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Forum Discussion
Wi-Fi performance issues in damp, older stone-walled properties
Our team works across multiple older properties and we rely on portable NETGEAR routers and access points to stay connected while on site. The problem is that many of the buildings we work in have thick stone walls, high humidity levels, and in some cases active moisture issues that seem to make Wi-Fi coverage significantly worse than it should be.
We have noticed that signal drops much more in properties where there is visible condensation on the walls or where the building has known rising damp compared to drier buildings with similar wall thickness. It makes us wonder how much of an impact moisture content in walls actually has on wireless signal penetration.
Currently we are using an Orbi system in our main office, which works perfectly there. But taking portable networking kit into these older buildings for temporary connectivity during survey work has been a real challenge.
Has anyone here dealt with similar environments and found a NETGEAR setup that handles high-humidity, thick-walled buildings well? Would a mesh system with multiple nodes placed throughout the property work better than a single access point, or is there a better approach entirely?
Any suggestions would be welcome.
2 Replies
high humidity levels, and in some cases active moisture issues
Humidity and moisture shouldn't have much (if any) affect on indoor wifi propagation.
thick stone walls
Thick stone walls are another matter, they certainly will attenuate the signal.
Would a mesh system with multiple nodes placed throughout the property work better than a single access point,
No direct experience with this particular scenario. I am guessing that you are connecting mobile data to the AP? Do you need all your instruments connected to the same wifi network? Or is enough to connect them using multiple wifi networks? Do the buildings always have power?
A mesh would work better than a single AP. You'd need to place the elements so that they get good signal strength to the main router. A network analyzer app on one of your phones would make finding the right placement easier.
If multiple networks are ok, you could also use more than one mobile data hotspot (each creating a different wifi network).
Thanks StephenB, that is really helpful. Good to know humidity itself is not the main issue, we had assumed it was contributing but it makes sense that the wall thickness is the bigger factor.
To answer your questions, yes we are connecting mobile data to the AP and ideally need all devices on the same network as our surveyors use tablets to submit reports back to the office in real time. The buildings almost always have power.
We will try the mesh approach with multiple nodes and use a network analyser to find the best placement. The tip about checking signal strength before committing to a position is a good one, we have definitely been guilty of just placing the router centrally and hoping for the best.
For context we are a property care company dealing with rising damp and timber issues so we are in these older buildings daily. If the mesh setup works well we will probably invest in a dedicated portable kit rather than moving our office Orbi around. Appreciate the advice.
