Is prep really that serious, or are we just wasting time lol?

Seriously? It's a patio, not a peace treaty. Post it if you want, but you'll just get people pointing out one stone is half an inch out of line or arguing about grout color. The tips are rarely worth the noise from know-it-alls who've never lifted a paver. Sometimes a quiet beer out there beats a hundred hollow "nice job" comments online.

In my cousin's 1920s Chicago loft, those plaster walls are everywhere. He set up a high end mesh Wi-Fi network last year, and his wireless cameras have been solid for months. Maybe @the_shane's friend Jake just had a weak router or outdated gear. Plenty of modern systems use dual band signals that cut through interference better. With a good setup, you can avoid the hassle of running cables through historic walls. It's worth trying wireless first before committing to all that drilling.

Plaster walls are the worst for wireless stuff. A lot of people don't know that old plaster often has metal mesh behind it, which blocks signals like a shield. That's probably why Jake's cameras kept dropping out. Going wired is smart in those old buildings, it cuts through all that interference. I've seen this in a few places, and it's always a headache until you run cables.