Getting the internet in the garage?

[automotive stud]

I did a search but didn't come up with much. I have a detached 4 car garage about 100 feet from my house. In the house I have wifi internet and I also have a telephone line in the garage on the same line as the house line.

I would really like to get wifi out to the garage. I don't have very good radio reception so internet radio through my ipod would be killer, but I'm not computer savvy enought to know what I need to do.

I've seen wifi range extenders, but I have a feeling that's not going to work for me. Do I need another modem in the garage? I'd rather not have a computer out there I just want an Ipod dock.

 

[Jeff]

I would run another line out to your garage. Cheaper and better signal in the long run.

 

[johnnybentwrench]

I have no idea, but there are mac forums too

 

[ozyborn]

If you garage and house on the same fuse panel, then you can use a powerline adapter. Netgear has a couple of them. Then put in a wireless access point out in the garage and tune away.

 

[LEVE]

I dug a trench and laid in 1 1/2" Schedule 80 PVC pipe between the house and the garage. The distance is about 100 feet. The pipe very, very easily carries both phone and Cat5 cable and I've room for more, if needed. Perhaps the conduit is a bit overkill, but it was left over from an electrical project... waste not, want not.

Prior to this, I'd used every WIFI scheme known to man, with out sterling success. The reception to the garage was sketchy, at best. Now, of course, it's rock solid; I enjoy stuff like Netflix, Pandora and surfing the Internet in the garage. The cost was minimal, and the time was only a few hours to dig the trench, lay the pipe and attach to the garage and house then run the cable.

I'd not go back to WIFI.

Since you're using the Ipod, then a WIFI router at the end of the cable to the garage would be a good fix. I run multiple WIFI routers (two in the house, one in the garage) with no problems. Then I can connect to my laptop, or the IPAD easily in the garage. The Garage computer is wired to the router.

 

[Yojinbo]

I have a similar situation. My plan is run a "line" out as well.

Some help in searching for info on this kind of thing:

I was planning on that "line" being Ethernet over Twisted Pair. This most common form of Ethernet - those phone-like plugs are RJ45 (8P8C) end terminated on a Twisted Pair cable.

In my case, I am considering burying a CAT5 cable (that I already have) and simply putting a Wireless Hub (WiFi Hub) at the end. I would like to bury this cable in a conduit about 8" under the soil (this will vary by frost heave zone - NJ would need to be deeper). They make a Twisted Pair cable that is designed to be buried but I don't have it laying around like I do CAT5 plenum and conduit - if you are buying it might be smart to get that kind. Now, you may have local codes that require this all to be done differently and/or by certified people for your locale.

Most all Ethernet Hubs can be "linked" as all modern Hubs should have repeater functionality built in. Then at the end, you have another Wifi network in the garage. You will want to set this one to a different channel then the house, etc.

My budget will be low $60 or less for a Linksys Wifi Hub - because I already have the cable.

 

[theoldwizard1]

There is actually a small group of nerds out there that have done some impressive distances with better antennas. One simple solution was replacing the twin short antennas on the back of the router with a pair of old magnetic mount CB antennas. This change was sufficient enough for that guy to get about 500 foot range from his 3rd floor apartment to a park across the street.

Let me Google that for you.

 

[Zengineer]

After messing around with antennas, boosters, etc. I'm rewiring everything hard wired... I would recommend running wire. The powerline adapter mentioned above is worth considering. It uses the existing electrical wire to carry a network signal.

 

[35mastr]

This Powerline Adapter sounds like it would work for me also. Any one here run one? And whats all involved in them. Never heard of one.

 

[john3872]

I have a canntena out in my shop. It is shooting about 300 feet to the house and the signal is great.

 

[BBQ&Love]

Call these guys. http://store.wisp-router.com/default.aspx

I needed a similar solution once and they hooked me up for about $150 per access point. Initially there were 2 access points; one where the internet was, and one at the shop. So that phase cost me $300. It was a rock solid connection that never gave one bit of trouble in the 4 years it was used.

The cool thing was, I added the house as another point on the "grid" and then another neighbor's house as yet another access point.

Of course, now that DSL has come to the neighborhood my friend abandoned the entire network but not because the network was the problem. It was the WISP internet that was "iffy". They folded right soon after DSL came to my friend's neighborhood so it was just in the nick of time.

Edit to add: We were dealing with distances from 100' to 1500'.

 

[Jaguar Fan]

I'm wondering if modern 802.11n wireless router might not reach all the way there.

For some reason, wireless routers tend not to last very long for me - after a year or so they start to fail (need to reboot frequently or they just stop altogether). So, it is a natural time to upgrade from 802.11b to g to n.

 

[ozyborn]

To run a powerline adapter is easier than cleaning the garage. There are 2 main parts. One you plug directly into a wall outlet next to your existing router. run a cat 5 cable from the router to the adapter. Then in the garage you plug in the other adapter (do not worry, you get 2 per package and they are identical and interchangeable) directly into a wall outlet. This will give you a hard line to the garage. Then connect a wifi access point and you are set.
Jeff Osborn Geeksquad Double agent.

 

[Regnar]

If you guys are going to buy a new wireless router or have a few old ones lying around not being used you might want to try DD-WRT.

It will allow you to increase your signal strength and also setup a bridge or repeater. 100ft should be in the realm of just a single wireless router but that is depended on obstacles.

This might be able to save some digging or spending of money.
http://www.dd-wrt.com/wiki/index.php/Main_Page

 

[DodgeZ]

In the house I have wifi internet and I also have a telephone line in the garage on the same line as the house line.

Cat3 or cat5?

This Powerline Adapter sounds like it would work for me also. Any one here run one? And whats all involved in them. Never heard of one.

The only one I saw didn't work.

 

[KCarGuy]

I ran a Cable from my Basement (through PVC) into my Garage that was (16 Pair?).
A neighbor had a leftover spool of it, with about 150 feet left.

I bought a Phone-Data-Internet Kit, that came with fittings, tools, plugs, and instructions.

I picked a pair for my phone and a 3 pair for my DSL Internet.
then just wired it up.
Works Great!

I also can get wireless connection, because my signal is strong enough.
Good Luck!

 

[wssix99]

Lots of good ideas here. For the OP - here are some other things to consider of three options:

- Running a hard line under ground to the garage.
Pros: It will probably work at a high/speed performance, (Signal degrades over distance but should work up to 325'.) relatively inexpensive
Cons: Back breaking work, ultra-reliable, if you only have wireless - it will require more hardware, back breaking work (did I say that already?)
Note: Bends/kinks in the cable will degrade the signal. If you do this, you should use CAT6 and not CAT5. (CAT5 is ancient technology and CAT6 will probably give you more speed.) Also, you'll want to run multiple wires in case you want to use them in the future for other future technology. (3D camera phone, etc.)

- Using directional antennas for a point-to-point connection between the buildings. (see 22rifle's post/comment)
Pros: Will work at speeds comparable to what you enjoy with your current wireless.
Cons: Expensive, your neighbors may thing the antennas are for some top secret military surveillance, requires more technical know-how to install.
Note: This is really reliable stuff. People use these in the city to transmit signals w/o cable and you'll see these a lot at automotive races where teams use them to transmit network signals around the race track.

- Powerline adapter.
Pros: Easy to install, it will probably work, (Signal degrades over distance and the amount of interference caused by machinery on the circuits) relatively inexpensive
Cons: The network speed will not be as fast as the other options. Will you be able to use internet radio? - dunno, may be an experiment. Maybe you can borrow a friend's set to try it out - or if you buy at a brick-and-mortar store maybe you can return it if you don't like it?
Note: If you go this route, do research on different models and buy new. This is an evolving technology and the newer stuff will perform much better. For example, if you get a first generation set used, etc. - it will probably not work well for you.

 

[MartyO]

I ran Cat5e cable from my house to my shop. Then I used a wireless router in the shop and all was golden.

I used direct burial cable. Works great. Now I have phone, internet, and my CCTV passing over the cables.

Keep in mind, the cable is the cheap part. The trenching, depending on yoru environment can be teh costly part. With that said, I would recommend figuring out how many cables you need and at least doubling it. This gives you back up in teh event of cable failure. i went to the school of redundant reduncy.

If you need a place to get cable on the cheap, let me know and i will look up my notes.

 

[1fastvx]

If you run any form of cable between the buildings, such as cat 5e or 6 just be careful and make sure you have the proper surge protection on the cabling. They sell devices that allow you to ground the cable on both ends to protect your system.

Indoor type:
http://www.wlanparts.com/product/ESP-100-POE/Ethernet-POE-Surge-Protector.html

Outdoor type:
http://www.wlanparts.com/product/AL-CAT5VW/Outdoor-POE-SURGE-PROTECTOR.html

John

 

[finn]

I have a power line adapter, put in by my service provider, and it works fine over a ~200 foot run.

The garage sub panel is powered off my main service panel, which is in the basement.

We ended up having to mount the “receiver “ at the outlet closest to the garage sub panel.

I now have WiFi pretty much anywhere in my yard, as a bonus.

They were supposed to charge me $60 for the installation and equipment, but it neve showed up on my bill.

 

[chinboys]

Just get a better wifi router that has 2 or more bands and the range you need.
I like my brand Ubiquiti but it is expensive.
Or try the newer MESH type wifi systems.

No need to run cat cabling anymore.

 

[like2wheel]

Just get a better wifi router that has 2 or more bands and the range you need.
I like my brand Ubiquiti but it is expensive.
Or try the newer MESH type wifi systems.

No need to run cat cabling anymore.

Will this solve the problem of being in a giant metal box?
Often that is the problem more than distance.

 

[tez929rr]

I had the exact same problem - about 100 feet to a metal building. All my research indicated that a wireless solution was possible but way beyond my capabilities. I ran a weatherproof Cat 6 cable out there. Bought a $30 router (Google best cheap routers)and have strong WiFi throughout the building (30x80).

BTW, I talked to EERO and they said the distance was probably too far for their mesh system. I recently installed a Google mesh system in the house and it’s perfect.