juanpabloingram Posted January 22, 2021 Share Posted January 22, 2021 I am having my detached garage converted into a home office next week and wanted to know what the best way to get a stable and good internet connection from the house to the garage. I assume hardwiring using Cat cable would be the best but does anybody have any ideas / recommendations? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darrenm Posted January 22, 2021 Share Posted January 22, 2021 Yep external cat 6 is your best bet but obviously you'll have to put it where it's protected. If you have a service tunnel then perfect for in there. You can use power line ethernet but I've had mixed results on long runs. If you know someone with a pair you could borrow them and try. WiFi is an option too but you'd need a decent access point probably in your loft and it all depends on line of sight, materials in the garage (assuming brick so difficult) and distance. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Davkaus Posted January 23, 2021 Share Posted January 23, 2021 (edited) I wouldn't bother with Wifi from the house to be honest. I assume you'll be investing a decent amount in your home office conversion, if you cheap out on the connection you're going to be kicking yourself. Run some cable and then if you'd also like wifi, stick an access point in the garage and you have the best of both worlds. If you don't have a suitable tunnel to run it through, you can either get externally rated cat 6 and bury it a few inches underground (with trunking if you're being incredibly cautious, but it is unnecessary), or if you can run it above ground without it being too unsightly, that's fine as long as you get some with a UV protection layer. I've ran mine directly under soffits so you can't see it and it's not exposed to anything except for temperature fluctuations, but I don't have a gap between attached buildings to worry about, which makes it a bit trickier. If you are tempted to avoid running cable, go and try the wifi out before the conversion. 15 minutes moving around the garage playing video or something will soon show you if it's viable. Edited January 23, 2021 by Davkaus Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
limpid Posted January 23, 2021 Administrator Share Posted January 23, 2021 Use wifi until you can get Starlink. I recommend the Google WiFi gear. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Davkaus Posted January 23, 2021 Share Posted January 23, 2021 (edited) 22 minutes ago, limpid said: Use wifi until you can get Starlink. Install some cable from an existing internet connection with a small one-off fee and zero upkeep, or put up with a temporary solution until a product of unknown price and reliability appears. But which in early access had a $100 a month price with $500 setup and equipment fee? Wifi might do the trick. Really depends on the positioning, distance, and construction materials. It's a solution with a cost of £0, so certainly worth giving it a go. Starlink as a solution to this is absolutely bonkers though IMO. It might get cheaper, it might be available soon. It might not. I certainly wouldn't be planning for it to be available at an affordable price any time soon. Edited January 23, 2021 by Davkaus Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
limpid Posted January 23, 2021 Administrator Share Posted January 23, 2021 7 minutes ago, Davkaus said: Install some cable from an existing internet connection with a small one-off fee and zero upkeep, or put up with a temporary solution until a product of unknown price and reliability appears. But which in early access had a $100 a month price with $500 setup and equipment fee? Wifi might do the trick. Really depends on the positioning, distance, and construction materials. It's a solution with a cost of £0, so certainly worth giving it a go. Starlink as a solution to this is absolutely bonkers though IMO. It might get cheaper, it might be available soon. It might not. I certainly wouldn't be planning for it to be available at an affordable price any time soon. Running weatherproof, armoured CAT-6 cabling is not necessarily a "small one-off fee". As you say it depends on the circumstances. You can also ensure that with a wifi mesh you have good coverage in your outdoor spaces too. The Starlink is optional 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Risso Posted January 24, 2021 Share Posted January 24, 2021 I use a mesh system (Deco) around the house, it works very well, although we need about 8 of them to give good, overall coverage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
limpid Posted January 24, 2021 Administrator Share Posted January 24, 2021 10 hours ago, Risso said: I use a mesh system (Deco) around the house, it works very well, although we need about 8 of them to give good, overall coverage. I need three Nest wifi points to cover mine, but I have four as I bought them in pairs (Also my internal walls are 200mm thick.) They dynamically prioritise things like video calls or gaming. You can also group devices and set pause times per group (eg. for kids devices). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Risso Posted January 24, 2021 Share Posted January 24, 2021 Yes, the Deco back end is very good as well. I can limit the hours that the kids use wifi, and can specifically block things like the X Box if they spend too long on it. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blandy Posted January 24, 2021 Moderator Share Posted January 24, 2021 15 hours ago, Risso said: I use a mesh system (Deco) around the house, it works very well, although we need about 8 of them to give good, overall coverage. Do they extend as far as the servants quarters downstairs? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dubbs Posted January 24, 2021 Share Posted January 24, 2021 2 hours ago, blandy said: Do they extend as far as the servants quarters downstairs? Balls to them. They have a pen and paper and they're very lucky to have that! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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