7 reasons your garden needs Wi-Fi

As you bring more devices into your smart home, you know that you need a reliable internet connection for all of them.

But what about all the tech on the outside of your home? More outdoor  gadgets are popping up for your  smart home , and they all need a reliable internet connection.

With mesh networks, it's easier than ever to blanket your entire home and garden with  Wi-Fi . Here are seven reasons you should extend your Wi-Fi into the great outdoors.

One of the most realistic needs for Wi-Fi to be extended beyond the walls of your home is security cameras. While you may have some mounted to the exterior of your house, you may want to line the perimeter of your property with a few, especially if you have a detached garage or large backyard.

For those cameras at the far corners of your property, you're going to need a Wi-Fi bridge, hardwire connection or mesh network satellite.

Most smart garage door openers should be covered under your existing Wi-Fi network, especially if you're using mesh. But if you have a detached garage, you'll want to extend your network even further.

That said, how you extend the network there will depend on how far the garage is from your house and how or what you use the garage for. If the garage is close and just used for storing cars and yard equipment, another mesh point might suffice. On the other hand, if your garage is further away or doubles as a workshop, running a hardwire connection may be your best option.

It's not just ovens and skillets that are smart. Connected grills, meat thermometers and wireless barbecue temperature controllers exist now, too. And unlike the brainy  appliances  in your kitchen, your grill might sit outside your typical Wi-Fi coverage.

Considering that Wi-Fi grills also need to be plugged into an electrical outlet, there's a chance that it stays close enough to your house to not be out of range. But if it is, there are plenty of options for extending the network to reach your backyard.

Robotic lawnmowers, the Roombas of yard work, are still rather expensive, often costing upward of $1,000. But they're beginning to come down a bit in price. And if you're not a fan of mowing the lawn and don't want to hire a landscaping company to do it for you, a robotic mower might be in your future.

Of course, if you want one of these, your Wi-Fi network will at least have to reach as far as the base station.

It's a shame that all that hard work in your garden can't be appreciated after the sun goes down.

Whether you've got a fish pond out back that needs some light around it or you want ambient lighting for fire-pit hangouts, there are a number of connected light options for your backyard and garden.

Philips Hue's outdoor product line features path lights, spotlights and sconces. A more affordable option is Sylvania's Zigbee smart bulbs, some of which are weatherproof and safe to use outdoors. Whatever you choose, you're going to need Wi-Fi to reach those bulbs.

If your yard or garden needs to be watered regularly, you can opt for a smart sprinkler, like from Blossom or Rachio. These smart sprinklers typically just replace your existing controller, so there's a chance it will reside within reach of your existing Wi-Fi network, but that's not always the case.

If your old sprinkler controller was installed in a storage shed or a detached garage, you might need to extend your Wi-Fi to reach it and keep a smart sprinkler system connected.

One of the more novel uses for Wi-Fi in your backyard is music streaming while you work and play. Maybe you want to listen to audiobooks while you plant your garden or would like smooth background music while you and your friends huddle around the fire pit.

Either way, you'll need to add some range to your Wi-Fi network for it to reach far out into your yard. For that, one of the easiest options is an additional mesh satellite made for the outdoors.