Home ethernet / wi fi advice
Discussion
A while ago my house was connected to the fiber network so I now get a 1,000mbps connection both for upload and download. The question was how to make the best use of it and get as much of that speed as possible. My house is three stories tall and when the fibre was installed a new hole was drilled through the wall into the living room on the ground floor. So I've run an ethernet connection from the router to the TV, which works great.
My concern was that on the other floors of the house, the wi-fi signal from the eero router would slow down substantially rendering the high speed connection a bit pointless. So i got some folk to install a wired connection to one room on the middle floor and another in the master bedroom on the top floor. The middle floor is fine as that ethernet connection plugs straight into my home PC and i also have a home office on that floor where the Wi-Fi signal from the floor below is good enough for the job.
The problem is the top floor bedroom. Essentially what i have is a very long wire that comes out of the wall and ends with an ethernet connector. I use a laptop in the bedroom but like pretty much every laptop these days it has a USB C port for internet in, rather than an ethernet socket. For a while i was using ethernet to USB C adaptors to get a hard wired connection, but they all stopped working as the ethernet in side of the connector was always very sensitive to movement and before you knew it you'd have to hold the ethernet in a very specific place to get the connection to stay stable. So I've abandoned that idea and for the time being I'm just relying on the Wi-Fi from the ground floor. It does the job but it's just annoying where I've had the room wired in and paying for a high speed connection to not be able to us it properly!
One solution would potentially be to put a second router in the bedroom. You're still not getting a wired connection but it's going to be quicker than using the one from downstairs. In terms of getting a wired connection, I could get another ethernet to USB C adaptor, sellotape it down, then run a long female to male USB C cable to the laptop. That may solve the problem, but am I missing a much better solution? If not, are there any issues with running two routers in the same house? None come to mind, but I've never tried it....
My concern was that on the other floors of the house, the wi-fi signal from the eero router would slow down substantially rendering the high speed connection a bit pointless. So i got some folk to install a wired connection to one room on the middle floor and another in the master bedroom on the top floor. The middle floor is fine as that ethernet connection plugs straight into my home PC and i also have a home office on that floor where the Wi-Fi signal from the floor below is good enough for the job.
The problem is the top floor bedroom. Essentially what i have is a very long wire that comes out of the wall and ends with an ethernet connector. I use a laptop in the bedroom but like pretty much every laptop these days it has a USB C port for internet in, rather than an ethernet socket. For a while i was using ethernet to USB C adaptors to get a hard wired connection, but they all stopped working as the ethernet in side of the connector was always very sensitive to movement and before you knew it you'd have to hold the ethernet in a very specific place to get the connection to stay stable. So I've abandoned that idea and for the time being I'm just relying on the Wi-Fi from the ground floor. It does the job but it's just annoying where I've had the room wired in and paying for a high speed connection to not be able to us it properly!
One solution would potentially be to put a second router in the bedroom. You're still not getting a wired connection but it's going to be quicker than using the one from downstairs. In terms of getting a wired connection, I could get another ethernet to USB C adaptor, sellotape it down, then run a long female to male USB C cable to the laptop. That may solve the problem, but am I missing a much better solution? If not, are there any issues with running two routers in the same house? None come to mind, but I've never tried it....
Exactly which eero router have you got? It ssems to be a mesh system so you should be able to add another acces point onto it to improve reception upstairs.
This page describes adding another eero unit - I think you could just plug it into one of your network cables:
https://support.eero.com/hc/en-us/articles/2078952...
This page describes adding another eero unit - I think you could just plug it into one of your network cables:
https://support.eero.com/hc/en-us/articles/2078952...
Edited by Mr Pointy on Monday 21st April 12:00
Get the cable on the top floor re-terminated properly. Then put a wifi6 or 7 access point on your middle and top floors to give you decent coverage for any device you want to use on those floors.
What is it you are trying to do on those floors that needs full external bandwidth?
I had a 600/600 fttp connection installed a little while ago...have been monitoring usage of it and when the renewal premium jumped a chunk have gone for 300/300 instead as we're simply not using anywhere near what we had. (tbh I could probably drop it even further at the moment...but the cost differential to 100/100 was tiny).
What is it you are trying to do on those floors that needs full external bandwidth?
I had a 600/600 fttp connection installed a little while ago...have been monitoring usage of it and when the renewal premium jumped a chunk have gone for 300/300 instead as we're simply not using anywhere near what we had. (tbh I could probably drop it even further at the moment...but the cost differential to 100/100 was tiny).
Mr Pointy said:
Exactly which eero router have you got? It ssems to be a mesh system so you should be able to add another acces point onto it to improve reception upstairs.
This page describes adding another eero unit - I think you could just plug it into one of your network cables:
https://support.eero.com/hc/en-us/articles/2078952...
Not sure which one I have, I'd have to look it up but that definitely looks like a good option!This page describes adding another eero unit - I think you could just plug it into one of your network cables:
https://support.eero.com/hc/en-us/articles/2078952...
Edited by Mr Pointy on Monday 21st April 12:00
Murph7355 said:
Get the cable on the top floor re-terminated properly. Then put a wifi6 or 7 access point on your middle and top floors to give you decent coverage for any device you want to use on those floors.
What is it you are trying to do on those floors that needs full external bandwidth?
I had a 600/600 fttp connection installed a little while ago...have been monitoring usage of it and when the renewal premium jumped a chunk have gone for 300/300 instead as we're simply not using anywhere near what we had. (tbh I could probably drop it even further at the moment...but the cost differential to 100/100 was tiny).
That's where I'd be.What is it you are trying to do on those floors that needs full external bandwidth?
I had a 600/600 fttp connection installed a little while ago...have been monitoring usage of it and when the renewal premium jumped a chunk have gone for 300/300 instead as we're simply not using anywhere near what we had. (tbh I could probably drop it even further at the moment...but the cost differential to 100/100 was tiny).
I also agree with the point about bandwidth.
People seem to focus on that way more than latency.
For 99% of online activities I know which I'd prioritise between a low latency connection and a quick one.
Murph7355 said:
Get the cable on the top floor re-terminated properly. Then put a wifi6 or 7 access point on your middle and top floors to give you decent coverage for any device you want to use on those floors.
What is it you are trying to do on those floors that needs full external bandwidth?
I had a 600/600 fttp connection installed a little while ago...have been monitoring usage of it and when the renewal premium jumped a chunk have gone for 300/300 instead as we're simply not using anywhere near what we had. (tbh I could probably drop it even further at the moment...but the cost differential to 100/100 was tiny).
I'm not exactly sure what this "Get the cable on the top floor re-terminated properly. Then put a wifi6 or 7 access point on your middle and top floors to give you decent coverage for any device you want to use on those floors" means? I'm guessing in terms of re-terminating you mean having the cable stop at the wall with a plug socket style ethernet port or possibly USB-C port in it?What is it you are trying to do on those floors that needs full external bandwidth?
I had a 600/600 fttp connection installed a little while ago...have been monitoring usage of it and when the renewal premium jumped a chunk have gone for 300/300 instead as we're simply not using anywhere near what we had. (tbh I could probably drop it even further at the moment...but the cost differential to 100/100 was tiny).
As for the need for speed, I don't actually need that fast a connection speed, but the times it comes in most useful are for my home PC, which is a gaming PC and it means that when a 70GB 'update' is needed, it can be downloaded it minutes rather than hours which is great. I also use it to stream 4k films from a friends server, who has the same 1,000mbps upload speed. So if i got it all up and running in the bedroom I'd probably wall mount a decent TV with an ethernet connection the same as the living room to stream films in bed. I was going to do that previously but my cats destroyed the TV before i got a chance to put it on the wall so I just use the laptop instead.
Snubs said:
Murph7355 said:
Get the cable on the top floor re-terminated properly. Then put a wifi6 or 7 access point on your middle and top floors to give you decent coverage for any device you want to use on those floors.
What is it you are trying to do on those floors that needs full external bandwidth?
I had a 600/600 fttp connection installed a little while ago...have been monitoring usage of it and when the renewal premium jumped a chunk have gone for 300/300 instead as we're simply not using anywhere near what we had. (tbh I could probably drop it even further at the moment...but the cost differential to 100/100 was tiny).
I'm not exactly sure what this "Get the cable on the top floor re-terminated properly. Then put a wifi6 or 7 access point on your middle and top floors to give you decent coverage for any device you want to use on those floors" means? I'm guessing in terms of re-terminating you mean having the cable stop at the wall with a plug socket style ethernet port or possibly USB-C port in it?What is it you are trying to do on those floors that needs full external bandwidth?
I had a 600/600 fttp connection installed a little while ago...have been monitoring usage of it and when the renewal premium jumped a chunk have gone for 300/300 instead as we're simply not using anywhere near what we had. (tbh I could probably drop it even further at the moment...but the cost differential to 100/100 was tiny).
As for the need for speed, I don't actually need that fast a connection speed, but the times it comes in most useful are for my home PC, which is a gaming PC and it means that when a 70GB 'update' is needed, it can be downloaded it minutes rather than hours which is great. I also use it to stream 4k films from a friends server, who has the same 1,000mbps upload speed. So if i got it all up and running in the bedroom I'd probably wall mount a decent TV with an ethernet connection the same as the living room to stream films in bed. I was going to do that previously but my cats destroyed the TV before i got a chance to put it on the wall so I just use the laptop instead.
First question is what’s the driver behind running a 1Gbs network at home, are there any needs for such speed or I’ve got it so want to use it?
Streaming utilises ~25Mb/s so a 1Gb/s feed would allow for 40 concurrent streams, perhaps there’s a option to reduce the line.
As suggested have you proven that the ethernet connection or the usb adapters are faulty, I’d check this first.
Adding a additional router will depend on how it’s configured, you may isolate yourself from the rest of the network with just internet access, this may or may not be a issue.
eero can have nodes added to it however eero now has a monthly licence attached for what many believe are key services, again this may or may not be a issue, you'd need to check.
If your isp allows you to replace the router there are many options from linksys, tp-link, netgear etc.
Streaming utilises ~25Mb/s so a 1Gb/s feed would allow for 40 concurrent streams, perhaps there’s a option to reduce the line.
As suggested have you proven that the ethernet connection or the usb adapters are faulty, I’d check this first.
Adding a additional router will depend on how it’s configured, you may isolate yourself from the rest of the network with just internet access, this may or may not be a issue.
eero can have nodes added to it however eero now has a monthly licence attached for what many believe are key services, again this may or may not be a issue, you'd need to check.
If your isp allows you to replace the router there are many options from linksys, tp-link, netgear etc.
Bandwidth is great if you have a big lump of data you need to send/receive but latency is the more important measure for day-to-day usage (ie: ping time and the time it takes to get the reply to your message).
Anyway... WRT the Wifi, I'd be looking to use the cabling to the middle floor, to setup the main Wifi access point in the middle of the house. That way, it can radiate both horizontally and vertically. I'd also look to installing a decent mesh network (eg: Netgear Orbi).
HTH
M
Anyway... WRT the Wifi, I'd be looking to use the cabling to the middle floor, to setup the main Wifi access point in the middle of the house. That way, it can radiate both horizontally and vertically. I'd also look to installing a decent mesh network (eg: Netgear Orbi).
HTH
M
Snubs said:
Mr Pointy said:
Exactly which eero router have you got? It ssems to be a mesh system so you should be able to add another acces point onto it to improve reception upstairs.
This page describes adding another eero unit - I think you could just plug it into one of your network cables:
https://support.eero.com/hc/en-us/articles/2078952...
Not sure which one I have, I'd have to look it up but that definitely looks like a good option!This page describes adding another eero unit - I think you could just plug it into one of your network cables:
https://support.eero.com/hc/en-us/articles/2078952...
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B086PL9KPT
As it's from Amazon you can try it & send it back for a refund if it doesn't work.
Snubs said:
I'm not exactly sure what this "Get the cable on the top floor re-terminated properly. Then put a wifi6 or 7 access point on your middle and top floors to give you decent coverage for any device you want to use on those floors" means? I'm guessing in terms of re-terminating you mean having the cable stop at the wall with a plug socket style ethernet port or possibly USB-C port in it?...
Ref "re-terminating"...you mentioned having to wiggle your cable around to get a decent ethernet connection?So either the socket on the device is faulty, or the cable is.
It could, I guess, be the USB-C connector too (I'm far from convinced about them in terms of stability).
Either way, if your laptop's WiFi6 capable, plugging the cable into a WiFi6 access point place somewhere convenient in your room will give you decent speeds without the faff. And allow multiple devices to connect up there. All things being equal you'll get close to 1gbps with WiFi6, and certainly enough to do what you need.
Murph7355 said:
Ref "re-terminating"...you mentioned having to wiggle your cable around to get a decent ethernet connection?
I'm guessing that the RJ45 release tab has been snapped off so it doesn't stay put in the USB-C to RJ45 adapter.Ideally if you are able to thread another long cable up to the top floor then go for it. Make sure its CAT6 minimum.
If not then a new Access Point as mentioned above and tape the cable to it so it cannot slide out.
The vast majority of consumer electronics (with the exception of PCs/laptops) will have 10/100 ethernet connections. Meaning their max speed is 100mbps. Large 4K files (HDR, uncompressed audio etc) will easily require far greater bandwidth (I've seen speeds higher than 300mbps). Therefore you'd be better using a WiFi connection.
Whilst ethernet is great for stability, it's not always the best option for performance.
Whilst ethernet is great for stability, it's not always the best option for performance.
TEKNOPUG said:
The vast majority of consumer electronics (with the exception of PCs/laptops) will have 10/100 ethernet connections. Meaning their max speed is 100mbps. Large 4K files (HDR, uncompressed audio etc) will easily require far greater bandwidth (I've seen speeds higher than 300mbps). Therefore you'd be better using a WiFi connection.
Whilst ethernet is great for stability, it's not always the best option for performance.
I actually think that for some time now 1GB/s has been the default.Whilst ethernet is great for stability, it's not always the best option for performance.
I have a pair of 24 port 1GB/s switches (unmanaged) which I must have bought well over 10 years ago.
They were both bought used off Ebay for about £150.
I'm about to sign up for FTTP and so I am looking at getting a 2.5GB/s WAN + LAN router even though the price sweet spot for FTTP is 900Mbs.
If I can get a decent deal on a used switch then I may just get a 10GB/s switch and future proof myself.
If this all works then as speeds rise and prices stay reasonable I can then upscale without any issues.
Greenmantle said:
TEKNOPUG said:
The vast majority of consumer electronics (with the exception of PCs/laptops) will have 10/100 ethernet connections. Meaning their max speed is 100mbps. Large 4K files (HDR, uncompressed audio etc) will easily require far greater bandwidth (I've seen speeds higher than 300mbps). Therefore you'd be better using a WiFi connection.
Whilst ethernet is great for stability, it's not always the best option for performance.
I actually think that for some time now 1GB/s has been the default.Whilst ethernet is great for stability, it's not always the best option for performance.
I have a pair of 24 port 1GB/s switches (unmanaged) which I must have bought well over 10 years ago.
They were both bought used off Ebay for about £150.
I'm about to sign up for FTTP and so I am looking at getting a 2.5GB/s WAN + LAN router even though the price sweet spot for FTTP is 900Mbs.
If I can get a decent deal on a used switch then I may just get a 10GB/s switch and future proof myself.
If this all works then as speeds rise and prices stay reasonable I can then upscale without any issues.
Greenmantle said:
TEKNOPUG said:
The vast majority of consumer electronics (with the exception of PCs/laptops) will have 10/100 ethernet connections. Meaning their max speed is 100mbps. Large 4K files (HDR, uncompressed audio etc) will easily require far greater bandwidth (I've seen speeds higher than 300mbps). Therefore you'd be better using a WiFi connection.
Whilst ethernet is great for stability, it's not always the best option for performance.
I actually think that for some time now 1GB/s has been the default.Whilst ethernet is great for stability, it's not always the best option for performance.
I have a pair of 24 port 1GB/s switches (unmanaged) which I must have bought well over 10 years ago.
They were both bought used off Ebay for about £150.
I'm about to sign up for FTTP and so I am looking at getting a 2.5GB/s WAN + LAN router even though the price sweet spot for FTTP is 900Mbs.
If I can get a decent deal on a used switch then I may just get a 10GB/s switch and future proof myself.
If this all works then as speeds rise and prices stay reasonable I can then upscale without any issues.
TEKNOPUG said:
Greenmantle said:
TEKNOPUG said:
The vast majority of consumer electronics (with the exception of PCs/laptops) will have 10/100 ethernet connections. Meaning their max speed is 100mbps. Large 4K files (HDR, uncompressed audio etc) will easily require far greater bandwidth (I've seen speeds higher than 300mbps). Therefore you'd be better using a WiFi connection.
Whilst ethernet is great for stability, it's not always the best option for performance.
I actually think that for some time now 1GB/s has been the default.Whilst ethernet is great for stability, it's not always the best option for performance.
I have a pair of 24 port 1GB/s switches (unmanaged) which I must have bought well over 10 years ago.
They were both bought used off Ebay for about £150.
I'm about to sign up for FTTP and so I am looking at getting a 2.5GB/s WAN + LAN router even though the price sweet spot for FTTP is 900Mbs.
If I can get a decent deal on a used switch then I may just get a 10GB/s switch and future proof myself.
If this all works then as speeds rise and prices stay reasonable I can then upscale without any issues.
And you’d expect to source specific hw if your steaming device embedded in your device couldn’t cope.
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