Moving the Router Upstairs

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Soldato
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27 Jun 2006
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Hey folks,

Hopefully this'll be a short one. My router is currently at the bottom of the stairs in a really awkward position. So there's wires coming out of it every which way and as the computers are both upstairs - it's a bit of a mess really.

I was wondering if it would be possible to bring the router upstairs (closer to the computers) via some sort of extension cable? (An extension of the cable from the wall socket to router)

I don't have a secondary phone socket upstairs (although I have been considering getting one installed, but not sure how much it would set me back) so this is the easiest option to consider.

So I guess what I need answers to are:

  • Does an extension of such a cable exist? If so what name does it go by?
  • Will this 'new' setup hinder performance, if it's possible to create?
  • How much would it cost to have a second phone line installed upstairs and is it an easy process?

I've done some googling on the second phone line but I have more Broadband sign up results than you could shake a stick at. Will keep hunting though.

Thanks for any help. :)

-edit-

Well, got an answer to the latter question: The charge for fitting an internal extension socket during normal working hours is £166.33 :o I think not.
 
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It's something you should be able to do for yourself as long as you have the right sort of master socket. Current master sockets have a removable face plate that has connectors on the back for the home owner (or whatever) to attach an extension. You can buy a kit of wire, extension socket, connection tool, cable clips, etc. from most of the big DIY chains.
 
Cheers Snapshot.

Unfortunately I'm a D.I.Y disaster and don't want to mess anything up. When it comes to phone lines will your bog standard electrician do it or is it a 'BT-only' type of job?

£166 is nothing short of absolutely ridiculous and that's not even for a separate line.
 
Instead of adding a phone extension and moving the router upstairs, why don't you tidy up one of the network cables and get a hub/switch installed upstairs?

Extending the phone system upstairs and connecting the router to it *may* result in slightly slower broadband connection speed.
 
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I hadn't considered a hub/switch before. I assume it's AC/USB powered and intakes an ethernet cable and outputs to x amount of other ethernet cable devices?

Sounds ideal and obviously slow-down in any set up isn't desirable. :)
 
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:) Decent enough prices for a switch too, which is nice.

Does anyone have any idea what you call the lead that connects from router to the phone-filter?

If I could get a slightly lengthier version of that it would really improve things (because as it stands I'm having to run an extension lead around the bottom of the stairs as there's no plug).
 
It's just typically called an "RJ11 cable" - it's just cat5e (make sure it is that, and not just cheap telephone extension cable) with RJ11s on each end.
 
tolien said:
It's just typically called an "RJ11 cable" - it's just cat5e (make sure it is that, and not just cheap telephone extension cable) with RJ11s on each end.
Click to expand...

Ah, that's the one.

Thought if anyone would know it would be you, toilen. Thanks. :)

Just one last question before I go off and possibly do something - I suppose lengthening this cable a slight bit (metre or two) won't cause too much slow down? I just need to get it round the corner and under the stairs.
 
It shouldn't be too bad, but it'll depend on how much noise there is for the cable to pick up and how good the cable is.
 
Just had a thought.

If I had a motherboard with 'dual gigabit lan' could I use that as a sort of link box? Feeding a cable from the router in and having the other out to the Xbox 360.
 
Probably but I don't know anything about networking games consoles. Assuming you're using XP on the PC, look up Internet Connection Sharing. Personally, I'd rather use a switch as it's more flexible.
 
I've done this in my place twice over. First way is to buy a filtered master socket and run cat5 from it (it allows you to patch it to the back of the filter). You can then run the unfiltered connection wherever you wish and attach a socket that way. This way you can run voice/data to anywhere in the house.

The other way (which I've just done), is to buy some decent ADSL cable (RJ11, shielded etc). You can buy these on normal comms sites, the shielded/twisted stuff tends to be called "ADSL2+" or "Pro". Run it from the socket and plug it in to your router/modem wherever you want. If you want a cheaper solution that pre-bought stuff, just run cat5 and match the pinouts with RJ11 connectors.

One thing to be wary of when placing extensions is where they go passed. Go near a thermostat and you may introduce a load of noise on to your line (etc etc etc).
 
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