Internet in the garden

AlanMk

AlanMk

AlanMk

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I have a project to build a garden studio at my home, but the building will be far from the house, at least 25 meters away. What do you think is the best way to have a good internet connection?
 
Depends on what you want to do in there. If you just want to stream some music or watch a film outside, then an external unifi solution such as the Ubiquiti LiteAP AC airMAX would give outside wifi access. If you are looking to do large transfers, then you would be looking at external cat 6 with shielding and conduit.

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ChrisD. said:
Personally, dig in a duct and put fibre and/or cat5e or higher in it. Then run a switch in the studio, along with its own AP.
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I'd do this, and run 2 cables while you're at it for redundancy as it'll be a lot cheaper than digging up your garden again if it breaks. Also allows you to physically segregate traffic e.g for CCTV.
 
Cable especially if your getting power ran down to it too, separate ducting for the networking either fibre or cat5e.

Other than that your looking at fitting an external rated AP to your house.
 
When you dig in the armoured cable for the power, dig in some BT duct 56 next to it. Rope external grade Cat6 through here and then since it's a duct you can pull fibre through in future.

Do not bury stuff like flexible 25mm conduit, it's a pig to try and pull things down later because it's ribbed and 25mm OD conduit is not really big enough to pull cables through over any decent distance.
 
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When I built our garage which is at the back of the garden I installed a seperate duct for data.
I have a AP in the corner of the garage nearest the patio which gives ample coverage for me.
A larger garden may well need external AP(s)
 
I use uPVC 25mmx3m conduit and Cat cable and just lay it on the ground against the fence to my shed at the end of my house 30m away. That is after fox and squirrels chewing the cable when I just tack it against the fence bare. it has been 6 years since install and still running, screwfix selling them for 3.39 (3m) and couplers to joint them together, 25mm is easy to feed cable through.
 
Using a router with SMA connections of the aerials I stuck a IIRC +7db gain external wired aerial on there which I mounted in the window and can get a good signal probably out to about 20m or so I dunno about 25m - never really tested it.

WiFi is one of those annoying things in this regard - it can end up either far better for range than you'd think or far worse, usually far worse if it would be inconvenient :s
 
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Cable run will always be best for speed and stability but next best option would be fixed directional point-to-point antennas (one on house laser aligned with another on the studio). The higher up the better and will need a clear line of sight so make sure trees growing leaves in summer and branches blowing in wind are taken into account.
 
Cable, if you are at this stage then just run the cable. Anything wifi will be a compromise that you don't need to take.

I have a garden office with Cat5 just running along the fence, no conduit or cover, its just out in the weather and its been like that for 3 years now with no problem at all, of course it would be better in conduit but in real terms it functions just fine out in the elements for years, I have some 50m runs pinned to walls at work outside that have been running for more than 10 years.
 
Caged said:
When you dig in the armoured cable for the power, dig in some BT duct 56 next to it. Rope external grade Cat6 through here and then since it's a duct you can pull fibre through in future.

Do not bury stuff like flexible 25mm conduit, it's a pig to try and pull things down later because it's ribbed and 25mm OD conduit is not really big enough to pull cables through over any decent distance.
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This is the best way.
Second would be above ground cable followed by a point to point wireless link.
 
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