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Thread: wifi to remote shop/barn

  1. #16
    Join Date
    Jan 2010
    Location
    Bellingham, Washington
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    1,149
    I am using Google WiFi Points (4 of them). One at the gateway, one downstairs, one at my wife's office (75 feet away) and one at my shop office (~ 100feet away). Once I got them set up they have worked great for the past year and a half.
    Bracken's Pond Woodworks[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]

  2. #17
    I used this TP-Link to create an exterior Access Point for my shop that is roughly 150 feet from where I mounted it on my deck. Cat 6 from my router to the power supply which adds POE to a second Cat 6 cable running to the TP-Link. For longer distance you can use two of them point-to-point and go back to a switch at the destination. Very powerful. I'm not getting any discernible signal loss at all in the shop. This is the mounting bracket I used.

  3. #18
    Well after making the comments about not using copper cable outside, lightning struck yesterday & got the wifi router in my shop and fed back to house and zapped modem. BTW, this is the 4th time this has happened in the last year. 3x last summer. The second the third times were withing 2 days of each other and we didn't even hear a lightning strike.

    It also got my gate opener ($900 to fix that last summer).

    It appears to be getting in through the gate opener (yup, it zapped the board again) and feeding back through power into shop. The gate is also surge protected.

    After the episodes last summer, we replaced the entire cable run, and put surge suppressors on both ends of the run, protecting both the cable and power.

    Seems like once this happens the network cable becomes compromised and extremely subject to static. So now I'm without internet in the shop, which presents problems for me as I have no phone signal and can't communicate without walking back into the house.

    I'm going to go fiberoptic and if I fix the gate opener I'll go to a solar set up.

    Is this just bad luck? I've talked to my electrician he has no idea why so many lightning strikes. He suggested a surge suppressor breaker in the panel.

    I'm in the Jacksonville, Fl area if anyone knows who can install the fiberoptic please let me know.

  4. #19
    Join Date
    Mar 2003
    Location
    SE PA - Central Bucks County
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    65,688
    Robert, you can get pre-terminated fiber which makes things a whole lot easier. That and some transceivers to convert back to copper at either end will do the job. Install is the same as copper...conduit recommended and burial rated cable essential. It's not inexpensive to install fiber, but it certainly does put a break in place for the problem you illustrate. You may need lightning arrestors on that property, however!!! That's a LOT of strikes for one location no matter what.
    --

    The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...

  5. #20
    I found out my BIL can do fiber optic. He’s looking into what we need.

    That said, my computer guy that takes care of the network at work told me fiber optic is not immune to a surge. Have to double check that.

    It could be damaged but I don’t see how FO would conduct a surge.

    I’m also going to switch my gate opener to solar thereby isolating it from the power.

    I’ve had internet in my shop for years until we pit the gate opener in about 3 years ago then all this started happening.

    I checked with my electrician about lightning rods - cost prohibitive for me.

  6. #21
    Join Date
    Mar 2018
    Location
    Moscow, ID
    Posts
    428
    Check with a company called Shaxon. They can do custom fiber cables in any length, cable type and ends. When I worked at a computer shop we ordered a 1600 foot cable with LC ends that got pulled through conduit to connect two outbuildings on a large farm.

    Derek

  7. #22
    Join Date
    Mar 2003
    Location
    SE PA - Central Bucks County
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    65,688
    Quote Originally Posted by Robert Engel View Post
    That said, my computer guy that takes care of the network at work told me fiber optic is not immune to a surge. Have to double check that..
    Um...the fiber is non-conductive. If the cable is armored, that armor potentially could be conductive if metal, but not the glass fiber...
    --

    The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...

  8. #23
    Join Date
    Jan 2008
    Location
    1.5 hrs north of San Francisco, CA
    Posts
    842
    Every Wireless Access Point (WAP) I've used -- quite a few -- have a mode called "ad hoc" which allow them to serve as point-to-point links, e.g., between a WAP in the house and one in the shop. The normal mode is "infrastructure". I've never configured and used "ad hoc" mode, but that's what it's for.

    See https://commotionwireless.net/docs/c...less-networks/

  9. #24
    Quote Originally Posted by Wayne Cannon View Post
    Every Wireless Access Point (WAP) I've used -- quite a few -- have a mode called "ad hoc" which allow them to serve as point-to-point links, e.g., between a WAP in the house and one in the shop. The normal mode is "infrastructure". I've never configured and used "ad hoc" mode, but that's what it's for.

    See https://commotionwireless.net/docs/c...less-networks/
    My understanding is that an ad hoc network is a peer to peer network and a infrastructure network is on that the data flows through a router or switch. A point to point link like you describe is "bridge mode". Some APs or wireless devices support that mode and some don't.
    I have a 2.4 GHz bridge between my shop and my house which are about 900' apart as the crow flies. Basically they are paired and only communicate to one another. The topology is that the master is connected to the switch in my house and the slave is connected to a switch in my shop. Each location has devices on their respective switches, including APs, and they are all on the same subnet. When a device in the house wants to connect to a device in the shop it goes through the wireless bridge which is functioning like a wire.

  10. #25
    Join Date
    Jun 2003
    Location
    Wenatchee, WA
    Posts
    445
    Figured I'd share this... something I came across when trying to get better wifi in RV parks.

    https://outsideourbubble.com/secure-...for-under-100/

    Updated version (one of the components changed / was discontinued):

    https://outsideourbubble.com/build-a...for-under-100/

    Similar setup, with a non-Ubiquiti AP:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JA-SiZ2p3hI

    Initial setup may be a little bit techy for some, but once it's done, it's done. The secondary setup - for people in an RV where the wifi AP you're connecting to will almost certainly change when you pack up and move... really is a non-issue for a stationary setup in a shop.

    We moved at the end of March, and the new (to me) 24x32 shop is just far enough from the Ubiquiti NanoHD AP (definitely *not* a low-end or low-powered unit!) in the house that the wifi signal out here is kinda anemic. Since we're doing more boon-docking style RV'ing these days, I figured I'd re-purpose the Ubiquiti Nano M2 and airGateway LR for the shop instead. Had to dust off the videos in the links above to remember how to get around in the dashboards for the respective devices, but so far it's working great. I'm typing this from my Asus CB15 in the comfort of my air-conditioned shop (the house central air is currently DOA ).
    Last edited by Monte Milanuk; 07-26-2019 at 6:42 PM.

  11. #26
    Quote Originally Posted by Monte Milanuk View Post

    We moved at the end of March, and the new (to me) 24x32 shop is just far enough from the Ubiquiti NanoHD AP (definitely *not* a low-end or low-powered unit!) in the house that the wifi signal out here is kinda anemic. Since we're doing more boon-docking style RV'ing these days, I figured I'd re-purpose the Ubiquiti Nano M2 and airGateway LR for the shop instead. Had to dust off the videos in the links above to remember how to get around in the dashboards for the respective devices, but so far it's working great. I'm typing this from my Asus CB15 in the comfort of my air-conditioned shop (the house central air is currently DOA ).
    Just a geeky fine point:
    Unlicensed radio bands like WiFi 2.4 and 5 Ghz have transmission power limits. It's a highly technical discussion and it's something that consumers really don't need to know much about. Essentially the vast majority of WiFi routers and Access Points can transmit at full power, and generally do so "out of the box". You can go into the setup menu and lower the power but most assume that the average Joe is best served by having the unit at full power. The method used to get more power at distance is to pair the transmitter with a different antenna. Since antenna are passive devices the way they get gain is to have different transmission characteristics, in a word they are directional. The more directional, the more the gain, the further out you will have good signal. You can't go out and buy a "more powerful" wifi but rather buy one that comes with the antenna and features you need, or allows you to attach an after market antenna that does the same.
    Last edited by Steve Milito; 07-26-2019 at 9:00 PM.

  12. #27
    Join Date
    Feb 2008
    Location
    E TN, near Knoxville
    Posts
    12,298
    Quote Originally Posted by John Christian View Post
    has anyone here used a 'powerline network adapter' to get wifi in a shop? My barn has a subpanel from the main house and is about 100 ft away.
    My shop is 250' from my house. I ran an ethernet cable underground in conduit from the wifi router and installed a second wifi router in the shop. Both are set to the same SSID and the second is configured as an extension (can't remember the real term). Bulletproof and works seamlessly.

    JKJ

  13. #28
    Join Date
    Mar 2003
    Location
    SE PA - Central Bucks County
    Posts
    65,688
    Point of technical order...the second "router" shouldn't be used as a "router" (layer 3 routing) in a scenario like this without a good reason. it should be setup as a wireless access point (and/or Ethernet switch) that bridges the same network that the primary router provides. A "router behind a router" can get pretty messy sometimes because it essentially creates another network behind itself. (double NAT...network address translation) The savvy buyer gets a wireless access point without the routing capability for this purpose (or a mesh wireless system) or if they want to economize and use and extra wireless router they have hanging around, they configure it for bridge mode and turn off all the routing things.
    --

    The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...

  14. #29
    Quote Originally Posted by Jim Becker View Post
    Point of technical order...the second "router" shouldn't be used as a "router" (layer 3 routing) in a scenario like this without a good reason. it should be setup as a wireless access point (and/or Ethernet switch) that bridges the same network that the primary router provides. A "router behind a router" can get pretty messy sometimes because it essentially creates another network behind itself. (double NAT...network address translation) The savvy buyer gets a wireless access point without the routing capability for this purpose (or a mesh wireless system) or if they want to economize and use and extra wireless router they have hanging around, they configure it for bridge mode and turn off all the routing things.
    Yes. I reused old routers as access points(AP)in the past. IMO, it's not worth the money saved. Modern APs of the same brand communicate with one another, often optimize the bands they use, and usually can be monitored and configured from an app anywhere inside the network. Additionally, I think they work better. I really like ceiling mounted units, you can really get good coverage if they are well placed.

  15. #30
    Quote Originally Posted by Jim Becker View Post
    Um...the fiber is non-conductive. If the cable is armored, that armor potentially could be conductive if metal, but not the glass fiber...
    Yes, that is my thinking and that is what my BIL said. But it is possible it could damage as far as data flow, he's not sure.

    This is just an add on wireless router I've had numerous ones installed at my office by computer guys. Is there something wrong with that?

    I talked it over with him and since the gate opener will be converted to solar, then he thinks I shouldn't have a problem anymore.

    That said, we are going to run power to the shop wifi from the house, which will take it completely off the power supply from the shop. Much more economical solution. (I guess I should mention the shop has its own service and the gate opener was fed by it.)

    Another thing I should mention is the surge protectors. I thought Tripplite was a good brand so I put one on each end of the run, protecting the cable, too.

    But the surge went through both of them
    Last edited by Robert Engel; 07-27-2019 at 10:22 AM.

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