Outdoor access points: when you need one and where to put it

Indoor extenders pointed at a garden are a summer ritual that never quite works. A weatherproof access point on the wall is the version that does.

Published · 2 min read

In this guide
  1. When it's worth it
  2. What to look for
  3. Where to mount it
  4. Cabling and safety
  5. Check the result where you sit

If the garden, terrace, pool or workshop is part of how you live, and not just somewhere you occasionally check a message, an outdoor access point is the honest solution. It's mounted outside, built for weather, and fed by a cable, which removes every weakness of the indoor workarounds.

When it's worth it

  • You use the outdoor space regularly, for work, meals or entertainment.
  • There are outdoor devices: cameras, doorbells, irrigation, speakers, a charger. See Wi-Fi security cameras going offline.
  • A detached garage, workshop or garden office needs a reliable link. See Wi-Fi in the garage.
  • Indoor fixes haven't held. An extender by the window covers the patio, not the far end. See Wi-Fi in the garden.

What to look for

  • A weather rating suitable for outdoor mounting, and a temperature range that matches your climate.
  • Power over Ethernet. One cable carries both data and power, which means no outdoor socket and one hole to seal.
  • Coverage pattern. Most models spread the signal in all directions, which suits a patio or a garden around the house. For a long, narrow target, such as a path to a detached building, a directional model concentrates the signal where you want it.
  • The same network name as indoors, so devices move in and out without asking.

Where to mount it

  • Under the eaves or the balcony above, which shelters it and keeps it high.
  • On the corner or wall facing the area you want to cover, not hidden behind a downpipe or a tree.
  • At two to three meters, high enough to clear people and furniture, low enough to reach a seating area.
  • Pointing at your own space, not at the neighbors' garden or the street: coverage you don't use is coverage you're giving away.

Cabling and safety

Use cable rated for outdoor or underground use, in a conduit where it's buried, and seal the wall penetration. Outdoor cable runs and mounting points can raise electrical and lightning-protection questions; for anything beyond a short run under the eaves, ask a qualified electrician.

Check the result where you sit

Coverage outdoors is easy to overestimate from the doorway. With WiFi Heatmap, run the connection test at the table, the bench and the far corner of the garden after mounting the access point, and compare with what you had before. For how this fits with everything else, see wired access point vs mesh node.