The first thing you should do when you bring your Tesla home is connect it to your wifi. If you’re like me, I thought I would not have an issue since my Shaw cable modem is directly above the car on the second floor. I checked my cellphone prior to getting my Model 3 Standard Range Plus and was getting 3-4 bars.
I’d heard that there were issues with connecting to your home wifi, but thought this wouldn’t be the case for me. I was completely wrong.
Arriving home still excited with my first experience of driving a Tesla and instant torque your get from an electric vehicle, I was shocked to when I tried to connect to my home wifi and it failed. I could see my wifi listed with 2 bars but when I try to connect it fails.
I quickly did a search on youtube and found this to be a common problem. After a few hours of research, I decided to order the Netgear EX3700 wifi extender from Amazon. It promptly arrived in two days on my door step. I followed the instructions provided and with the help of several youtube videos was able to set it up and verify it worked.
- Extended wireless coverage: Adds WiFi range coverage up to 1000 square feet, and connects up to 15 devices such as laptops, smartphones, speakers, IP cameras, tablets, IoT devices, and more
- AC750 WIFI speed: Provides up to 750Mbps performance using dual band and patented FastLane technology
- Universal compatibility: works with any wireless router, gateway, or cable modem with wifi. The product may not be compatible with routers or gateways with firmware that has been altered, is based on open source programs, or is non standard or outdated
- Wired Ethernet port: Simply plug in game consoles, streaming players, or other nearby wired devices using the one 10/100M port for maximum speed
- Safe & secure: Supports WEP and WPA/WPA2 wireless security protocols
- Simple to setup: Press the WPS button to connect to your router. Use the NETGEAR WiFi Analyzer app for optimal location
I mounted it above my car near the garage door opener. Testing it with my cellphone, assured me that it was functioning as expected. The last step was for me to setup my Tesla to connect to the Netgear EX3700 wifi extender on the 2.4 Ghz network. My car connected to it right away and was able to do the first update. In the past month I’ve done another update.
Every time I check, my car is connected to my wifi. Even when I park outside, I’m still able to connect without issue. One point to mention is the internet speed is a bit slower but not a concern to me. I only use this for my Tesla.
I’d suggest that if you don’t have your router in your garage, get a wifi extender before you buy your Tesla so you’re ready. I’d put this as one of the top 10 things you should buy before you get your newly minted Tesla.
