This is one of our most common questions, and the honest answer is: it depends on your setup! There's no single number we can give, because WiFi range is different for every home and yard. Two neighbors with the same router can get very different results. That said, here's how to think about it, and what you can do to get more range.

What affects WiFi range?

A few main factors determine how far a WiFi signal reaches outdoors:

1. Distance itself. WiFi signals get weaker quickly as they travel. A typical home router can reach a couple hundred feet outdoors with a clear view — but that's the best case, not the usual case.
2. Obstructions. Walls are the big one. The signal usually has to get out of your house first, and every wall it passes through costs signal — dense materials like brick, stucco, stone, tile, and concrete cost far more than wood or drywall. Outside, trees and dense foliage also absorb signal.
3. Line of sight. If your Terra Station can "see" the router through a window with nothing in between, you'll get much better range than if the signal has to pass through several interior walls and an exterior wall.
4. Your router and its placement. Routers vary a lot in transmit power and antenna quality, and a router tucked in a basement corner reaches far less of your yard than one placed high, central, or near a window facing the Terra.
5. Antenna gain. Better antennas — on the router or on the Terra Station — focus and strengthen the signal, extending usable range.
6. Interference. Neighbors' WiFi networks, microwaves, and other wireless devices all share the airwaves. In a crowded neighborhood, interference can shrink your usable range noticeably.

Because all of these interact, the only real test is trying it: that's why we recommend doing setup at the spot where the Terra Station will actually live. If it connects and streams well there, you're set.

Checking your signal

Every Terra Station uses an external WiFi antenna (the black antenna included in the box, on the center port) — make sure it's attached and hinged to point up. Terra works with both 2.4GHz and 5GHz networks.

After setup, you can check the Terra Station's WiFi signal strength in the app: tap your Terra Station, then pick Status in the tabs, and going to the WiFi section. Signal is rated from 1 to 100, with a higher score meaning a stronger signal.

Getting more range

• Reposition things. Move the Terra Station closer to the router, or move the router (or a mesh node) toward a wall or window facing the Terra. Even a few feet can make a real difference.
• Add our WiFi booster antenna. We sell a premium WiFi booster antenna at store.terralistens.com that replaces the standard antenna and improves range. It's the simplest upgrade, and for many yards it's all you need.
• Extend your network. For bigger properties, a mesh WiFi system or an outdoor/wired access point placed closer to the Terra Station extends your network's real reach. For very long runs — an outbuilding, a far corner of the property — a point-to-point WiFi link with directional antennas can reliably cover distances up to about a mile with clear line of sight.

Thinking about placing a Terra Station somewhere with no WiFi at all? See our article Placing a Terra Station away from WiFi entirely for point-to-point, cellular, and satellite options.

Please don't use WiFi extenders

We know they're tempting, but WiFi extenders (the plug-in repeaters, often with a network name ending in _EXT) are a consistent source of problems for 24/7 devices like Terra Stations — halved speeds, frequent drops, and devices getting stuck on the wrong node. We recommend against them. For the full story and better alternatives, see The Problem with WiFi Extenders.

Still stuck after trying the above? Send us a message at support@terra.zohodesk.com and we'll help you sort out your particular setup.