Extending wi-fi range

Lestratcaster

Has anyone extended their wi-fi signal to say, a home office in a garage or somewhere over 100ft away from their superhub/router/access point?

My garage (due to be converted) is approx 50ft away from the back of my house. The VM superhub lives in my room  by the window directly opposite, but I notice the wi-fi signal drops out once I step foot in the garage (now over 60ft in range.)

I know you can get these Powerline booster things to extend the range but I don't know how far it goes. One plugs into the superhub and one into the location where you want to extend to. VM being cheeky bastards want £3 per month "rental"!

The other option is to run an ethernet cable from the house to the garage and plug that into a booster but that's £100 installation and the monthly rental charge. I've seen other Powerline's on Amazon but not sure the range and if they'll work.

Its mainly for iPad's/Smartphones to be connected not planning on any PC's or laptops etc.

octatonic

Ethernet is the best solution.
Otherwise you will need to try a Powerline adapter- it depends on more than just distance as to whether it will work.

Another solution is a 4G network device.

Lestratcaster

octatonic said:

Ethernet is the best solution.
Otherwise you will need to try a Powerline adapter- it depends on more than just distance as to whether it will work.

Another solution is a 4G network device.

Hmm.... I'm aware of other obstructions like walls and stuff. VM did say if it doesn't work then I can send it back.

My iPad isn't data enabled, if that's what a 4G network device is? Only my phone has data allowance.

octatonic

Lestratcaster said:

octatonic said:

Ethernet is the best solution.
Otherwise you will need to try a Powerline adapter- it depends on more than just distance as to whether it will work.

Another solution is a 4G network device.

Hmm.... I'm aware of other obstructions like walls and stuff. VM did say if it doesn't work then I can send it back.

My iPad isn't data enabled, if that's what a 4G network device is? Only my phone has data allowance.

It is not.
It is this sort of thing:

https://shop.ee.co.uk/broadband/4g-home-broadband

FarleyUK

Lestratcaster said:

Has anyone extended their wi-fi signal to say, a home office in a garage or somewhere over 100ft away from their superhub/router/access point?

My garage (due to be converted) is approx 50ft away from the back of my house. The VM superhub lives in my room  by the window directly opposite, but I notice the wi-fi signal drops out once I step foot in the garage (now over 60ft in range.)

I know you can get these Powerline booster things to extend the range but I don't know how far it goes. One plugs into the superhub and one into the location where you want to extend to. VM being cheeky bastards want £3 per month "rental"!

The other option is to run an ethernet cable from the house to the garage and plug that into a booster but that's £100 installation and the monthly rental charge. I've seen other Powerline's on Amazon but not sure the range and if they'll work.

Its mainly for iPad's/Smartphones to be connected not planning on any PC's or laptops etc.

Yep - I built a cabin in the bottom of the garden, and the WiFi didn't reach there - I purchased a Netgear WiFi powerline range extender and it works a treat. Highly recommended!

Lestratcaster

FarleyUK said:

Lestratcaster said:

Has anyone extended their wi-fi signal to say, a home office in a garage or somewhere over 100ft away from their superhub/router/access point?

My garage (due to be converted) is approx 50ft away from the back of my house. The VM superhub lives in my room  by the window directly opposite, but I notice the wi-fi signal drops out once I step foot in the garage (now over 60ft in range.)

I know you can get these Powerline booster things to extend the range but I don't know how far it goes. One plugs into the superhub and one into the location where you want to extend to. VM being cheeky bastards want £3 per month "rental"!

The other option is to run an ethernet cable from the house to the garage and plug that into a booster but that's £100 installation and the monthly rental charge. I've seen other Powerline's on Amazon but not sure the range and if they'll work.

Its mainly for iPad's/Smartphones to be connected not planning on any PC's or laptops etc.

Yep - I built a cabin in the bottom of the garden, and the WiFi didn't reach there - I purchased a Netgear WiFi powerline range extender and it works a treat. Highly recommended!

How far is your cabin from your router? I need a minimum of 50ft range.

Snags

Only really three options worth considering.

1) physical cable connection
2) powerline
3) point-to-point wireless bridge

If you're at the "building works" stage then personally I would get at least two exterior grade shielded solid-core ethernet cables pulled along with the mains through the same ducting (hence the shielding, you shouldn't run data right next to mains in theory).  Get them terminated properly at both ends on sockets (patch panel would be OTT) and then patch in appropriate devices at both ends to join it all up.  However, if you do this, be aware that depending on the distance etc. you may need to use fibre, not copper, to avoid safety issues with different earth potentials at each end and stuff I don't really understand. At that level, you talk to a proper data cabling person, not just a sparky who thinks that "Category 6" is valid because it's printed on the sheath.

If the above sounds daunting, powerline is simple if everything runs back to the same consumer unit.

If you don't fancy power line, a point-to-point wireless bridge is OK as long as there is a good line of sight, particularly no trees/bushes. It will be dearer than powerline, though, by the time you've got appropriate bridging units and so on.

Lestratcaster

Snags said:

Only really three options worth considering.

1) physical cable connection
2) powerline
3) point-to-point wireless bridge

If you're at the "building works" stage then personally I would get at least two exterior grade shielded solid-core ethernet cables pulled along with the mains through the same ducting (hence the shielding, you shouldn't run data right next to mains in theory).  Get them terminated properly at both ends on sockets (patch panel would be OTT) and then patch in appropriate devices at both ends to join it all up.  However, if you do this, be aware that depending on the distance etc. you may need to use fibre, not copper, to avoid safety issues with different earth potentials at each end and stuff I don't really understand. At that level, you talk to a proper data cabling person, not just a sparky who thinks that "Category 6" is valid because it's printed on the sheath.

If the above sounds daunting, powerline is simple if everything runs back to the same consumer unit.

If you don't fancy power line, a point-to-point wireless bridge is OK as long as there is a good line of sight, particularly no trees/bushes. It will be dearer than powerline, though, by the time you've got appropriate bridging units and so on.

Work will be starting on the outside structure (bricks/windows/etc) so the electrics and wi-fi issues won't be coming into play til 2019 as there'll still be a lot of work to be done but I'm just figuring out how I will get a connection.

Powerline is my first option I want to try but til I know what the range is I can't be sure if it'll work. With the location of my superhub the only things obstructing signal is my window, and the garage wall. I've read you should move the extender thing in the middle of the two but the only position I can think of is in the downstairs kitchen socket directly opposite my garage.

FarleyUK

Lestratcaster said:

FarleyUK said:

Lestratcaster said:

Has anyone extended their wi-fi signal to say, a home office in a garage or somewhere over 100ft away from their superhub/router/access point?

My garage (due to be converted) is approx 50ft away from the back of my house. The VM superhub lives in my room  by the window directly opposite, but I notice the wi-fi signal drops out once I step foot in the garage (now over 60ft in range.)

I know you can get these Powerline booster things to extend the range but I don't know how far it goes. One plugs into the superhub and one into the location where you want to extend to. VM being cheeky bastards want £3 per month "rental"!

The other option is to run an ethernet cable from the house to the garage and plug that into a booster but that's £100 installation and the monthly rental charge. I've seen other Powerline's on Amazon but not sure the range and if they'll work.

Its mainly for iPad's/Smartphones to be connected not planning on any PC's or laptops etc.

Yep - I built a cabin in the bottom of the garden, and the WiFi didn't reach there - I purchased a Netgear WiFi powerline range extender and it works a treat. Highly recommended!

How far is your cabin from your router? I need a minimum of 50ft range.

I guess maybe 70ft? It's also 'down' and 'behind' a patio, and the wifi signal was terrible.

The WiFi Extender powerline adapter can just duplicate the existing 5g / 2.4g network on the router so you don't even need to fart around changing networks you connect to. In fact, I'm currently in the cabin, and get the same speed down here as I do in the house (on both 2.4 / 5).

Oh, and they also have 3 ethernet ports so you can hardwire devices in if needed.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B01JIFYQZM/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I tried various other options, all of which were not suitable - mainly as they kept crapping out.

Lestratcaster

FarleyUK said:

Lestratcaster said:

FarleyUK said:

Lestratcaster said:

Has anyone extended their wi-fi signal to say, a home office in a garage or somewhere over 100ft away from their superhub/router/access point?

My garage (due to be converted) is approx 50ft away from the back of my house. The VM superhub lives in my room  by the window directly opposite, but I notice the wi-fi signal drops out once I step foot in the garage (now over 60ft in range.)

I know you can get these Powerline booster things to extend the range but I don't know how far it goes. One plugs into the superhub and one into the location where you want to extend to. VM being cheeky bastards want £3 per month "rental"!

The other option is to run an ethernet cable from the house to the garage and plug that into a booster but that's £100 installation and the monthly rental charge. I've seen other Powerline's on Amazon but not sure the range and if they'll work.

Its mainly for iPad's/Smartphones to be connected not planning on any PC's or laptops etc.

Yep - I built a cabin in the bottom of the garden, and the WiFi didn't reach there - I purchased a Netgear WiFi powerline range extender and it works a treat. Highly recommended!

How far is your cabin from your router? I need a minimum of 50ft range.

I guess maybe 70ft? It's also 'down' and 'behind' a patio, and the wifi signal was terrible.

The WiFi Extender powerline adapter can just duplicate the existing 5g / 2.4g network on the router so you don't even need to fart around changing networks you connect to. In fact, I'm currently in the cabin, and get the same speed down here as I do in the house (on both 2.4 / 5).

Oh, and they also have 3 ethernet ports so you can hardwire devices in if needed.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B01JIFYQZM/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I tried various other options, all of which were not suitable - mainly as they kept crapping out.

So same distance as the garage is from my house and the actual superhub. All I need it to do is allow me to use my smartphone and iPad devices, like I would as if I was in the living room, for example. Now going by what you said it MIGHT work for me if its similar distance in range. As I said just as you get to the front of the garage the signal weakens. So if I was at the far end of the garage it'd drop out for definite.

Snags

Lestratcaster said:

Powerline is my first option I want to try but til I know what the range is I can't be sure if it'll work. With the location of my superhub the only things obstructing signal is my window, and the garage wall. I've read you should move the extender thing in the middle of the two but the only position I can think of is in the downstairs kitchen socket directly opposite my garage.

Don't use an extender with Powerline.  In fact, don't use an extender, they're crappy and halve your bandwidth

Get a Powerline device that has independent wifi at one end, and a wired connection at the other.

Plug the wired powerline adapter in near the hub, and run an ethernet cable from hub to powerline.

Plug the other powerline adapter into the garage, and set it up as a discrete SSID (it's still all on the same subnet, so it doesn't matter if it has a different name/password, the network addressing is all the same).

That way you get full coverage of wireless from two discrete sources in two discrete locations, and the powerline connection shoves the data between them.

Lestratcaster

Snags said:

Lestratcaster said:

Powerline is my first option I want to try but til I know what the range is I can't be sure if it'll work. With the location of my superhub the only things obstructing signal is my window, and the garage wall. I've read you should move the extender thing in the middle of the two but the only position I can think of is in the downstairs kitchen socket directly opposite my garage.

Don't use an extender with Powerline.  In fact, don't use an extender, they're crappy and halve your bandwidth

Get a Powerline device that has independent wifi at one end, and a wired connection at the other.

Plug the wired powerline adapter in near the hub, and run an ethernet cable from hub to powerline.

Plug the other powerline adapter into the garage, and set it up as a discrete SSID (it's still all on the same subnet, so it doesn't matter if it has a different name/password, the network addressing is all the same).

That way you get full coverage of wireless from two discrete sources in two discrete locations, and the powerline connection shoves the data between them.

Yeah so something like this?

https://www.amazon.co.uk/TL-WPA4220KIT-Powerline-Broadband-Configuration-UK/dp/B01LXOZ4EN/ref=sr_1_3?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1540829145&sr=1-3&keywords=powerline+wifi+extender

They never say what the signal range is on them though.

Lestratcaster

This one has a 300m range

https://www.amazon.co.uk/TL-WPA9610KIT-Powerline-Broadband-Configuration-UK/dp/B072QWSCQS/ref=sr_1_18?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1540829145&sr=1-18&keywords=powerline+wifi+extender

FarleyUK

Lestratcaster said:

FarleyUK said:

Lestratcaster said:

FarleyUK said:

Lestratcaster said:

Has anyone extended their wi-fi signal to say, a home office in a garage or somewhere over 100ft away from their superhub/router/access point?

My garage (due to be converted) is approx 50ft away from the back of my house. The VM superhub lives in my room  by the window directly opposite, but I notice the wi-fi signal drops out once I step foot in the garage (now over 60ft in range.)

I know you can get these Powerline booster things to extend the range but I don't know how far it goes. One plugs into the superhub and one into the location where you want to extend to. VM being cheeky bastards want £3 per month "rental"!

The other option is to run an ethernet cable from the house to the garage and plug that into a booster but that's £100 installation and the monthly rental charge. I've seen other Powerline's on Amazon but not sure the range and if they'll work.

Its mainly for iPad's/Smartphones to be connected not planning on any PC's or laptops etc.

Yep - I built a cabin in the bottom of the garden, and the WiFi didn't reach there - I purchased a Netgear WiFi powerline range extender and it works a treat. Highly recommended!

How far is your cabin from your router? I need a minimum of 50ft range.

I guess maybe 70ft? It's also 'down' and 'behind' a patio, and the wifi signal was terrible.

The WiFi Extender powerline adapter can just duplicate the existing 5g / 2.4g network on the router so you don't even need to fart around changing networks you connect to. In fact, I'm currently in the cabin, and get the same speed down here as I do in the house (on both 2.4 / 5).

Oh, and they also have 3 ethernet ports so you can hardwire devices in if needed.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B01JIFYQZM/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I tried various other options, all of which were not suitable - mainly as they kept crapping out.

So same distance as the garage is from my house and the actual superhub. All I need it to do is allow me to use my smartphone and iPad devices, like I would as if I was in the living room, for example. Now going by what you said it MIGHT work for me if its similar distance in range. As I said just as you get to the front of the garage the signal weakens. So if I was at the far end of the garage it'd drop out for definite.

Sorry, I don't think I was clear:

That WiFi Extender does NOT piggyback on your existing wifi range; it uses the powerline to connect to the router, and it then uses it's own in-built wifi magic to create a seperate wifi area (but if you set the same SSID on the wifi of the extender, you won't see any difference).

It's using the powerline aspect to communicate to the router, NOT the wifi. the wifi is used from the adapter for devices to connect to.

Lestratcaster

FarleyUK said:

Lestratcaster said:

FarleyUK said:

Lestratcaster said:

FarleyUK said:

Lestratcaster said:

Has anyone extended their wi-fi signal to say, a home office in a garage or somewhere over 100ft away from their superhub/router/access point?

My garage (due to be converted) is approx 50ft away from the back of my house. The VM superhub lives in my room  by the window directly opposite, but I notice the wi-fi signal drops out once I step foot in the garage (now over 60ft in range.)

I know you can get these Powerline booster things to extend the range but I don't know how far it goes. One plugs into the superhub and one into the location where you want to extend to. VM being cheeky bastards want £3 per month "rental"!

The other option is to run an ethernet cable from the house to the garage and plug that into a booster but that's £100 installation and the monthly rental charge. I've seen other Powerline's on Amazon but not sure the range and if they'll work.

Its mainly for iPad's/Smartphones to be connected not planning on any PC's or laptops etc.

Yep - I built a cabin in the bottom of the garden, and the WiFi didn't reach there - I purchased a Netgear WiFi powerline range extender and it works a treat. Highly recommended!

How far is your cabin from your router? I need a minimum of 50ft range.

I guess maybe 70ft? It's also 'down' and 'behind' a patio, and the wifi signal was terrible.

The WiFi Extender powerline adapter can just duplicate the existing 5g / 2.4g network on the router so you don't even need to fart around changing networks you connect to. In fact, I'm currently in the cabin, and get the same speed down here as I do in the house (on both 2.4 / 5).

Oh, and they also have 3 ethernet ports so you can hardwire devices in if needed.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B01JIFYQZM/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I tried various other options, all of which were not suitable - mainly as they kept crapping out.

So same distance as the garage is from my house and the actual superhub. All I need it to do is allow me to use my smartphone and iPad devices, like I would as if I was in the living room, for example. Now going by what you said it MIGHT work for me if its similar distance in range. As I said just as you get to the front of the garage the signal weakens. So if I was at the far end of the garage it'd drop out for definite.

Sorry, I don't think I was clear:

That WiFi Extender does NOT piggyback on your existing wifi range; it uses the powerline to connect to the router, and it then uses it's own in-built wifi magic to create a seperate wifi area (but if you set the same SSID on the wifi of the extender, you won't see any difference).

It's using the powerline aspect to communicate to the router, NOT the wifi. the wifi is used from the adapter for devices to connect to.

So all wireless devices will connect to the powerline instead? And I imagine its got a better range than my superhub!

FarleyUK

Lestratcaster said:

FarleyUK said:

Lestratcaster said:

FarleyUK said:

Lestratcaster said:

FarleyUK said:

Lestratcaster said:

Has anyone extended their wi-fi signal to say, a home office in a garage or somewhere over 100ft away from their superhub/router/access point?

My garage (due to be converted) is approx 50ft away from the back of my house. The VM superhub lives in my room  by the window directly opposite, but I notice the wi-fi signal drops out once I step foot in the garage (now over 60ft in range.)

I know you can get these Powerline booster things to extend the range but I don't know how far it goes. One plugs into the superhub and one into the location where you want to extend to. VM being cheeky bastards want £3 per month "rental"!

The other option is to run an ethernet cable from the house to the garage and plug that into a booster but that's £100 installation and the monthly rental charge. I've seen other Powerline's on Amazon but not sure the range and if they'll work.

Its mainly for iPad's/Smartphones to be connected not planning on any PC's or laptops etc.

Yep - I built a cabin in the bottom of the garden, and the WiFi didn't reach there - I purchased a Netgear WiFi powerline range extender and it works a treat. Highly recommended!

How far is your cabin from your router? I need a minimum of 50ft range.

I guess maybe 70ft? It's also 'down' and 'behind' a patio, and the wifi signal was terrible.

The WiFi Extender powerline adapter can just duplicate the existing 5g / 2.4g network on the router so you don't even need to fart around changing networks you connect to. In fact, I'm currently in the cabin, and get the same speed down here as I do in the house (on both 2.4 / 5).

Oh, and they also have 3 ethernet ports so you can hardwire devices in if needed.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B01JIFYQZM/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I tried various other options, all of which were not suitable - mainly as they kept crapping out.

So same distance as the garage is from my house and the actual superhub. All I need it to do is allow me to use my smartphone and iPad devices, like I would as if I was in the living room, for example. Now going by what you said it MIGHT work for me if its similar distance in range. As I said just as you get to the front of the garage the signal weakens. So if I was at the far end of the garage it'd drop out for definite.

Sorry, I don't think I was clear:

That WiFi Extender does NOT piggyback on your existing wifi range; it uses the powerline to connect to the router, and it then uses it's own in-built wifi magic to create a seperate wifi area (but if you set the same SSID on the wifi of the extender, you won't see any difference).

It's using the powerline aspect to communicate to the router, NOT the wifi. the wifi is used from the adapter for devices to connect to.

So all wireless devices will connect to the powerline instead? And I imagine its got a better range than my superhub!

Yep - as I said, I use the same wifi network names as my Vodafone router, and all devices just connect automatically to it when I'm in the office or the router if I'm in the house.

Lestratcaster

FarleyUK said:

Lestratcaster said:

FarleyUK said:

Lestratcaster said:

FarleyUK said:

Lestratcaster said:

FarleyUK said:

Lestratcaster said:

Has anyone extended their wi-fi signal to say, a home office in a garage or somewhere over 100ft away from their superhub/router/access point?

My garage (due to be converted) is approx 50ft away from the back of my house. The VM superhub lives in my room  by the window directly opposite, but I notice the wi-fi signal drops out once I step foot in the garage (now over 60ft in range.)

I know you can get these Powerline booster things to extend the range but I don't know how far it goes. One plugs into the superhub and one into the location where you want to extend to. VM being cheeky bastards want £3 per month "rental"!

The other option is to run an ethernet cable from the house to the garage and plug that into a booster but that's £100 installation and the monthly rental charge. I've seen other Powerline's on Amazon but not sure the range and if they'll work.

Its mainly for iPad's/Smartphones to be connected not planning on any PC's or laptops etc.

Yep - I built a cabin in the bottom of the garden, and the WiFi didn't reach there - I purchased a Netgear WiFi powerline range extender and it works a treat. Highly recommended!

How far is your cabin from your router? I need a minimum of 50ft range.

I guess maybe 70ft? It's also 'down' and 'behind' a patio, and the wifi signal was terrible.

The WiFi Extender powerline adapter can just duplicate the existing 5g / 2.4g network on the router so you don't even need to fart around changing networks you connect to. In fact, I'm currently in the cabin, and get the same speed down here as I do in the house (on both 2.4 / 5).

Oh, and they also have 3 ethernet ports so you can hardwire devices in if needed.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B01JIFYQZM/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I tried various other options, all of which were not suitable - mainly as they kept crapping out.

So same distance as the garage is from my house and the actual superhub. All I need it to do is allow me to use my smartphone and iPad devices, like I would as if I was in the living room, for example. Now going by what you said it MIGHT work for me if its similar distance in range. As I said just as you get to the front of the garage the signal weakens. So if I was at the far end of the garage it'd drop out for definite.

Sorry, I don't think I was clear:

That WiFi Extender does NOT piggyback on your existing wifi range; it uses the powerline to connect to the router, and it then uses it's own in-built wifi magic to create a seperate wifi area (but if you set the same SSID on the wifi of the extender, you won't see any difference).

It's using the powerline aspect to communicate to the router, NOT the wifi. the wifi is used from the adapter for devices to connect to.

So all wireless devices will connect to the powerline instead? And I imagine its got a better range than my superhub!

Yep - as I said, I use the same wifi network names as my Vodafone router, and all devices just connect automatically to it when I'm in the office or the router if I'm in the house.

Ok gotcha. So in theory, it SHOULD work for me. Or the more expensive one that extends to 300m. Certainly has less pissing around with installation and calling out engineers to fit ethernet access etc etc.

roberty

Powerline adapter put a load of noise in my mains, it was coming through my hifi.  Not good.  I run a wire now, faster, cheaper

Lestratcaster

roberty said:

Powerline adapter put a load of noise in my mains, it was coming through my hifi.  Not good.  I run a wire now, faster, cheaper

Are you using any wired devices? I don't really need a cable unless I use a PC in there unless that goes into a secondary router.

Snags

On the TP-Link product you linked to, get the top end one (the AV1300).  Not least because it has the pass-through sockets on for the mains, which end up being very useful.

Also, the thing about running a cable isn't so you necessarily plug your device in. It's so you extend the network to that location, then you can plug a wireless access point into it, and still use all your devices on wireless.  The problem you're trying to solve with all of these things is extending the network not the wireless, from the house to the garage/other location.  Wireless is just a mechanism for getting kit on the network.

It's easier with pictures

Snags

Also, don't be bamboozled by range claims on anything.  They are always based on the maths of the power etc. which assumes clear air, no interference, ideal conditions etc. etc.

In the real world range will be greatly reduced by buildings, RF/electrical interference, the density of other wireless networks in the area (in central London devices that claim hundreds of metres can have an effective range of about 10m or less sometimes) - it's a minefield, and should be taken much like broadband speeds of "up to X".