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Getting wireless signal to detached garage

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jack anderson

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Greetings,

I have a verizon wireless High Sped Internet system in the house with a router and I wanted to extend the signal to my detatched garage that is about 120 feet away from the house. Any suggestions or ideas that you have tried that might work.


Thanks
The fishjuggler
 
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aandpdan

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Did you try it already?

1. First try repositioning the router on an exterior wall facing the garage. You may need to replace the antenna on your router.

2. You can also mount an antenna outside the house for your router. This might improve the signal.

3. My preferred: you run a direct burial rated Cat 5 or 6 wire to the garage. You can then either connect hardwired or install a wireless access point out there.
 
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kbs2244

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Re the “cantenna.”
I saw a post where a guy took that idea and mounted it where the feed horn of a Direct T V dish would go.
That gave him some real distance.
 
OP
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jack anderson

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I tried to get a signal with my laptop. It worked all the way to the garage but once I was in the building I lost the signal. My router does not have an antenna. Perhaps I should check out getting an antenna for the router. Would this have to be compatible with the Verizon Router they gave me? Presently my router is in the upstairs loft of our house. I wouldn't be able to move it to a wall facing the garage but I might be able to get it s few feet closer. If I hardwire a line would this go from the router to my laptop?
 
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aandpdan

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You could hardwire a line to your laptop OR put an wireless access point (basically another wireless router) in the garage.

What Verizon modem/router do you have?
 
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Socophreak

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IMHO set up an extender w/ a better antenna. That should give you good enough distance.
 
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spongerich

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You can use the cantenna on your laptop. You might need to buy another wireless card for it that supports an external antenna but they're not terribly expensive. Your VZ wireless router does have an antenna, it's just buried inside the case somewhere.

I'd start with trying a new card/antenna for the laptop. You can always return the card if it doesn't work out.

Something like this might also work without messing with home built antennae

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000QYGNKQ/?tag=atomicindus08-20
 
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puttsy

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Iowa, USA
Not reliable. I would second the access point/extender. Basically get another router and set it up to 'jump' the signal from your Verizon router. Later today I may look into the manual for your Verizon and see what it would take, if someone else doesn't give a more suitable, technical answer.

Next suggestion would be use wireless n if your router supports it. And switch the band (basically what switching to n does) if you have the option. I've got a mix of Cisco and Linksys hardware...and a couple Nortel routers too, so I can't give much useful advice based on what my gear has :S But even my cheapo Linksys E2000 can stitch bands and wireless N support...
 
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miketyler

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Cedar Hill, TX
Agreed. I have a dedicated CAT5 going out to my garage and a B/G/N WAP feeding Wifi to the area. I think wireless N protocol operates in the 500GHz band? This might offer faster communication between N devices and possibly improved connection stability and range because of less interference.
 
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4advtr

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Messages
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I have a similar situation, the easiest way for me was to use the below and add a second wireless router. Super simple to setup and works great. My speeds are fast enough to stream movies still so I'm content.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004DVEW8I/?tag=atomicindus08-20

You'll want to play around with the location a little to find the best speeds, the less connections/plugs/etc in between the two devices the better sppeds you'll get. Also, get the slower 200 kits, it'll save a little money and the speeds are still plentiful. I'm adding another set to my network soon.
 
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miketyler

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Thats a good idea. Dont see too much of that these days. What did they call that, home PNA or something where the device uses your electrical lines to transmit data?
 
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jeffmoss26

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I've had good luck with EnGenius wireless products...probably a bit much for home use, but worked very well for my customer (2 office buildings, line of sight)
 
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Socophreak

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miketyler said:
Thats a good idea. Dont see too much of that these days. What did they call that, home PNA or something where the device uses your electrical lines to transmit data?
Click to expand...

For that price you could easily set up a linksys router w/ antennas as a wireless repeater. Much faster than running through your house wiring.
 
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koditten

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L92Firebird said:
My metal building is about 200 feet from house. After many tries with antenna's wireless cards ect, ended up with two of these. http://www.amazon.com/Ubiquiti-PicoStation-2-4GHz-802-11an-Access/dp/B0055PKSG6/ref=sr_1_6?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1338215595&sr=1-6
Been three years now and has been trouble free and seamless.

And I can snoop my neighbor's unsecured networks ;)
Click to expand...

How does this work? Do you need cable line to it and 110v? Or is it CAT5 feeding it.

I'm Kinda new with this kind of thing.

Thanks

Kirk
 
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automobiliben

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Greenville, SC
Can you run Cat5 through the same conduit as the electrical lines? I have a conduit from house to shop feeding my 100A subpanel that I could easily route a Cat5 through, I just don't know about interference.
 
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shoturtle

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I would get and extender, wireless or cable, put it on the cloest wall to your garage. Then put another extender in the garage. You loose some through put but with a 50mb, you should get about 40 in the garage, best option is to wire from the house to a router in the garage.
 
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aandpdan

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automobiliben said:
Can you run Cat5 through the same conduit as the electrical lines? I have a conduit from house to shop feeding my 100A subpanel that I could easily route a Cat5 through, I just don't know about interference.
Click to expand...

No.

It's against Code for one thing.

You also don't want to run Cat 5 that close to any power line, you'd have massive interference. Either run a new conduit or get some direct burial Cat 5.
 
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automobiliben

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aandpdan said:
No.

It's against Code for one thing.

You also don't want to run Cat 5 that close to any power line, you'd have massive interference. Either run a new conduit or get some direct burial Cat 5.
Click to expand...

Bummer, only thing besides that conduit between my shop and the house is concrete, and lots of it.

Hopefully, I can find a repeater that can send a strong enough signal out to the shop...
 
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Motofixxer

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Just for kicks I took a usb dongle type wifi adapter and stuck it through a hole in some tinfoil somwhat shaped in a parabola. It dramatically extended the range. Try that or use a large coffee can. You might have a good enough connection for your needs.
 
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Gooman24

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Jun 17, 2011
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Take a look at these. You may be able to get away with one on the outside of your house facing the garage. Might need one at the garage too(I would avoid an external wifi solution for the laptop as they are pretty easy to damage them or the laptop and are one more thing to deal with). If you have any questions just ask. I have been in IT for almost 15 years.
 
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e-tek

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Saskatoon, SK
I switched out one of my routers antennas for a round "extender" antenna and get a signal to the back of my shop, about 100' away.
 
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akjose

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WV
automobiliben said:
Bummer, only thing besides that conduit between my shop and the house is concrete, and lots of it.

Hopefully, I can find a repeater that can send a strong enough signal out to the shop...
Click to expand...

Cat 5 can be run 100m max. If u can route around the concrete maybe that could work?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
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Falcon67

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Merkel, TX
koditten said:
How does this work? Do you need cable line to it and 110v? Or is it CAT5 feeding it.

I'm Kinda new with this kind of thing.

Thanks

Kirk
Click to expand...

The Ubiqity devices are wireless repeaters. You cable Cat5 from your network into one port of the power injector (the black box) and another cable from the injector to the wireless node. Injector plugs into the wall. Same on the other end - the cable out of the injector can go to a switch or right into a PC. You then configure the repeaters for your network and to see each other (usually the MAC address of the far side repeater) only, then you have a decently secure link. We use some of their products to extend network segments nearly a mile. Nothing to manage and they are cheap enough that if one gets blasted in a storm we just throw the dead one over the fence and get another one. Haven't had to do that yet and the little plastic goobers have been through 3~4 good heavy storms. They are on a pole on top of a 3 story building too. $300 bucks of plastic replaces a $12,000 Cisco link that quit working reliably.
 
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BundyL

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Dec 19, 2009
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I hope I'm not hijacking this thread but here is my problem. My kids want to use their kindle fires in my polebarn shop,about 50' from the belkin router, the signal stops when you go in the building.I just got a new wireless router from windstream and I was wondering if I hook up the windstream router in the house and run an ethernet cable to the shop could I use the belkin router as a access point?
 
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pattenp

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Virginia - USA
BundyL, If you don't want to run cable you could try using a wifi range extender in the barn at the closest end to the house.
 
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