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I need internet out in my garage. Recommendations???

751 views 21 replies 10 participants last post by  GnarlyCharlie 
#1 ·
I have my main router in my basement. It's signal does reach upstairs but to the farthest room not as well as I want to I have an access point I use. I am in need of something else that will get my signal to my unattached garage. It also gets a signal but not very good. It does have the same power line that the house does though. I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions since I can't run a hard wire out to the garage of what I could use to get a better signal out there? Thanks.
 
#2 ·
My uncle just got a netgear powerline pl1200 adapter for his sons PS4. I was over his house on Easter and while I was there I was checking it out. It's pretty cool. I was impressed. But keep in mind that YMMV on these things. Anyways the router and ps4 are on different sides of the house. With WiFi he wasn't getting a good connection but with the adapter it was pretty solid. Getting like 60mbps on a 100mbps connection. So maybe look into it.
 
#3 ·
I just need something better than what I'm getting now.
 
#4 ·
A powerline network is pretty cool ( i use one on my PC) you just need to make sure that the two powerline adapters will be on the same pole (aka leg) in your breaker box (not in the network but the building electrical setup). but you could try a wireless network bridge if it is a seprate building, but I have been trying to set up one with Ubiquiti Nanostations and have had lots of issues (not to hate on Ubiquiti).
 
#5 ·
PowerLine is probably the easiest way to go. As Hackerman said, if you can verify that the garage power is on the same power "leg" as where you want to plug in the other side of a powerline adapter in the house then it could work very well. If you dont know much about electrical power, a home breaker box is usually split into 2 legs. Im pretty sure odd numbered breakers would be leg A and even numbered breakers are leg B. If you see a circuit breaker that is "double wide" then it is for a 240 volt device, usually a washer and/or drier, and sometimes water heaters, refrigerators, dishwashers. So anyway, you probably have a 50/50 chance the garage is on the same power leg as where you want to plug in the other side near your router. However, you also need to make sure you are not connecting through GFCI outlets. These are usually installed in the kitchen, but I have also seen them being put into garages, especially where a water heater plugs in.

here are some model suggestions:
https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833704259
https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833704310
https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833704304

Speed is dependent on how good your wiring is. They advertise up to 1.2gb or 2gb per second, but you are much more likely to be around 100-200mbps.
 
#6 ·
#8 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by ingeborgdot View Post

What happens if it is not on the same leg?
It won't work. If you can't follow the routing on your panel the other way to check is grab 1 or 2 long extension cords, plug them into the two outlets you want to use and bring both female ends together. Plug a volt meter set to AC volts into both hot sides of the plug (the right side, which is a smaller slot than the left side). If you see 0V or something really small, you are good. If you see 240V, they are on separate legs.
 
#9 ·
If that doesn't work, alternatively you can also run an ethernet line to the garage and just put a range extender out there. Lots of ways to hide lines. Behind roof gutters, horizontally behind siding, alongside the driveway under the dirt, etc. You don't need to bury it deep either. I see Comcast workers put them just under the soil with these tools that press it under the dirt and make quick work of it. As long as you make a diagram where you buried it using reference points and save it somewhere, you should be fine if you need to do any digging later on so you can check your diagram first. If you do that, try to buy a line that matches the color of what ever surface of the outside of your house its exposed against the most so its hard to see.
 
#10 ·
If it doesn't work and I do run a line, is there any range extender you would recommend? I have to have WiFi inside the garage.
 
#11 ·
If the PowerLine doesn't work, Id recommend a Ubiquiti NanoStation M5 rather than running an Ethernet line. The throughput will be lower, but you wont ever have to worry about hitting a line running along the ground. I have used the NanoStation for 3 years and then changed up to 3 of the PowerBeam AC models for the past couple of years with no issues at all, they are very stable once you get them set up.
 
#12 ·
Well, if the garage is only a few feet from the house its not a big deal. It also depends on what you plan on doing with your property and how long you plan on living there. If you plan on ripping up the ground to put in bushes, trees, flowers, fish pond, a vegetable garden pool, new walkway, etc... probably not a good idea and to at least wait till you have a plan on the layout so you know where the line should go so it doesn't interfere. In that case, I'd put it off or wait till you have a plan, or just go with enigma's advice.

If you do decide to bury a line, make sure you use a manual edger not a shovel. There's a bunch of different ones for sale at amazon. They usually run between $20 and $30. (Amazon Search For "manual edger") Sometimes on sale for less. Not as nice as the ones Comcast uses, but will get the job done quicker than you might think. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s-xM6uw6mdI

Sorry, can't help you with the extender. I don't even know what router to get myself. Funny how reviews seem to all talk about everything accept build quality. I just have experience with burying lines in my own yard. We have a lot of gardens, bushes, and trees, and I've never had a problem with lines being in the way as long as I plan ahead and be careful.
 
#13 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by ingeborgdot View Post

If it doesn't work and I do run a line, is there any range extender you would recommend? I have to have WiFi inside the garage.
You own the home?
Why not buy outdoor rated cat6 and just bury it?

Or use Unfi Directional Ap's and point them at eachother. That will be the most expensive route.

Otherwise Ethernet over powerline would work fine.

Find what leg the garage is one, and put the adapter on that. Though to get best performance, go to the junction box that has the splice that feeds out to the garage and add a recpt. Put the EoP adapter there. Though if Elec work is not for you, don't worry about it.
 
#14 ·
My TP-Link AC1200 Wi-Fi Range Extender AV1200 Powerline Edition with Outlet Pass-Through (TL-WPA8630P KIT) works like a charm. On my phone it went from a network speed of around 40Mbps to around 740Mbps. I'm impressed at the moment. It was easy to set up and is easy to run. I hope it lasts a long time.
 
#15 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by ingeborgdot View Post

My TP-Link AC1200 Wi-Fi Range Extender AV1200 Powerline Edition with Outlet Pass-Through (TL-WPA8630P KIT) works like a charm. On my phone it went from a network speed of around 40Mbps to around 740Mbps. I'm impressed at the moment. It was easy to set up and is easy to run. I hope it lasts a long time.
But what is the actual throughput to the internet?
 
#16 ·
What do you suggest would be the best way check that out in my garage?
smile.gif
 
#18 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by ingeborgdot View Post

What do you suggest would be the best way check that out in my garage?
smile.gif
http://www.speedtest.net/

Test it on the wifi extender, then a Ethernet connected computer and compare the two results.
 
#19 ·
The wireless and wired out in the garage measured the same speed. They were a little slower than inside but only .4Mbps slower though.
 
#20 ·
What are the actual internet speeds though in mbps?

Right now it is fine and good, that you are getting less than a half mb difference between your house internet speed and the garage, but if you ever increase your internet speed the garage is most likely about capped out at what it has now.
 
#21 ·
Throwing another vote for PLA. Then have a wifi AP in your garage.
I once had two computers in a garage and we ended up just running a cat5e out across the backyard. It was impossible to get a decent signal through the corrugated steel sheeting that the garage was constructed from. Maybe things have changed with 802.11AC, but it still seems like PLA + Wifi AP would be cheap, easy and fast to setup.
 
#22 ·
I ended up drilling holes in walls and running Cat6e direct burial/UV resistant out to the detached garage and setting up another router as an AP. This was when I had an old Linksys WRT54G as the main router in the house. That's still what I use as my garage AP. Then the 54G in the house went out and I bought a WRT1900AC, and that thing actually has enough signal strength to use in the garage, but not a great signal. With the AP in the garage, I get better wifi (just 2.4) in the backyard,

I know this doesn't help the OP, just my garage internet journey.
 
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