Is my extender breaking my Ring Indoor Cam (2nd gen)?

The short answer

Copes better than the outdoor models because the signal is stronger to start with. Cheap extenders make a second network. Once your phone and the gadget end up on different halves of it, they can no longer find each other.

What's happening underneath

Talks mainly to the manufacturer's servers, so it survives strict routers well — but live view needs a steady upload, not just a good signal bar. An extender that makes its own network name puts your phone and the gadget on two different networks.

Source: Manufacturer documentation

Try these, in this order

• • Re-pair it after any new router or new Wi-Fi name — it will not migrate itself.
• • Keep it on the main network name, not the guest one.
• • Restart the camera before restarting the router.
• • Check the signal where the gadget actually lives, not where you're standing.
• • Move the router off the floor and out of any cupboard before buying anything.
• • Put the gadget and your phone on the same Wi-Fi name.
• • Restart the gadget before the router — it is quicker and it fixes more.

Setting it up again properly

• • Stand next to your router while you set it up, then move the gadget to where it lives.
• • Put your phone on the 2.4 GHz network name for the setup, or use one name for both bands so the phone can follow.
• • If your router splits bands into two names, turn the 5 GHz one off for five minutes rather than fighting it.
• • Turn mobile data off on your phone during setup — some apps quietly use it and never find the gadget.

When it's worth spending money

Rarely. An indoor camera that keeps dropping usually points at the room, not the camera.