WiFi into garage.

[Hugh jorifice]

I use TP links to the garage for WiFi but they’re not great.
If I run a Cat 5 cable from the BT router and then use a switch at the garage end, would I be able to use a BT WiFi disc for WiFi and use the other ports on the switch for hardwire?
Don’t really understand why the experts say to run multiple Cat 5 cables when just one into a switch should suffice.

[S6PNJ]

Hugh jorifice said:

I use TP links to the garage for WiFi but they’re not great.
If I run a Cat 5 cable from the BT router and then use a switch at the garage end, would I be able to use a BT WiFi disc for WiFi and use the other ports on the switch for hardwire?
Don’t really understand why the experts say to run multiple Cat 5 cables when just one into a switch should suffice.

I'm no network expert (but have wired up my own home with Cat 5 linked mesh and 16 port switches etc and would consider myself IT literate) and I can see no reason why what you've proposed would not work. The BT disc would get its IP from your router via the switch.
As to why run multiple Cat 5 cables - redundancy in case one cable fails. I'd think usually 2 cables are pulled - one in use and one spare, though if something takes out the one cable in use (excluding RJ45 failure which can be re-terminated), it's likely to take out the second cable as well, unless you run redundant routes.

[Lucas Ayde]

Hugh jorifice said:

I use TP links to the garage for WiFi but they’re not great.
If I run a Cat 5 cable from the BT router and then use a switch at the garage end, would I be able to use a BT WiFi disc for WiFi and use the other ports on the switch for hardwire?
Don’t really understand why the experts say to run multiple Cat 5 cables when just one into a switch should suffice.

Yeah, one Cat 5 cable would be absolutely fine unless you've got a streaming datacenter in there ... The BT disc will provide a wireless AP from your switch so you're good to go for wifi. You can pick up cheap unmanaged 5-port gigabit switches for 20 quid or less. 100meg ones are about a fiver cheaper.

Don't know if you have the rest of the discs set up in the house but if you are planning to run a Mesh network over the house and garage make sure you have the Whole Home mesh that supports ethernet backhaul to the router on more than one disc at a time. I know that the 'mini' will do it but I'm pretty sure that at least one of the more expensive variants doesn't (might be the top end one) and on that one only the master disc can be wired, the other discs must mesh via wifi even though they all have ethernet ports.

[monthou]

It will be fine.
Saying that I'd never run just one cable unless it was easily accessible. Cat5 is cheap.

[595Heaven]

Note that you can’t daisy chain the BT whole home Wi-Fi discs over Ethernet cable. Only the first disc which connects to the router can be hardwired. The others have to be meshed, although you can connect a switch to the discs if you need to hardwire.

I found this out when trying to provision Wi-Fi in our garden room. Bought a new disc and was hoping to connect it over Ethernet to one in the house, but it does not work. In the end, I bought a cheap router and use that in the garden room (connected to the BT Disc over Ethernet) which works fine. Sometimes need to change Wi-Fi network on my phone as it tries to hang on to the mesh Wi-Fi when the router is giving a better signal but not a huge problem.

There are a couple of other BT discs (the mini ones and a premium version) so these may work differently

[Pixelpeep Z4]

Is your garage on the house ring for electrics?

Might be worth using powerline adaptors to get the cat 5 into the garage to save having to physically run anything?

[595Heaven]

Pixelpeep Z4 said:

Is your garage on the house ring for electrics?

Might be worth using powerline adaptors to get the cat 5 into the garage to save having to physically run anything?

I think he is using those and not having much luck - mentioned in his first post.

[Pixelpeep Z4]

595Heaven said:

Pixelpeep Z4 said:

Is your garage on the house ring for electrics?

Might be worth using powerline adaptors to get the cat 5 into the garage to save having to physically run anything?

I think he is using those and not having much luck - mentioned in his first post.

I read the OP as they're using the tp link powerline/wifi all in one, i was suggesting trying powerline and a separate, decent wifi Access point.

When people say 'the wifi isn't great' - my first go to is the wifi itself, not the cat5 to it.

[Lucas Ayde]

595Heaven said:

Note that you can’t daisy chain the BT whole home Wi-Fi discs over Ethernet cable. Only the first disc which connects to the router can be hardwired. The others have to be meshed, although you can connect a switch to the discs if you need to hardwire.

I found this out when trying to provision Wi-Fi in our garden room. Bought a new disc and was hoping to connect it over Ethernet to one in the house, but it does not work. In the end, I bought a cheap router and use that in the garden room (connected to the BT Disc over Ethernet) which works fine. Sometimes need to change Wi-Fi network on my phone as it tries to hang on to the mesh Wi-Fi when the router is giving a better signal but not a huge problem.

There are a couple of other BT discs (the mini ones and a premium version) so these may work differently

Depends on the system - I've got the mini and it supports ethernet backhaul on all discs. I remember when I was researching prior to buying and one of their systems wouldn't support ethernet backhaul. Did some digging and got this:
https://www.bt.com/help/user-guides/bt-whole-home-...

said:

If you're using Whole Home Wi-Fi or Mini Whole Home Wi-Fi, you can. If you wish, you can locate a disc a long distance from your hub (router) - for example, in an outbuilding - and have an Ethernet cable connection back to your hub (router). Just plug in the cable in the disc’s RJ45 socket and it'll join your Whole Home Wi-Fi network.

If you're using Premium Whole Home Wi-Fi, you can't. Only your first disc can be connected to the hub (router) using an Ethernet cable. If you wish to connect more discs by Ethernet, you'll need to connect them to the Ethernet port on another disc. You can also use the Ethernet ports on these discs for devices such as TVs and printers.

.. so looks like you can't do this with their top end discs. I think those ones have a third dedicated radio for backhaul.

[595Heaven]

Lucas Ayde said:

595Heaven said:

Note that you can’t daisy chain the BT whole home Wi-Fi discs over Ethernet cable. Only the first disc which connects to the router can be hardwired. The others have to be meshed, although you can connect a switch to the discs if you need to hardwire.

I found this out when trying to provision Wi-Fi in our garden room. Bought a new disc and was hoping to connect it over Ethernet to one in the house, but it does not work. In the end, I bought a cheap router and use that in the garden room (connected to the BT Disc over Ethernet) which works fine. Sometimes need to change Wi-Fi network on my phone as it tries to hang on to the mesh Wi-Fi when the router is giving a better signal but not a huge problem.

There are a couple of other BT discs (the mini ones and a premium version) so these may work differently

Depends on the system - I've got the mini and it supports ethernet backhaul on all discs. I remember when I was researching prior to buying and one of their systems wouldn't support ethernet backhaul. Did some digging and got this:
https://www.bt.com/help/user-guides/bt-whole-home-...

said:

If you're using Whole Home Wi-Fi or Mini Whole Home Wi-Fi, you can. If you wish, you can locate a disc a long distance from your hub (router) - for example, in an outbuilding - and have an Ethernet cable connection back to your hub (router). Just plug in the cable in the disc’s RJ45 socket and it'll join your Whole Home Wi-Fi network.

If you're using Premium Whole Home Wi-Fi, you can't. Only your first disc can be connected to the hub (router) using an Ethernet cable. If you wish to connect more discs by Ethernet, you'll need to connect them to the Ethernet port on another disc. You can also use the Ethernet ports on these discs for devices such as TVs and printers.

.. so looks like you can't do this with their top end discs. I think those ones have a third dedicated radio for backhaul.

Ah, yes, coming back to me now - I remember reading that when I was trying to get my setup working. You can connect two or more directly to the router, but what you can’t do is daisychain any other two discs together over Ethernet which is what I needed to do as a result of the router location not being helpful in my instance.

[33q]

I bought the TP Link P9 a few weeks ago.

It's a hybrid using both Mesh and Powerline technology. I have one of the units in the garage and it gives me great wifi and helps in the garden too.

[Hugh jorifice]

All kind of makes sense.
Thanks for all the info.

[insert coin]

I use the P9 Deco’s too on my residential WiFi installs, 3 year warranty and I can manage all the networks remotely.

[NDA]

Hugh jorifice said:

I use TP links to the garage for WiFi but they’re not great.
If I run a Cat 5 cable from the BT router and then use a switch at the garage end, would I be able to use a BT WiFi disc for WiFi and use the other ports on the switch for hardwire?
Don’t really understand why the experts say to run multiple Cat 5 cables when just one into a switch should suffice.

Yes.

I ran ethernet out to my garage recently and put a BT whole home disc on the end of it. The disc behaves as an access point, without any change to the settings, and gives a good wifi signal - very reliable too.

I haven't tried a switch on the discs, but can't see why it wouldn't work.

[Hugh jorifice]

Thanks.
Am going to give it a go.

[Road2Ruin]

NDA said:

Hugh jorifice said:

I use TP links to the garage for WiFi but they’re not great.
If I run a Cat 5 cable from the BT router and then use a switch at the garage end, would I be able to use a BT WiFi disc for WiFi and use the other ports on the switch for hardwire?
Don’t really understand why the experts say to run multiple Cat 5 cables when just one into a switch should suffice.

Yes.

I ran ethernet out to my garage recently and put a BT whole home disc on the end of it. The disc behaves as an access point, without any change to the settings, and gives a good wifi signal - very reliable too.

I haven't tried a switch on the discs, but can't see why it wouldn't work.

Mine at home works with a switch.