home Wi Fi; unlikely to be available outside UK as it is a UK brand).

 

You could do it that way but I instead suggest installing an access point which is typically cheaper, less trouble, and will be more efficient at providing the signal strength you crave. They're referred to typically as WiFi Extenders.

I bought a cheap Netgear one since the upstairs bedroom was getting little to no signal, as was my Ecobee 3. That solved the problem.

 

netgear orbi

 

I want cheaper WiFi

 

Problem solved!

 

You might try a high-gain antenna on your router, if removeable.

One of many options:
https://www.walmart.com/ip/New-Dual...ntenna-5-8GHz-US-Quick-USA-Shipping/873001551

 

I had dead spots so I bought an extender which eliminated the problems

 

An dual band extender is all I needed.

 

The router provided by my phone/internet company has no antena and it has a lousy coverage.

 

I've used mesh networks and wifi extenders, and found the latter to be pretty hit and miss, especially if you want one contiguous SSID you connect to. Mesh costs a bit more but will deliver the best results. I use wired connection to the mesh access points instead of powerline ethernet now as well.

 

I use a Netgear extender too. It works well. But the extender signal appears to your phone (or computer or etc) as a different network, so you have to configure it to connect to the "new" network. But it is cheap, and easy to setup. You could need two, one to reach your front yard, and one to reach behind your garage. You would place each at about the midpoint of your existing router and the area you want to reach, and configure your phone to connect to the two "new" networks.

 

Exactly my experience as well. After years of fighting with extenders, I setup a mesh inside of our house. And now streaming works from every device all over our property.

 

The router provided by my phone/internet company gets coverage 2 blocks from my house!

 

Check to make sure you aren't using a wi-fi channel that is overly crowded. Avoid using the same wi-fi channel that your neighbors are using.

You can use a wi-fi analyzer app on your phone to check the signal strength and channel availability. WiFiAnalyzer (Open Source) is a good one for Android. Use the analyzer app. Go out to your front yard and back yard and see what the signal strength is and channel availability is. 2.4 GHz travels farther than 5 GHz.

 

An additional to my initial response...

Over the past few years (and three houses) I have tried several methods to improve network coverage.

1. Powerline: reliable, but doesn’t deliver anything approaching the advertised speed so not really suitable for e.g. connecting to a NAS. I do use this at the moment to connect my TV / Blu Ray player to the internet.

2. Ethernet cable: fastest, most reliable, the gold standard. However, wires aren’t wireless.

3. Wi Fi extender. In my last house, I used an Airport Express connected via Ethernet cable to extend Wi Fi to the top floor. Worked well. Wi Fi extenders via Powerline haven’t got anything like the same results and I wouldn’t use them now.

4. Mesh networking. Because of the location of my router installing cable round the house would be domestically unwise, so I have three of these devices, the first connected directly to the router, the other two spaced out around the house. 6 months in, I can honestly say they have been totally reliable and give excellent speed and coverage.

 

But you live in the first world US of A, I live in the new subclass of under third world F-Spain.

 

Getting extreme performance Wi-Fi and internet at home is sort of a hobby of mine.

As mentioned by @deadcoldfish above, the only real solution is Netgear Orbi. In fact, I had a similar situation, and invested in the RBK50. Depending on where you place the router/satellites inside your house, that might even solve your outdoor issue. But for a real solution, do what I did and add the Orbi Outdoor Satellite. It's definitely too expensive, but it was a good investment for me because my outdoor Wi-Fi coverage is so robust, it can support outdoor HomeKit devices to control outdoor lights, fans, etc. Those devices need a really solid connection, because they don't really buffer, like streaming music/internet.

People will recommend all sorts of extenders and similar, but all of those (except the Orbi) share bandwidth for "extending" with your internet traffic. In other words, the "extending" function competes with your own device, fighting for range/coverage/bandwidth. The Orbi has a dedicated 5Ghz backhaul radio (or multiple, depending on model) that keeps the "extending" function traffic on it's own backhaul. Leaving your internet traffic to get the full bandwidth it can grab from the router/satellite radios.

This is my Wi-Fi speed in my backyard:

 

Keep in mind if you have a Ring doorbell that their system is not compatible with mesh networks. I haven't found a good solution for my house since I have several Ring products.

 

I think that's Ring's cop-out excuse. There are several people using the Orbi system with Ring. There are settings you may have to adjust, including disabling MIMO and beam forming, and (in an extreme case) set up a dedicated guest 2.4Ghz network, just for the Ring system.

 

Netgear Orbi solved my problem.