What is a Wi-Fi range extender and how do I know if I need one for my WaterGuru SENSE?

If your Wi-Fi signal is weak, you will experience issues maintaining the Wi-Fi network connection to your WaterGuru SENSE.

These are the typical symptoms of a weak Wi-Fi network connection at the location where your WaterGuru SENSE is located:

1. Your WaterGuru device will often disconnect from your Wi-Fi network
2. You experience problems re-connecting your WaterGuru device to the Wi-Fi network because the App will not find your Wi-Fi network SSID in the list of available networks 
3. You have to reboot the WaterGuru device by taking out and replacing the batteries in order to restore the Wi-Fi network connection
4. You have to uninstall and reinstall the app in order to reconnect to your device.  After doing this, your device will still not remain connected to your Wi-Fi network

If you are experiencing the above symptoms, you will need a Wi-Fi range extender (or Mesh node)

A Wi-Fi Range extender or repeater boosts the signal of the Home Wi-Fi network to allow the WaterGuru device to connect and stay connected.  A Wi-Fi Range extender contains two wireless routers, similar to the wireless router you already have in your home or office. One of these wireless routers picks up the signal from your existing home Wi-Fi network. It then transfers the signal to the other wireless router, which transmits the boosted signal.  A Wi-Fi range extender should be located mid-way between the location of your WaterGuru device and your Wi-Fi router.

In the WaterGuru app, you can view your Wi-Fi network signal RSSI

• Follow the steps in this Help Article
• You should maintain the Wi-Fi signal of your WaterGuru SENSE between -35dBm (Excellent) and -75dBm (Good).  If your Wi-Fi signal reaches the Poor level of -85dBm or lower, you will receive alerts in the app with instructions on how you can take steps to improve the quality of the Wi-Fi signal you provide to the SENSE. See here for more information.

Where can I purchase a Wi-Fi range extender?

Good quality Wi-Fi range extenders can be purchased at inexpensive prices at local and online retailers.  Enter “Wi-Fi range extender” at Amazon.com and Search.  The “Best Seller” and “Amazon Choice” options are both available for under $35.

IMPORTANT:  When setting up a Wi-Fi range extender do not name the extender with the same SSID network name, i.e. “MyNetwork” as the SSID of your router.  Name it so it is easy to identify, i.e. “MyNetwork-EXT”.

NOTE:  If you have a Mesh network like the Netgear Orbi or others, it is not recommended to purchase Wi-Fi range extenders.  You should instead purchase compatible Nodes for your brand of Mesh network.