Internet/wifi advice required
Discussion
Hopefully a simple answer…
Existing broadband comes into the house, but I need to extend this into a new extension and detached garage.
I am guessing that I need an Ethernet cable, plugged into the existing modem/router then thread that through various holes/voids/etc. to the locations.
But, what do I actually need at the other end of the cable(s)… to give wifi in the new rooms?
I don’t want to ‘boost’ the existing wifi, but want to hard wire from the existing to the two new locations, if that makes sense. Hopefully this will then give wifi across the whole property?
I need to provide wifi for heating, tv/streaming, garden, etc. the kind of thing that won’t work solely on the existing router/modem location.
I am guessing that I will need;
Cable 1 - existing modem to extension
Cable 2 - splitter from cable 1 with cable 2 going to garage
End of cable 1 & 2… that is the question
Hopefully that makes sense and apologies for the lack of knowledge that is easier for someone that knows…
Existing broadband comes into the house, but I need to extend this into a new extension and detached garage.
I am guessing that I need an Ethernet cable, plugged into the existing modem/router then thread that through various holes/voids/etc. to the locations.
But, what do I actually need at the other end of the cable(s)… to give wifi in the new rooms?
I don’t want to ‘boost’ the existing wifi, but want to hard wire from the existing to the two new locations, if that makes sense. Hopefully this will then give wifi across the whole property?
I need to provide wifi for heating, tv/streaming, garden, etc. the kind of thing that won’t work solely on the existing router/modem location.
I am guessing that I will need;
Cable 1 - existing modem to extension
Cable 2 - splitter from cable 1 with cable 2 going to garage
End of cable 1 & 2… that is the question
Hopefully that makes sense and apologies for the lack of knowledge that is easier for someone that knows…
I had crap signal in my house as I have an extension too. Two Tplink ac1750 plugged in to a couple of plugs and I now have full WiFi all over the house and into the garden too. Only cost £120. I know you said you don’t want to boost but it’s very easy and seems to work very well too.
When we first moved we had a 3G wifi with a sim giving about 8mbps and the Ring cameras worked fine.
We then ended up with 72mbps with Vodafone and… there wasn’t enough ‘oomph’ to get the cameras working… not sure why, so I bought a plug in plug in TP Link and it all works fine.
But I can put physical cabling in, which in my mind surely must be more ‘robust’..? But I might be wrong
It’s a new extension, built on a hill (single storey at the front and double at the back) with a large void between… ‘standupable’ inside, so space/access isn’t a problem.
Now is the time to run cables before it’s too late, so the plug ins/etc. might work fine… but I’d be kicking myself if they didn’t
(will now do some research on the responses (cheers) so far…)
We then ended up with 72mbps with Vodafone and… there wasn’t enough ‘oomph’ to get the cameras working… not sure why, so I bought a plug in plug in TP Link and it all works fine.
But I can put physical cabling in, which in my mind surely must be more ‘robust’..? But I might be wrong
It’s a new extension, built on a hill (single storey at the front and double at the back) with a large void between… ‘standupable’ inside, so space/access isn’t a problem.
Now is the time to run cables before it’s too late, so the plug ins/etc. might work fine… but I’d be kicking myself if they didn’t
(will now do some research on the responses (cheers) so far…)
Baldchap said:
Wireless access point.
Can be a new SSID or an extension to the existing one.
^^ This.Can be a new SSID or an extension to the existing one.
But I would definitely use the same SSID and password for the new access point(s), so devices can roam seamlessly around your whole property. Set the channel to “auto” on both your existing router and the new access point so they don’t fight each other.
If you can wield a hammer and tap some cable clips into your skirting board, or alternatively use self-adhesive mini trunking available from any of the DIY stores, then you can easily run ethernet cables along skirtings as necessary. And this will be miles better than any wifi signal booster or “range extender”.
I can recommend TP-Link access points. Easy to set up. I’ve got two of these, configured in access-point mode.
Edited by Dr Mike Oxgreen on Thursday 11th January 21:21
Those are signal boosters, I have two of that exact model in a property overseas and they are 'ok'.
I think better in this instance would be a dedicated access point. Something like this that can be powered by a PoE switch, meaning no requirement to plug in.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/TP-Link-Wireless-Controll...
I think better in this instance would be a dedicated access point. Something like this that can be powered by a PoE switch, meaning no requirement to plug in.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/TP-Link-Wireless-Controll...
Lots of folk will suggest what has worked well for them be it TP-Link Decos, Orbi, Google/Nest, Tenda or eero, however what works well in their home may not in yours so you need to consider your home and what your ideal outcome is before buying anything.
First is what is your home like, size, layout, construction and where is your master socket / router located.
Second do you have any dead/slow spots today than need to be resolved.
What are the drivers, cost, speed, latency ,stability or functionality (parental controls, guest networks etc)
These things will drive what solution to use and where you’d place any mesh nodes.
Another factor is who is your ISP, many now want you to use or force you to use their modem/router/ap boxes and won’t let you use a 3rd party unit, others will let you put their modem/router/ap boxes into modem/pass through mode allowing the use of better router/ap’s and mesh systems.
Depending on your home it maybe that a single higher quality router/ap would suffice and some from TP-Link and Linksys can be upgrade to mesh if you do find they don’t cover the whole home.
Mesh, there are generally three types:
Dual Band – These have two radios in them a 2.4ghz for wifi traffic, a 5ghz one for wifi traffic and also to send the traffic between the satellite nodes and the main/master node connected to your router or modem (the backhaul).
Tri Band – These have three radios in them a 2.4ghz for wifi traffic, a 5ghz one for wifi traffic and a additional 5ghz radio for the backhaul to send the traffic between the satellite nodes and the main/master node connected to your router or modem.
Powerline - These have two radios in them a 2.4ghz for wifi traffic, a 5ghz one for wifi traffic. They use the power connection and your domestic wiring as the backhaul (the performance of these does obviously depend on the state and layout of your ring mains)
Dual Band are often cheaper but offer lower speeds. Tri Band are generally more expensive but offer higher speeds.
In a ideal world you would have your master node centrally in the house to act as a hub and make the satellite units spokes so they can all reach the master, if you chain a number of satellite units together that is where you can see performance hits as the data has to pass through a number of units before getting to the master.
When placing Dual/Tri Band units they have to be close enough to get a strong signal between nodes but not so close that your wifi clients continually hop from node to node, this is more art than science but generally there should be some help in the set-up guides for any system, I try and start as far apart as I can and move satellite nodes closer to the master until I get a stable connection.
Powerline units are more flexible as each unit doesn’t need a strong wifi line to the master as its using the ring main as the backhaul so you can have better placement options to get even coverage over the whole home.
Then there are devices known as accesspoints these can be considered logically as a mesh but connected via ethernet cables back to your router, these are either generally ceiling mounted, fit in wall to a 1g back box or many home fw/router/switch/accesspoint boxes can be configured as a accesspoint.
To confuse things even more many wireless mesh systems can also use ethernet to create a wired interconnect (backhaul) between nodes.
Placement:
I have had success in placing a single router/ap in the loft close to the centre of the hose with the antennas faing into the home, this is because its much easier for wifi to go through floors (traditional constructed) than walls, I’ve used this in my own 1910’s 3 bed with a gf extention and three bigish steels in the gf, obviously this is not an option for everyone but if you can get power and either the master socket or a either net run to the loft is a option.
If not then try to look at the size / layout of the home and where your dead spots are today and get the router/ap or main node close to the centre.
Depending on size and construction try and split the home into two and put two nodes in the middle of each ‘half’, if its larger then split into three, the main node in the centre of the middle third and the satellites in the centre of the outside thirds, if T shaped then the main node in the join of the T and then depending on dead spots other satellites at the extremes, etc.
Where to Buy:
Well I’d always suggest direct from Amazon prime because if you find you’ve brought something that doesn’t work they have a great return policy and that allows you flexibility in getting the right system for you.
Tip: When you set up the new devices if you use the same SSID (wifi network name) and password as used by your current router you shouldn’t have to change the login details on your client devices, meaning a easier cutover & backout if needed, to this end I’d also recommend chandhcp lease time down to ~30/60 mins to try and reduce the number if ip conflicts/device reboots on cutover, obviously this needs to be done 24/48 hrs before cutting over.
First is what is your home like, size, layout, construction and where is your master socket / router located.
Second do you have any dead/slow spots today than need to be resolved.
What are the drivers, cost, speed, latency ,stability or functionality (parental controls, guest networks etc)
These things will drive what solution to use and where you’d place any mesh nodes.
Another factor is who is your ISP, many now want you to use or force you to use their modem/router/ap boxes and won’t let you use a 3rd party unit, others will let you put their modem/router/ap boxes into modem/pass through mode allowing the use of better router/ap’s and mesh systems.
Depending on your home it maybe that a single higher quality router/ap would suffice and some from TP-Link and Linksys can be upgrade to mesh if you do find they don’t cover the whole home.
Mesh, there are generally three types:
Dual Band – These have two radios in them a 2.4ghz for wifi traffic, a 5ghz one for wifi traffic and also to send the traffic between the satellite nodes and the main/master node connected to your router or modem (the backhaul).
Tri Band – These have three radios in them a 2.4ghz for wifi traffic, a 5ghz one for wifi traffic and a additional 5ghz radio for the backhaul to send the traffic between the satellite nodes and the main/master node connected to your router or modem.
Powerline - These have two radios in them a 2.4ghz for wifi traffic, a 5ghz one for wifi traffic. They use the power connection and your domestic wiring as the backhaul (the performance of these does obviously depend on the state and layout of your ring mains)
Dual Band are often cheaper but offer lower speeds. Tri Band are generally more expensive but offer higher speeds.
In a ideal world you would have your master node centrally in the house to act as a hub and make the satellite units spokes so they can all reach the master, if you chain a number of satellite units together that is where you can see performance hits as the data has to pass through a number of units before getting to the master.
When placing Dual/Tri Band units they have to be close enough to get a strong signal between nodes but not so close that your wifi clients continually hop from node to node, this is more art than science but generally there should be some help in the set-up guides for any system, I try and start as far apart as I can and move satellite nodes closer to the master until I get a stable connection.
Powerline units are more flexible as each unit doesn’t need a strong wifi line to the master as its using the ring main as the backhaul so you can have better placement options to get even coverage over the whole home.
Then there are devices known as accesspoints these can be considered logically as a mesh but connected via ethernet cables back to your router, these are either generally ceiling mounted, fit in wall to a 1g back box or many home fw/router/switch/accesspoint boxes can be configured as a accesspoint.
To confuse things even more many wireless mesh systems can also use ethernet to create a wired interconnect (backhaul) between nodes.
Placement:
I have had success in placing a single router/ap in the loft close to the centre of the hose with the antennas faing into the home, this is because its much easier for wifi to go through floors (traditional constructed) than walls, I’ve used this in my own 1910’s 3 bed with a gf extention and three bigish steels in the gf, obviously this is not an option for everyone but if you can get power and either the master socket or a either net run to the loft is a option.
If not then try to look at the size / layout of the home and where your dead spots are today and get the router/ap or main node close to the centre.
Depending on size and construction try and split the home into two and put two nodes in the middle of each ‘half’, if its larger then split into three, the main node in the centre of the middle third and the satellites in the centre of the outside thirds, if T shaped then the main node in the join of the T and then depending on dead spots other satellites at the extremes, etc.
Where to Buy:
Well I’d always suggest direct from Amazon prime because if you find you’ve brought something that doesn’t work they have a great return policy and that allows you flexibility in getting the right system for you.
Tip: When you set up the new devices if you use the same SSID (wifi network name) and password as used by your current router you shouldn’t have to change the login details on your client devices, meaning a easier cutover & backout if needed, to this end I’d also recommend chandhcp lease time down to ~30/60 mins to try and reduce the number if ip conflicts/device reboots on cutover, obviously this needs to be done 24/48 hrs before cutting over.
Baldchap said:
Those are signal boosters, I have two of that exact model in a property overseas and they are 'ok'.
If you’re referring to the Tp-Link devices I linked to, they can act as either signal boosters or proper access points. As I mentioned, I have both of mine in “access point” mode - I can turn off wifi on my main router (an Apple AirPort) and my Virgin box is in modem mode so isn’t providing wifi - and I get wifi from the Tp-Link devices. They’re not simply repeating the signal.I agree that the OP really wants access points rather than mere signal boosters. I wouldn’t have recommended them if they were solely signal boosters.
Edited by Dr Mike Oxgreen on Friday 12th January 12:34
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