Extending Internet Access to another Building
Discussion
Old question, I know, but the technology changes, so I thought I'd ask you network gurus what the current best ideas are...
I have a Orange Livebox modem/router in the house and I want guests who stay in our outbuilding to be able to access t'internet. We get only about 5Mb/sec speed (don't laugh).
Currently I use a very old modem in the outbuilding (together with TP-Link powerline extenders) to connect via ethernet cable to the house. It has worked fine for about 5 years, but now it seems to be becoming incereasingly unreliable, so an alternative is needed.
I'm very happy to leave the ethernet connection from my modem/router out to the outbuilding, but what can I connect to give reasonable internet access? I need to have a seperate SSID on the outbuilding for guest use...
Recommendations please?
I have a Orange Livebox modem/router in the house and I want guests who stay in our outbuilding to be able to access t'internet. We get only about 5Mb/sec speed (don't laugh).
Currently I use a very old modem in the outbuilding (together with TP-Link powerline extenders) to connect via ethernet cable to the house. It has worked fine for about 5 years, but now it seems to be becoming incereasingly unreliable, so an alternative is needed.
I'm very happy to leave the ethernet connection from my modem/router out to the outbuilding, but what can I connect to give reasonable internet access? I need to have a seperate SSID on the outbuilding for guest use...
Recommendations please?
I find those BT disc thingies (to give them their technical name) absolutely fine - https://www.amazon.co.uk/BT-Seamless-Connection-Ev... . They reach my outbuildings and ensure that the reception at the top of my garden is solid (200 yards from the house and 200 feet up a slope)
And I think they can do what you need in terms of providing segregated wifi for the guests.
And I think they can do what you need in terms of providing segregated wifi for the guests.
ash73 said:
2. What to connect in the outbuilding
You just need a cheap router with guest wireless, set to access point mode.
This will do the job:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/ASUS-RT-AC51U-WiFi-Cabl...
You can configure both your standard SSID and a guest SSID on it, the latter just gives them access to the internet.
Or, if you go with wireless mesh, you need a node with guest wireless.
This sounds right in theory but doesn't really work in practice, in my experience.You just need a cheap router with guest wireless, set to access point mode.
This will do the job:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/ASUS-RT-AC51U-WiFi-Cabl...
You can configure both your standard SSID and a guest SSID on it, the latter just gives them access to the internet.
Or, if you go with wireless mesh, you need a node with guest wireless.
I had ethernet to an outbuilding so just needed to add wifi. I started with a separate access point then soon abandoned it because it was too unreliable.
The problem is that phones are designed to hang on to an established wifi connection for as long as possible rather than jump between different ones, so when moving between the house and the outbuilding I'd regularly lose wifi as it tried to hang on to the first connection it'd made. Often it'd just get lost between the two and I regularly had to switch the wifi off and on again.
The other issue was that when the signal from the house was having a strong day, wifi devices in the outbuilding would sometimes connect to it, and then when the signal dropped they'd try and hang on to it.
I gave up in the end and switched to a mesh system, which solves all these issues by only having a single wifi connection for the phone to know about. But it is bloody expensive.
Pitre said:
That will be perfect as an access point in the guest house. Not clear, do you have a cable running from the main router? Or do you use power-line?
Pitre said:
megaphone said:
That will be perfect as an access point in the guest house.
Not clear, do you have a cable running from the main router? Or do you use power-line?
Yes, there is an Ethernet cable running between the buildings...Not clear, do you have a cable running from the main router? Or do you use power-line?
You can also set-up a guest portal if you want, "welcome to ....please sign in here"
How much do you want to spend and is there a mobile signal in that location ?
A mobile 4g router is about £120 , i have a smarty sim (on the 3 network) unlimited data and 15-24 meg on 1-2 bars (out of 3) signal strength. If the cell site is cat6 and you get the right router could see 50meg
A mobile 4g router is about £120 , i have a smarty sim (on the 3 network) unlimited data and 15-24 meg on 1-2 bars (out of 3) signal strength. If the cell site is cat6 and you get the right router could see 50meg
If you've already got a reliable ethernet connection to the outbuilding, just add a couple of 'mesh' network points instead of what you already have. One directly into the router, the other directly into the router, but at the end of the ethernet cable.
Just hide the router wifi signal and only let guests connect to the mesh network - most should just allow you to move seamlessly from point to point.
Just make sure the ethernet cable is at least Cat5e rated (not Cat5) and hopefully you've got 2 cables in there, just in case one fails or the end connections are a bit suspect.
Check the router you have in place, has it got all patches applied etc.. and check all connections, are they 'clean' and not damaged, etc.. Is it up to the job.
Just hide the router wifi signal and only let guests connect to the mesh network - most should just allow you to move seamlessly from point to point.
Just make sure the ethernet cable is at least Cat5e rated (not Cat5) and hopefully you've got 2 cables in there, just in case one fails or the end connections are a bit suspect.
Check the router you have in place, has it got all patches applied etc.. and check all connections, are they 'clean' and not damaged, etc.. Is it up to the job.
Dodsy said:
How much do you want to spend and is there a mobile signal in that location ?
A mobile 4g router is about £120 , i have a smarty sim (on the 3 network) unlimited data and 15-24 meg on 1-2 bars (out of 3) signal strength. If the cell site is cat6 and you get the right router could see 50meg
Ha! We are in deepest rural Normandy, mobile signal is VERY flaky, broadband currently only about 5Mb/sec A mobile 4g router is about £120 , i have a smarty sim (on the 3 network) unlimited data and 15-24 meg on 1-2 bars (out of 3) signal strength. If the cell site is cat6 and you get the right router could see 50meg
Apologies for complicating this just a little, but the outbuilding has a very thick stone wall partition and I want the WiFi to be available throughout. So would a powerline be sensible or are there add-on alternatives to the ubiquiti or apple solutions suggested above, which will extend the signal through the wall? Or maybe another Ethernet cable?
Edited by Pitre on Tuesday 18th August 12:07
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