Thanks to all of your support, Maxwell is almost funded! We just need a few more backers to join in. So, if you were thinking about going for it, now’s the time!

I also want to take some time this week to tell you a bit about the Outdoor Maxwell Node. In my opinion, this is something that really sets Maxwell apart from other mesh systems. I’m not aware of any that offer an outdoor node.

Why do you need an outdoor node? Well, if you want good Wi-Fi coverage outdoors—in your back yard, pool area, or what have you—relying on your indoor signal to leak outside is not a reliable solution. At best, you usually end up with one or two bars of spotty coverage. Wi-Fi really doesn’t like going go through thick walls. An outdoor node, by contrast, can bathe a large area in a good, strong signal. I get five bars all the way down at my mailbox, which is about 200 feet from the garage where I keep my outdoor node!

Setting up an outdoor node is no more complicated than adding any other Maxwell node. Just mount it on an exterior wall (it’s waterproof!), plug it in, connect to it, and change the passwords (assuming you’ve changed them for the rest of your mesh). And if your outdoor node has trouble communicating with your indoor nodes, you can simply connect them with an Ethernet cable. In fact, our outdoor node supports Power Over Ethernet (POE), so you don’t even need an outdoor power source to use it!

So, if you’ve already ordered a Maxwell system—or if you’re considering one now—consider adding on an outdoor node or two and bringing Wi-Fi to your yard!