Wi-Fi signal booster recommmendations

Wi-Fi signal booster recommmendations

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Mikebentley

Original Poster:

6,546 posts

146 months

Saturday 9th July 2022
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Currently have Sky broadband in the house. Looking to put some Wi-Fi enabled Gym equipment in the detached garage and wondered if anyone has any recommendations for wi fi signal boosters that actually work.

Garage is detached double and 25 ft but 2 walls (including garage block and brick from the router.

scenario8

6,763 posts

185 months

Saturday 9th July 2022
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If you don’t get more specific advice tailored to your circumstances have a look in the “Computers…” sub forum.

https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/forum.asp?h=0&...

There are similar threads started every few days or weeks so there’s bound to be plenty to take in from those.

Mikebentley

Original Poster:

6,546 posts

146 months

Saturday 9th July 2022
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Thanks for that.

Pistonsquirter

345 posts

45 months

Sunday 10th July 2022
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Get google nest. Much better. Ideally run an Ethernet cable to the nest box you use in the garage. I did this and it’s very good..
Remember to disable Wi-Fi on your sky router so it’s in modem mode only

Mikebentley

Original Poster:

6,546 posts

146 months

Sunday 10th July 2022
quotequote all
Sorry not happening but I appreciate the reply. Don’t want Alexa, Google nest and certainly not running cables to a detached garage ( scruffy and awkward, and that’s not just me). Due to the original house being extended significantly the main telephone point is on the landing area upstairs. To run a physical cable would require going through walls, lifting already tiled floors and block paving. Wireless is the answer.

un1eash

616 posts

146 months

Sunday 10th July 2022
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If the garage is on the same consumer box try a power line with WiFi. Or just a WiFi booster nearer the garage. I'm having to use a Netgear EX6410 to cover blind spots in my house but it also covers the detached double garage.

MDUBZ

917 posts

106 months

Sunday 10th July 2022
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Mikebentley said:
Sorry not happening but I appreciate the reply. Don’t want Alexa, Google nest and certainly not running cables to a detached garage ( scruffy and awkward, and that’s not just me). Due to the original house being extended significantly the main telephone point is on the landing area upstairs. To run a physical cable would require going through walls, lifting already tiled floors and block paving. Wireless is the answer.
Google’s mesh system will work, and the mics can be turned off if you don’t want to use the assistant, and they have integrated speakers on the satellites so you can stream music (quality isn’t that bad tbh) but the tech is a bit old (doesn’t support WiFi 6). Plenty of decent mesh systems available that can boost signal strength around a property. The net gear orbi system gets good reviews. Like anything though there will be a product to fit your budget, but you don’t need to spend much to get a decent home system. https://uk.pcmag.com/wireless-networking/87178/the...

gmaz

4,569 posts

216 months

Sunday 10th July 2022
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Mikebentley said:
Sorry not happening but I appreciate the reply. Don’t want Alexa, Google nest and certainly not running cables to a detached garage ( scruffy and awkward, and that’s not just me). Due to the original house being extended significantly the main telephone point is on the landing area upstairs. To run a physical cable would require going through walls, lifting already tiled floors and block paving. Wireless is the answer.
I got a Sky Q booster and it seems to work better than the ones via the mains.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/325258964092

If it doesn't work, stick it back on ebay. Also got some wall brackets to mount it high up.


Edited by gmaz on Sunday 10th July 15:56

worsy

5,893 posts

181 months

Sunday 10th July 2022
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TheRainMaker

6,557 posts

248 months

Sunday 10th July 2022
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We used these to connect our garage up.

https://www.ebuyer.com/748434-tp-link-tl-pa9020p-k...

They work really well, and I just connected up a WiFi access point. I think they do some with the access point built in.

Biggy Stardust

7,068 posts

50 months

Sunday 10th July 2022
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I have one of these on the far side of the house from the router- it extends wifi about 40 metres into the garden.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/293189270266?epid=22024...

Unobtrusive, doesn't use up sockets & provides a USB point, 10 minutes to install, simple to set up (press 2 buttons)

Nola25

228 posts

57 months

Monday 11th July 2022
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I’ve just set up a Deco M4 mesh system in our house.

Fairly inexpensive for a 3 module kit (about £100) and doesn’t affect wifi speed from what I can see/measure

Downside is you need a socket for each module and they aren’t the best looking thing in the world (mine are all hidden from view)

Now have seamless wifi all over including the garage and garden

Captain_Morgan

1,245 posts

65 months

Monday 11th July 2022
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As ever on these kind of threads lots of well meaning “I brought this, it’s brilliant” responses.

Taking a step away from that, what kind of data usage do you need in the garage?

What are the machines, if they are just sending stats & metrics the data usage will be lower than devices with embedded media players.

Do you intend to use a device to stream music or video while in there?

What’s the space above? Does it need WiFi? Is the 1st floor standard wooden joists, floorboards & plasterboard? (WiFi goes through that much easier than brickwork)

What’s the WiFi like in the house? Any dead spots that need eliminating?

In your photo there is a 1st floor house window that looks to have a view into the garage 1st floor, how close to your home ‘router’ is that?

What budget do you have in mind?

Lastly what sky ‘router’ do you have, do you use sky q & what line speed do you get?


There are five main options to get service into the garage.

Ethernet cable already discounted

Point to point wireless bridge would mean running ethernet cable from the home router to the loft & the same in the garage, I suspect it’ll be discounted for the same reasons as above. Around £150 &up
Edit: you could do a hybrid of powerline adapters to get the Ethernet connection to the loft if you have power there already.


Powerline adapters, already suggested some, a unit plugs into the wall socket by your router, one in the garage and it uses the mains as the connection between the two, it generally works best on the same ring but I have read positive reports from folk using it to get to a outbuilding with its own consumer unit. Around £60 &up

Mesh WiFi, if you have dead spots you are trying to eliminate then this is a option hard to say what devices & where without more data but at a minimum I’d guess three nodes, one where the router is currently, one by the window that overlooks the garage & one around the garage window. Around £100 &up

WiFi extender, if you don’t have a some WiFi connectivity from the house to the garage already then this is unlikely to work.


I’d advise buying from someone like amazon who have a easy return policy should you find the solution doesn’t work out for you and you need to try another option.

Edited by Captain_Morgan on Monday 11th July 09:17

chadders74

104 posts

161 months

Monday 11th July 2022
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As it's Sky just pay the extra per month for wifi guaranteed, engineer visit and will sort it all for you. Sky Boost I think it's called.

dmsims

6,750 posts

273 months

Monday 11th July 2022
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Devolo Powerline or Deco Mesh

Risk free as you can return


RizzoTheRat

25,867 posts

198 months

Monday 11th July 2022
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A variation on the Powerline theme is the Deco P9, they're a mesh system that use powerline as well as wifi for the mesh. The downslide with powerline is it can be slow depending on your wiring, I only get about 10-20mb/s over my P9's using powerline, so have run ethernet to the one in the office to get my full bandwidth, but for most things the powerline connection is plenty fast enough and I can use them in places I can't run ethernet.