An outdoor Wi-Fi mesh system currently costs around €250 (example: Netgear Orbi RBS50Y Outdoor Satellite). I thought it could be done much more cheaply, so last year I simply put a Fritz!WLAN Repeater into an IP65 enclosure.
The DIY outdoor Wi-Fi access point has performed brilliantly so far – whether in rain, snow or outdoor temperatures of minus 20 degrees Celsius.
Running Without Problems for Years
Apart from occasional hard resets (I can perhaps remember two or three), it has been running without problems for almost four years now (as of January 2023).
In addition to the IP65 enclosure, I bought a surface-mounted socket, an RJ45 coupler, a Schuko plug and a power cable. Total cost including the Fritz!WLAN Repeater 1750E: less than €100. You also need a LAN cable if you do not want to, or cannot, connect the router to the mesh via Wi-Fi.
DIY difficulty level: Simple.
However, you should have experience with electrical work when wiring the socket, or ask an electrician to do it.
The following image gallery briefly explains how I built the outdoor mesh access point.
