WiFi Signal Strength

[rgevans871]

I have a Googlenest Model H2D Hub with two extenders and am having a problem with connecting to a WiFi module on a 14 KW Generac generator.  I have both Googlenest WiFi extenders located within 10 & 20 ft of the generator.  The generator WiFi module communicates using an App called Mobil Link.  This app reports the WiFi signal strength as 4 to 8% while when I walk around the generator with my iPhone it indicates a full strength signal.

The Mobil Link is compatible with a 2.4 GHz frequency range and 802.11b/g/n wireless protocol which seems to be what the Googlenest system provides.  Any suggestions on what I might do to troubleshoot this problem.

[Jeff]

Hey, regevans871.
Sorry for the late response here, but I wanted to check in to see if you were still having this issue and to see if you have done any troubleshooting so far. If you still need help, let me know and I'll be happy to work on this with you.
Thanks.

[rgevans871]

Yes, I'm still having the problem, but now believe the problem must be with the Generac WiFi module or with the Mobil Link app.  I've installed a tp-link N300 range extender within about 17' of the generator at the suggestion of the Mobil Link tech support.  The Mobil Link tech support said they've found that dual band routers such as the GoogleNest mesh have not worked that well in this application.  The tp-link range extender is a single band 2.4 which is the only frequency the generator module can receive.  Since installing the range extender my WiFi signal strength as reported on the Mobil Link app has varied between 0% and 40% while it is currently at 8% and earlier in the day it was 4%.  The app has been reporting my generator is ready to run and correctly reporting it's weekly exercise regardless of the reported signal strength.  

I haven't had a second outage to determine if the app will report the running of the generator during the outage which it didn't do during the first outage that occurred in December.  That reporting failure was what prompted me to try to improve the signal strength which was staying pretty much between 2 - 6%.  I've been in contact with Googlenest  support and they believed my wifi mesh was producing a full strength signal.  The tp-link indicator light also indicates a full strength signal.  My iPad, Macbook and iPhone all indicate a full strength wifi signal when using them at various locations around the house and also when walking all the way around the generator.  This is what is making me think it's a problem with the generator wifi module or Mobil Link app.  

Do you know of a device that might more accurately measure wifi signal strength than just looking at how many bars show up on one of my devices?    If I were to use this device to take a measurement directly adjacent to the generator wifi module and then compare this measurement to the signal strength being reported on the Mobil Link app, it might be more conclusive evidence that the problem is not with my wifi signal, but with the generator wifi module.   Or do you believe the wifi bars shown on one of my devices should be  adequate evidence of the signal strength?

Ron.