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[Technology] WiFi in my garden office



B

Berty23

Well-known member
Jun 26, 2012
3,207
Hi all

I have tried standard internet research but I am now even more confused so I am hoping NSC can come up trumps again.

My garden office is almost done and now I need to sort out internet. The electrician who put the cable in the ground down the garden also included an armoured Ethernet cable (I forget the proper name) and I have face plates at each end. Obviously one of these I will link it to my router with an Ethernet cable, but what should I do in the garden office at the other end?

Basically I am after the cheapest and easiest option to connect to the wifi. I spoke to a bloke at curry’s who said I need a wireless access point which connects to the wall and then provides the signal. This is where I get a bit confused. I have sky broadband and it looks like some of the wireless access points might not work with sky but I have no idea which is which.

Does anyone on here have advice about which to buy that a moron like me can plug in and make work ie plug it in to the wall and have wifi in the office? I just need to be able to make video calls and then general computer access.

If people have experience of such products and could provide a link to the sort of thing I need then that would be great.

Any help appreciated. Thanks
 








dazzer6666

dazzer6666

Well-known member
NSC Patron
Mar 27, 2013
52,482
Burgess Hill
If you need wifi maybe get a Tenda mesh setup (loads on Amazon). Plug your Ethernet cable into your router one end, and then the link other end to a cable into the mesh box in your garden office. Signal will be almost as strong as from the router directly.
 


B

Berty23

Well-known member
Jun 26, 2012
3,207
schmunk said:
If you're using a "computer", wouldn't a cable be cheaper and easier than WiFi? Literally plug and play.
Click to expand...

Sorry. That was short hand for laptop. My laptop doesn’t have a slot for a cable.
 






D

DFL JCL

Well-known member
Jan 8, 2016
792
Just get a WiFi extender plug it into the ethernet cable in the garden office. Homeplugs definitely aren't as reliable as the ethernet cable. Particularly going across consumer units, which I expect you are doing.

Sent from my Pixel 5 using Tapatalk
 


S

Springal

Well-known member
Feb 12, 2005
23,838
GOSBTS
DFL JCL said:
Just get a WiFi extender plug it into the ethernet cable in the garden office. Homeplugs definitely aren't as reliable as the ethernet cable. Particularly going across consumer units, which I expect you are doing.

Sent from my Pixel 5 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

Yeah this - get a plug in wifi extender, but one with an Ethernet port and plug into it. Will be fast between your house and the office, but flexibility of wifi for devices in the office and on the same network as everything else
 




happypig

happypig

Staring at the rude boys
May 23, 2009
7,972
Eastbourne
Avoid Currys, they are box-shifters and idiots.

I have extended internet to my workshop using a cable and old router.

What you need to do is get an old router, turn off DHCP and the firewall and set the wireless network name/password to the same as the main router. Depending on the router you may need to plug the cable into the WAN port.

Regarding wireless extenders, your sparks should have used a separate breaker to feed the office and wireless extenders don't work well between different circuits.
 




clapham_gull

clapham_gull

Legacy Fan
Aug 20, 2003
25,328
Berty23 said:
Hi all

I have tried standard internet research but I am now even more confused so I am hoping NSC can come up trumps again.

My garden office is almost done and now I need to sort out internet. The electrician who put the cable in the ground down the garden also included an armoured Ethernet cable (I forget the proper name) and I have face plates at each end. Obviously one of these I will link it to my router with an Ethernet cable, but what should I do in the garden office at the other end?

Basically I am after the cheapest and easiest option to connect to the wifi. I spoke to a bloke at curry’s who said I need a wireless access point which connects to the wall and then provides the signal. This is where I get a bit confused. I have sky broadband and it looks like some of the wireless access points might not work with sky but I have no idea which is which.

Does anyone on here have advice about which to buy that a moron like me can plug in and make work ie plug it in to the wall and have wifi in the office? I just need to be able to make video calls and then general computer access.

If people have experience of such products and could provide a link to the sort of thing I need then that would be great.

Any help appreciated. Thanks
Click to expand...

Cable would be a cheap option however you can buy an access point bearing in mind this will also require power.

My situation is very similar. The type of Victorian brick used in here will not let a wifi signal through from one end of the property to the back and into the garden.

The telephone lines are at the front of the property.

First thing I did was install cables under the floor of two rooms and into the kitchen at the back which leads into the garden, just like your electrician.

In the kitchen I have an access point, which most people assume is a smoke alarm. You can do this technically with an old router, but this is specifically built for the job you need and looks very smart.

21xwR8cqryL._AC_SX425_.jpg


My cables go from the router into a face plate like yours in the kitchen, however as you say a cable from the router to the starting ethernet plate will be fine.

That access point is powered by a nearby socket and connected to the kitchen ethernet plate by a cable. It is technically powered by the ethernet cable itself because an intermediary unit (like a laptop power supply) injects power into the ethernet cable. That nice because if the access point is wall mounted it only has one cable (the network cable) running into it.

I now have seamless wifi throughout and into the garden.

This is a newer model, but my older one has been running for 7/8 years and never gone wrong. It's simply the most bullet proof piece of kit I've ever bought,

It's a one time setup. A mate of mine bought one recently on my advice and set it up in minutes.

I have both Sky Broadband and Virgin. It will work with anything. Since both are likely to go down, I flip it between the two and all that takes it swapping a cable between the two routers (*)
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Ubiquiti-n...6&sprefix=ubiquiti+unifi+,aps,177&sr=8-2&th=1


It's all about convenience really. A cable in the office will cost you a few quid, but the above will give you strong internet in the garden which I presume you don't have.

(*) Having two providers (lockdown thing) I actually set mine up with a different network name and password. Since the other end is hard wired into the router, it doesn't need a password to connect to it. However you set a password on the access point itself, otherwise your neighbours will get free wifi. I just connect to "kitchen network" when I work our there.

Edit: The original link I posted is a cheaper version without the power injector, I've updated.

There are cheaper access points available, but I've never used one. The benefit of the injector is a single cable (ethernet) to the access point.
 
Last edited:




BNthree

BNthree

Plastic JCL
Sep 14, 2016
10,911
WeHo
Get a router like this:

Deal of the day: TP-Link AC1200 Wireless Dual Band Full Gigabit Wi-Fi Router, Wi-Fi Speed Up to 867 Mbps/5 GHz + 300 Mbps/2.4 GHz, 4+1 Gigabit Ports, Dual-Core CPU, Parental Control, Easy setup (Archer C6 V3.2) https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07L5YRYF4/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_dl_HZTGBN6MGKRVDX5XYNN1

And connect it to the Ethernet port in your office. That creates a separate little wifi network for that space.
 


S

Springal

Well-known member
Feb 12, 2005
23,838
GOSBTS
BNthree said:
Get a router like this:

Deal of the day: TP-Link AC1200 Wireless Dual Band Full Gigabit Wi-Fi Router, Wi-Fi Speed Up to 867 Mbps/5 GHz + 300 Mbps/2.4 GHz, 4+1 Gigabit Ports, Dual-Core CPU, Parental Control, Easy setup (Archer C6 V3.2) https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07L5YRYF4/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_dl_HZTGBN6MGKRVDX5XYNN1

And connect it to the Ethernet port in your office. That creates a separate little wifi network for that space.
Click to expand...

But the OP doesn’t need a router as he will have to keep his Sky one, so a simple AP of sorts will do. 2 routers on the same network will cause issues, unless you know what you are doing
 


BNthree

BNthree

Plastic JCL
Sep 14, 2016
10,911
WeHo
Springal said:
But the OP doesn’t need a router as he will have to keep his Sky one, so a simple AP of sorts will do. 2 routers on the same network will cause issues, unless you know what you are doing
Click to expand...

He can keep his sky one and this would be a separate network (admittedly connected to the sky router). Seems easiest solution to me but whatever. Was just trying to help.
 










Bold Seagull

Bold Seagull

strong and stable with me, or...
Mar 18, 2010
29,799
Hove
BNthree said:
He can keep his sky one and this would be a separate network (admittedly connected to the sky router). Seems easiest solution to me but whatever. Was just trying to help.
Click to expand...

That probably is the easiest solution from my knowledge, otherwise the OP is going to need to put his Sky router into Modem mode and create a mesh WiFi network if he wants all the same WiFi (which is what I’ve done). That way you can have multiple APs around the house and garden office all with the same network. Much more robust than the Sky/Virgin//BT routers too, especially if you have lots of devices.

If you just want a nice little separate WiFi down the garden though, think your solution would work - and significantly cheaper.
 




Dougie

Dougie

Well-known member
Jan 11, 2012
5,705
Berty23 said:
Hi all

I have tried standard internet research but I am now even more confused so I am hoping NSC can come up trumps again.

My garden office is almost done and now I need to sort out internet. The electrician who put the cable in the ground down the garden also included an armoured Ethernet cable (I forget the proper name) and I have face plates at each end. Obviously one of these I will link it to my router with an Ethernet cable, but what should I do in the garden office at the other end?

Basically I am after the cheapest and easiest option to connect to the wifi. I spoke to a bloke at curry’s who said I need a wireless access point which connects to the wall and then provides the signal. This is where I get a bit confused. I have sky broadband and it looks like some of the wireless access points might not work with sky but I have no idea which is which.

Does anyone on here have advice about which to buy that a moron like me can plug in and make work ie plug it in to the wall and have wifi in the office? I just need to be able to make video calls and then general computer access.

If people have experience of such products and could provide a link to the sort of thing I need then that would be great.

Any help appreciated. Thanks
Click to expand...

I have the same set up in my bar. A buried Ethernet cable connected to my router then a wi fi access point at the other end . My broadband is supplied by virgin and the access point is hp, it works fine . I’ll find a link to it.
 


Westdene Seagull

Westdene Seagull

aka Cap'n Carl Firecrotch
NSC Patron
Oct 27, 2003
21,025
The arse end of Hangleton
schmunk said:
You can buy a USB Ethernet adaptor for about £15.
Click to expand...

This ^^^ is by far the easiest and cheapest solution assuming a number of things :

1. You have a 'spare' USB port on your laptop

2. When you say the ethernet has been presented with 'face plates' you mean an RJ45 socket - i.e. you can plug a cable into the face plate from the laptop.

3. You're not actually fussed about having a wireless connection in your office just an internet connection. Ethernet will provide a higher and more consistent speed as well.

4. Sky routers come with spare LAN ports ( I have a Virgin one and it has four LAN ethernet ports so I would assume Sky is similar ).
 


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