internet booster that plugs into a mains socket

Matthewfalle
Matthewfalle Posts: 17,380
edited December 2018 in The bottom bracket
anyone know how they work?
Postby team47b » Sun Jun 28, 2015 11:53 am

De Sisti wrote:
This is one of the silliest threads I've come across. :lol:

Recognition at last Matthew, well done!, a justified honour :D
smithy21 wrote:

He's right you know.

Comments

  • big_harv
    big_harv Posts: 512
    anyone know how they work?

    How, no.
    If, not in my experience.
  • Matthewfalle
    Matthewfalle Posts: 17,380
    oh. thankyou anyway.

    anyone else?
    Postby team47b » Sun Jun 28, 2015 11:53 am

    De Sisti wrote:
    This is one of the silliest threads I've come across. :lol:

    Recognition at last Matthew, well done!, a justified honour :D
    smithy21 wrote:

    He's right you know.
  • big_harv
    big_harv Posts: 512
    Here y'are

    https://www.repeaterstore.com/pages/wif ... ifferences

    Not great signal in V's garage?
  • jgsi
    jgsi Posts: 5,062
    As someone who's main job is to password reset everyone else , because they cannot follow a simple control alt delete sequence, I would suggest the word booster is a misnomer. Using a ring main to extend the network works very well with Cat 5/6. I use one to connect the home hub over to the TV without trailing Cat5 cable across the fireplace.
    WiFi extenders using the ring main usually a bit sh it. A wireless device can hop from one extender to another and then hop over again making your Netflix/YouPorn/iPlayer experience again a bit sh it.
    If you want wifi router performance to rival GCHQ, look at Netgear NightHawks with mass array aerials.
  • zeee
    zeee Posts: 103
    If you mean power line adapters be careful because if you are using it in a garage there is a chance the power is on a different circuit to the house and therefore won't work well if at all.

    As above you're better off getting a better router.
  • tlw1
    tlw1 Posts: 21,831
    We’ve got one and it’s adequate at best
  • veronese68
    veronese68 Posts: 27,252
    anyone know how they work?
    Magic
  • Matthewfalle
    Matthewfalle Posts: 17,380
    cheers guys - much appreciated.

    just trying to work out how to get internet from house to garage - 15 metres distance, granite buildings both of them so difficult to get signals out.
    Postby team47b » Sun Jun 28, 2015 11:53 am

    De Sisti wrote:
    This is one of the silliest threads I've come across. :lol:

    Recognition at last Matthew, well done!, a justified honour :D
    smithy21 wrote:

    He's right you know.
  • big_harv
    big_harv Posts: 512
    Do you have a reasonable mobile phone signal?

    I use one of these in France.
    https://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/phones-br ... -broadband

    Whoops, try again.
  • orraloon
    orraloon Posts: 12,608
    Use BT powerline extenders to get t'internetz out into a stone barn. Works ok. The signal is routed through the main consumer unit, then the separate externals sub CU sitting next to it, then through the mini CU in the barn itself to a socket in barn.
  • Matthewfalle
    Matthewfalle Posts: 17,380
    Big Harv wrote:
    Do you have a reasonable mobile phone signal?

    I use one of these in France.
    https://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/phones-br ... -broadband

    Whoops, try again.


    link doesn't work dude :(
    Postby team47b » Sun Jun 28, 2015 11:53 am

    De Sisti wrote:
    This is one of the silliest threads I've come across. :lol:

    Recognition at last Matthew, well done!, a justified honour :D
    smithy21 wrote:

    He's right you know.
  • big_harv
    big_harv Posts: 512
    https://shop.ee.co.uk/dongles/pay-month ... 18/details

    Sorry. Basically a portable WiFi gadget using a mobile phone signal. Various tariffs available. I get 15Gb a month for multiple devices. Very handy abroad.
  • anyone know how they work?

    Snake oil
    I'm sorry you don't believe in miracles
  • jgsi
    jgsi Posts: 5,062
    anyone know how they work?

    Snake oil

    Is someone giving trade secrets away?
  • sungod
    sungod Posts: 16,432
    cheers guys - much appreciated.

    just trying to work out how to get internet from house to garage - 15 metres distance, granite buildings both of them so difficult to get signals out.
    assuming your internet router has some free ports and it's not going to be a big problem to run a cable...

    run an ethernet cable from it to garage
    for instance https://smile.amazon.co.uk/KabelDirekt- ... B018M7F3MW
    you'll also need a short cable, add that if you haven't got one already

    connect short cable from router to power injector, long cable to power injector output

    connect an access point to it at garage end

    plug in power injector

    configure ap

    this is cheap, and likely to be as fast as you need for small number of devices in a garage, includes power injector (sends power down the cable so you don't need mains connection in the garage
    https://smile.amazon.co.uk/dp/B004

    if you get lightning strikes in your area, i'd unplug the cable from power injector during storms

    if you want higher wireless data rate, access point will get more expensive (look for 802.11ac standard) and probably you'll need to buy a separate power injector
    my bike - faster than god's and twice as shiny
  • thistle_
    thistle_ Posts: 7,121
    My experience was similar to jgsi, it did extend the WiFi but it would connect to the extension then decide the main router was a better signal and keep swapping/disconnecting.
    I think Power line adaptors would be a better bet, plug it into your router with a cable so no radio signal strength to worry about, if it will work with your wiring.
    See if edwyn had some and can lend you a pair to check that it works.

    Or, move the WiFi router nearer the garage?
  • I have had good experience with a couple of Powerline adapters - one in the house and one in the garage which is some way from the house. Good experience with TP-Link units. Fast (faster than WiFi) . Easy to set up. In fact the one in the house is hanging off another switch in one of the rooms, Ie central router-switch-powerline adaptor. Seems to just work.
  • Have you tried switching to off and back on again?
    I'm sorry you don't believe in miracles
  • This wasn’t the thread I was hoping it would be. I’m out.
    Ecrasez l’infame
  • CiB
    CiB Posts: 6,098
    I needed to connect somewhere to somewhere else, settled on a long length of Cat 5 cable to do it by connecting router to a wall socket with a LAN cable, then socket to socket at target location, then wall socket to end point with another LAN cable. It still works v well.

    Buy or steal:
    2 x LAN face plates and zinc plate wall boxes from Wickes or similar. About £6
    2 x LAN cables to conenct each end, router to wall & wall to device. Make sure they're long enough. Find these at work or pay a quid or two each off Amazon.
    A long enough length of Cat 5 cable - Maplins used to sell it but they've shut. Amazon will sell it in decent lengths, or borrow it from the techie lads at work. They have miles of the stuff and won't miss 60 foot of it going walkabouts.
    A plastic prong thing to push the wires into the faceplate connectors. Youtube will show you how.
    Some garden hose to use as a sheath to protect the Cat 5 cable outside.
    Drill bits, power drill, screwdrivers, rawl plugs, rubber sealant, and a bit of acumen to make holes in walls and fit the boxes & plates securely and water-tightly.
    2 hours to do it.

    It's pretty simple really. The bits you dont understand are on Youtube. Connecting it up is easy with the right tool to push the wires into place. Once you've connected two wall plates together you just need to connect each end with the borrowed LAN cables. A four or eight port switch (Netgear are good) costs from about £20 if you want to connect more than one device at the far end.
  • navrig2
    navrig2 Posts: 1,833
    We have several TP-Link powerline adapters around the house. They work pretty well. Sometimes you have to restart them (every 3 months or so) as they seem to stop receiving from the master unit. I replaced the ethernet connection models with the wifi broadcast models. Much more convenient.

    Worth it.
  • CiB wrote:
    Some garden hose to use as a sheath to protect the Cat 5 cable outside.
    Protect against what ?
    That certainly won't protect against lightning.
  • slowbike
    slowbike Posts: 8,498
    Navrig2 wrote:
    We have several TP-Link powerline adapters around the house. They work pretty well. Sometimes you have to restart them (every 3 months or so) as they seem to stop receiving from the master unit. I replaced the ethernet connection models with the wifi broadcast models. Much more convenient.

    Worth it.

    TP-Link do pretty decent low cost networking kit.

    Most of the time, the issue with Powerline adapters is the power cabling though - old cables/poor connections can degrade the performance. They work best when the adapters are on the same ring/branch. Certainly a good shout when wifi can't cut it and you've got no easy way to run a cat5 cable.
  • slowbike
    slowbike Posts: 8,498
    CiB wrote:
    Some garden hose to use as a sheath to protect the Cat 5 cable outside.
    Protect against what ?
    That certainly won't protect against lightning.
    Just against casual damage and a bit of water ingress.

    Lightning won't care - and for domestic use, I wouldn't worry - if lightning hits your house, a bit of cat5 cable and switches/routers at either end will be the least of your concerns...
  • Matthewfalle
    Matthewfalle Posts: 17,380
    thank you very much for the solutions though guys - very much appreciated

    need to scratch my head over this one I think.....
    Postby team47b » Sun Jun 28, 2015 11:53 am

    De Sisti wrote:
    This is one of the silliest threads I've come across. :lol:

    Recognition at last Matthew, well done!, a justified honour :D
    smithy21 wrote:

    He's right you know.
  • chris_bass
    chris_bass Posts: 4,913
    fibre or ADSL (through the phone line!) - if the second option then phone extension and second router might work?

    or a very long network cable attached to a range extender and just use it when you need it
    www.conjunctivitis.com - a site for sore eyes
  • slowbike
    slowbike Posts: 8,498
    Chris Bass wrote:
    fibre or ADSL (through the phone line!) - if the second option then phone extension and second router might work?

    or a very long network cable attached to a range extender and just use it when you need it

    You can't just add another router to your phone line. The router authenticates with the host - one2one relationship.


    There are a few ways to extend a network to a non-physically connected building.
    1) Use a PowerLine adapter
    2) Use a Cat 5/5e/6 cable via some ducting - can be underground - you're limited on length (100m for Cat5) between terminators/switches
    3) Use a WiFi extender closer to the building which may penetrate far enough.
    4) Use a WiFi bridge

    In the various networks I maintain I've used all of these. The most stable is the cat cable - but you get the inconvenience of having to physically run the cable.
    The powerline adapters need rebooting frequently and are reliant on the mains run being at least of reasonable quality.
    WiFi Extenders are ok, but sometimes don't penetrate far enough - leaving a weak signal that drops out or doesn't produce the speed required
    WiFi bridges are just 2 wifi routers paired - I use one pair to connect our warehouse - throughput is >300Mbps and the Ubiquity nano-beams are rock solid - currently been up for 150 days and I've not had to force a reconnection.

    The only techs I'm aware of that I've not used are
    Fibre - it's much faster, but more susceptible to breakages
    Mobile Hotspot - although this is a standalone device that gives a connection to the internet rather than through an existing connection. I say I've not used it - I do hotspot off phones - it's ok for occasional use - for a fixed building I'd rather use one of the above if feasible.
  • navrig2
    navrig2 Posts: 1,833
    You can use old BT Homehubs as extenders. You have to configure the software to work. I've done this using non-wifi TP Link powerline adapters however I think you can do configure them to be pure wi-fi extenders.

    Instructions here:

    https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B0Q04 ... lvOHlac1A0