IoT NETWORK NOTWORK--Exploring Some Options To Fix It!

Originally recorded August 17, 2024.
It so seems that the new "access point" I put into service for the IoT devices didn't QUITE solve the problem. Besides the abysmal throughput that it allows, it does work fine within the house, all devices are responsive and in general, work well. But it's limited, I believe it has a maximum connected device count of 25, and I'm pushing that limit. The other problem is the fringe areas, meaning outside. While the fence lights and the patio lights (as well as the new "pool light" smart plug) work well, the "spot lights" as I call them, around the rhododendron bush, are hit-or-miss.
I need to improve that. There are many ways I can go about this. Getting another long-range access point is the easy way out, and would definitely make it work, but I'd have to buy it. Instead, I'd like to do this the cheapest way possible, meaning free, by using equipment I already have. My thought is to take that new "access point" outside into the screen room and use the old device I had in the kitchen for the rest of the devices. That's going to require another Ethernet cable be run outside. Yes, I could use a switch, but then it gets messy as far as wiring goes. I don't know if the hole I have drilled through into the house will allow for a pre-made Ethernet wire to go through, that is to be determined in the future.
In this video, I take that access point from the kitchen and jury-rig it up in the screen room to test on my theory. While still providing abysmal throughput, it does indeed work. Although the fene lights and spot lights still say the signal is low, the phone says otherwise--leading me to believe that the problem is with the antennas in those control box devices on those lights. The way to solve that problem is either to make the signal stronger by a higher-power access point, or simply bring the access point closer, which is what I'm trying to achieve.
Everything has been put back as it was for now--I will pick this project back up in the future.
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[@cory8791]

Can you get spectrum there? just wondering what you have to pay for internet there I pay 70 for 500 down and 20 up on cable in Oregon

[@jaykay18]

No spectrum. No Comcast of Xfinity. 2 choices, Optimum or FIOS. That's it. FIOS is owned by greedy Verizon, so no. That leaves Optimum. A lot of people have "cut the cord" recently, and cable companies are smart about that, so they raise everyone's prices to compensate. For me, that's not an option. I cannot receive anything OTA where I live, because too far from the transmitter and too much hash in the air. Then there's streaming services. But WHY WHY WHY would I get rid of TV service only to buy it back? Not to mention--what if the Internet isn't working well, or at all? Plain old TV still does. I need the ability to turn the TV on and there's a picture. "Oh, just use your phone". No. Cell service does go out, especially in times of strife such as the wake of Hurricane Helene, when you need it most. I have a landline phone and I use it. So I'm paying for that too. All 3 services, TV. phone, and Internet, about $225 a month. No special movie channels, no DVR service, no nothing, just plain base service. I can get 3Gbps down/up symmetrical, but I'm not paying that kind of money a month. It's too expensive as it is, I can guarantee it's only up from here, and the sky is the limit.