I have a Slate AR750-S router tethered to my wireless provider (smartphone). I use it for my PC and my Roku. I want to set up a wildlife camera on my property, up in a tree. I checked the signal recently and I could connect to the 2.4 side of the router fine just at the tree line (about 200 feet), but once I move the device (smartphone) up into the tree, the phone shows it is connected to the router, but the software I am using (AirDroid) cannot connect. I am curious if this is a weak signal problem. Can an extender solve this problem? I was looking at a TP-LINK CPE210 access point. It needs to connect to the ‘source’ via ethernet cable. Can this be a solution using my Slate router?
Just being connected may not mean that the connection is strong enough for consistent performance, especially 200 feet is pretty far away for the GL-AR750S at 2.4GHz. You can try https://www.speedtest.net/ to see if it runs successfully and what speed you are able to get.
The TP-Link CPE210 has a high-gain directional antenna and should be better at that distance. Ubiquiti has NanoStation models for long-range and I have an inexpensive Ubiquiti NS-5ACL (~$100) with OpenWRT installed (not stock firmware) that works as an access point that sends 5Ghz wifi over 200 feet away.
I do not work for and I am not directly associated with GL.iNet
Thanks for the help. I already have Speedtest on that phone, just have to climb 20 feet in the air to check it out. It’s a Samsung S9, so I am limited to 2.4 GHz equipment. Funny, I checked the Ubiquiti equipment listings, and the 2.4 models run higher than the 5 models everywhere except from the manufacturer, where they are the same price ($99). Do you think I could get away with one CPE210, or will I need 2?
You can continue to monitor it over the few days to confirm if the connection is stable.
I have 3 Ubiquiti NanoStation models that are all 5GHz and that initially use their own proprietary O/S to optimize distance capability for point-to-point connections (I loaded OpenWRT on 1 of them). If you end up still requiring an additional access point, then I suggest considering the TP-Link CPE210 because I have used/are using various TP-Link devices that are straightforward and easier to set up.
