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Topic: Getting wifi in garage and garden (Read 87024 times) previous topic - next topic
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Getting wifi in garage and garden

I've got a detached garage a couple of meters away from my house, and would like to get wifi there for streaming music (just CD quality FLAC). Sadly, my Sky Q router only intermittently penetrates the house walls well enough to get a signal in the garden, and less often to get a signal in the garage. What would be the neatest way to get wifi in the garage (and, ideally, the garden too) - should I be looking at a powerline device, or would some kind of signal booster/repeater do the job?

I'd rather not have to run a cable between the two buildings if I can avoid it. If it helps, there is an outdoor socket in the garden.

Re: Getting wifi in garage and garden

Reply #1
I'd first try powerline adapter.
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Re: Getting wifi in garage and garden

Reply #2
If your router has detachable antennas, check if you can attach a directional patch antenna.

They can be orientated towards the place you need WLAN at a bit easier. When using powerline adapters, the signal degradation can be pretty strong, so speeds are usually really low, compared with any other form of wired internet. Don't be surprised, if you can't get 100Mbit/s through it, etc.

Repeaters is usually the most reliable, but also the most inconvenient way, save for actually laying down an Ethernet cable.


Re: Getting wifi in garage and garden

Reply #4
Thanks for the suggestions! Sky tech support have actually been very helpful - looks like a first step may be seeing if changing things with the router helps... If not, I'll look at powerline adapters etc

Re: Getting wifi in garage and garden

Reply #5
This discusssion was was moved to the off-topic board. AFAICT it doesn’t belong in any other place, despite the fact that it may only be used for streaming audio.

Re: Getting wifi in garage and garden

Reply #6
Any powerline adaptor should be avoided if you care for audio quality, these devices work by injecting mains interference.

Re: Getting wifi in garage and garden

Reply #7
I think first of all you could try a better router, your ISP probably uses not the best unit.

So how much are you willing to spend? The most consumer-friendly, easiest and best way to do it performance-wise, without dropping a cable, would probably be a Netgear Orbi set. They aren't like regular extenders which repeat the signal on the same radios so the bandwidth gets cut in half, they have their own dedicated backhaul radio (4-stream on the big models, 2-stream on the smaller ones). An RBK50 would probably be good for you. They go on sales here in the U.S. pretty frequently. You would disable the wifi on your Sky router, then just use it as a modem, and connect the main Orbi router to an ethernet port of your now Sky router. The secondary access point would connect to the main one like a regular extender, only it would be a lot faster.

An upside is that these Orbi sets are designed to just keep the same SSID and let your devices roam seamlessly between which access point has the strongest signal, and in my experience and in an acquaintance's one for whom I installed an RBK30, it works well. She used to complain a lot to me about her internet, and since she says she's happy and doesn't experience any trouble. Even if you're not a network nerd, the thing is easy to set up and requires near-zero maintenance after that.

Also just in case, other WiFi "mesh" sets, like Google WiFi and Eero, are also designed to roam seamlessly between access points, but they are at their core common extenders, meaning they don't have a dedicated backhaul, so they may cut your speed noticeably depending on how you're using your network (will be more noticeable if you have very fast internet, or if you're transferring files or streaming video through your local network). Linksys has their "Velop" brand, but last time I checked they muddied the waters, with only they very most expensive set having a dedicated backhaul channel, and the cheaper ones just being regular extenders.

Re: Getting wifi in garage and garden

Reply #8
Any powerline adaptor should be avoided if you care for audio quality, these devices work by injecting mains interference.

...and? I am curious, has there been some testings of these devices? I think good PSU will filter out those, they are in MHz range, aren't they?
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Re: Getting wifi in garage and garden

Reply #9
Thanks for the replies. I've failed to get this working with the Sky router :( It doesn't have a detachable antenna.

Netgear Orbi looks nice, but runs to ~£200. I could try replacing my router, but I don't think the Sky Q hub is terrible - so guess I'd be spending a reasonable amount to do better (though I'm open to suggestions!) I'm tempted to just try a sub-£40 set of Tp-link or similar devices, and see if that sorts the problem (I don't need high speed wifi - anything fast enough to stream FLAC reliably will be fine). Any more elegant solutions in a similar price range that I should try first?

Re: Getting wifi in garage and garden

Reply #10
Try a Tenda Nova MW3-3 - I got these for my sister in law. This is a cheap mesh wifi system you can get from Amazon or Currys in the UK for about £90 for three units. (You can also get a two unit pack for £70). At these prices, to me they are vastly superior to buying wireless extenders, which always slow the network down. I just installed the app, plugged a unit into the sky box and spread the other 2 units around the house. It has worked perfectly. Sorry if I sound like a paid for review, its not, but have a look if they are within budget.

Re: Getting wifi in garage and garden

Reply #11
In terms of a late update, I ended up finding an Orbi router and satellite for under £70. Very happy with it! Just the router and satellite get an adequate wifi connection to my garage (not as fast as my broadband, but over 20Mbps, so more than good enough for streaming music). It's great to have music for working out to - and thanks for the help:)