NO MORE DEAD ZONES: HOW I GOT WIFI IN MY BACKYARD SHED
- Gotta hand it to you, the fake rock trick is clever. I’ve seen folks try to bury APs in planters and it never ends well—moisture gets ‘em every time. Under flagstone is about as neat as you can get without trenching. Not a huge fan of mesh for big yards, though, unless you’re okay with a little lag... but it’s definitely less ugly than conduit stapled everywhere. Squirrels always find the best hiding spots, don’t they?
I’ve run into the same moisture issue with planters—had to replace an AP that basically drowned after a heavy rain. Ended up running conduit underground, which isn’t pretty but at least it’s reliable. Mesh is hit-or-miss for me too, especially once you get past a certain distance. The fake rock idea is clever, though. I’ve seen squirrels chew through just about anything, so I’m always a little paranoid about exposed cables... they seem to have a sixth sense for finding them.
I hear you on the squirrels—those little guys are relentless. I ended up using some flexible metal conduit for the exposed runs, which seems to keep them at bay (so far). Not the prettiest, but better than replacing chewed cables every spring. Mesh never worked well for me past 40 feet either... just too many drops.
Title: No more dead zones: how I got wifi in my backyard shed
Man, squirrels are like tiny demolition crews with fur. I tried mesh too—waste of time and money. Those little jerks just chewed right through, and I swear they gave me dirty looks while doing it. Flexible metal conduit is the only thing that’s held up for me as well. Not exactly something you’d see on a home improvement show, but at least it works. I’d rather have ugly cable runs than have to crawl under the deck every spring, cursing at chewed wires.
Funny thing, I once tried running the cable overhead, thinking maybe they’d leave it alone if it wasn’t at ground level. Nope. Squirrels just saw it as a challenge. They’ll tightrope walk anything. I even tried that “hot pepper spray” trick—lasted about a week, then the rain washed it off and it was back to square one.
Honestly, I don’t get why more people don’t just bite the bullet and go conduit from the start. It’s not that expensive, and you only have to do it once. Sure, it’s not pretty, but unless you’re giving cable tours of your backyard, who cares? My neighbor swears by wireless bridges, but with all the trees and random interference out here, wired is just more reliable. Plus, I kind of enjoy knowing the squirrels aren’t winning for once.
Anyone else ever try painting the conduit to blend in? I’m tempted, but I’m worried it’ll just make it look even weirder.
Painting the conduit actually works better than you'd think, especially if you use a flat, neutral color. I’ve done it on a few properties—helps it blend in with fences or siding. Just make sure you use exterior-grade paint so it doesn’t peel after the first winter. Honestly, I’d take “weird-looking” over chewed wires any day. Wired is always more dependable in the long run, especially with all the interference you get from trees and weather. Wireless bridges are fine in theory, but in practice, I’ve seen too many headaches.
