Extending broadband to garden building.

[MJT]

Hi,

I am in the process of building a garden room and want to extend the broadband coverage to there as the WiFi does not reach.

I have provisionally run a CAT6 cable (external type) underground in a suitable waterproof protective conduit.

Would it be possible to connect this to my existing Vodafone router to a second Vodafone router in my garden room, and how would I set this up?

Thanks for any help 👍🏻

[Anonymous]

You really don't want a second VF router!  Any cheap router that you can set up as an access point will do.  Generally, you'll follow the devices set up guide over WiFi or a direct connection before you connect it to the VF router, and set your new device up as an access point (not router).  Then plug one end of an ethernet cable into a LAN port on your VF and the other into the WAN (this is really important) port of your new device.

*Generally I'd set up a different SSID on the access point, though you can reuse your password.  On some devices, you'll need to manually select which SSID you then connect to, but others (most laptops) can be set to select the strongest signal!

**Follow the instructions in the devices setup wizard and try not to overthink things!

***Other devices can have better WiFi than the VF router.  Yes, I have a two-node mesh, but I also have a solar-powered IP camera mounted on the garage pointing down the path to the front door which connects over WiFi just fine (Tops out at around 4Mbps data on a 65Mbps sync - but that's all it needs!).

[MJT]

Many thanks for your help with this.

As you’re no doubt aware, I have very limited knowledge with these kinds of things.

are you able to recommend a good router to set up as an access point?

Kind Regards

Mike

[HappyNomad]

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@MJT wrote:

Hi,

I am in the process of building a garden room and want to extend the broadband coverage to there as the WiFi does not reach.

I have provisionally run a CAT6 cable (external type) underground in a suitable waterproof protective conduit.

Would it be possible to connect this to my existing Vodafone router to a second Vodafone router in my garden room, and how would I set this up?

Thanks for any help 👍🏻

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I might be missing something here but if you have laid a Cat6 cable from your existing Vodafone router to your garden room, why not just use a cheap five or eight port switch on the remote end and connect your devices with patch cables?  It is exactly the way I have set my home office up.

If you need wifi in the new space, a mesh node connected to the garden room end of cable might be a simple way forward - thinking along the lines of future mesh expandability.

[MJT]

Thanks for your help. I will have a look into the WiFi mesh node. Is there a recommended one to use for this?

Kind Regards

Mike

[HappyNomad]

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@MJT wrote:

Thanks for your help. I will have a look into the WiFi mesh node. Is there a recommended one to use for this?

Kind Regards

Mike

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I have a Linksys Velop Mesh Router (I no longer use the Vodafone supplied modem/router) and 3 Velop nodes which works well enough for me as a whole house solution.  Not sure I would personally recommend the brand over any other mesh kit though as I have no experience of any other brands.

A dual band node has two x Gbit Ethernet ports and is £50 on Amazon.... 

Linksys WHW0101 Velop   but there are lots of other brands/prices/capabilities etc.  

[MJT]

Thanks so much for your help 👍🏻