WiFi to Garage - Options?

Daniel Henshaw

Daniel Henshaw

Daniel Henshaw

Associate
Joined
31 Dec 2021
Posts
3
Location
UK
I have a detached garage in my garden approx 40 ft from my house which I want to be able to send an internet signal to - nothing extreme, just enough for HD video and music streaming.

Running an Ethernet cable externally isn't an option and due to the wiring to the garage, neither is using a powerline.

What options do I have for WiFi?

I had looked at a mesh system (Deco M4) however to install this I would need to do away with my Archer AX50 router which I'm not keen on doing as it has only recently been purchased.
If I were to get rid of my router and replace with a Deco M4, I wouldn't be getting the full benefit of Mesh as my second node would be just a few metres away from the master, next to the window closest to the garage with my third node then being inside the garage, therefore not adding any value to the rest of the house.

Is there any solution that would allow me to keep my existing router but the. Send a strong WiFi signal to my garage which would be capable of HD video streaming?
 
I'd have recommended a PtP solution but since the distance is quite small it might not even be necessary and probably overkill for your needs (it will do 1 Gbit full duplex)
 
Would I likely see issues if I kept the router and used a mesh system in access point mode? I could space the router and mesh device to around 6 ft max, but I'm not sure if they would conflict one another of they are both trying to broadcast WiFi signals?
 
Mikrotik Wireless Wire is quite literally made to do this ie. Link two buildings. It’s a full 1Gbps link. You could mess about with meshes etc. but if you don’t want to cable then Wireless Wire does what it says on the tin.
 
WJA96 said:
Mikrotik Wireless Wire is quite literally made to do this
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Yeah, I mean if you want to do it, you may as well do it right so you don't have to mess with it again.
I only said it was overkill as he said he only needs to be able to stream HD video & music which would both probably be under 10Mbps.
 
0007 said:
Yeah, I mean if you want to do it, you may as well do it right so you don't have to mess with it again.
I only said it was overkill as he said he only needs to be able to stream HD video & music which would both probably be under 10Mbps.
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When you consider what the slower alternatives cost, why would you not put this in?
 
WJA96 said:
When you consider what the slower alternatives cost, why would you not put this in?
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Yeah fair point, like I said I prefer just doing things so they last awhile, so you don't have to fiddle with them later.
The MikroTik Wire is def something that'd last a long while, that's why I mentioned it, and left it open if anyone had any other suggestions that I wasn't aware of :)
 
Do you have power from the house running to the garage? Can't just powerline it for cheap then put a wireless access point at the garage end if the powerline isn't one with it built in?
 
Can't get a powerline to connect unfortunately. Putting it down to the old wiring to the garage and an old fuse box in there.

I've reconsidered hard wiring and now think this is doable. Will be cheaper overall and give a more reliable connection, so it could be a blessing in disguise that the powerlines didn't work.
 
0007 said:
I only said it was overkill...
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Kind of agree.
Not "dissing" Mikrotik Wireless Wire in any way as it's a very good product but considering the piddly 40ft distance and the use case (just needs WiFi from the post), it's a bit of a jackhammer approach and not particularly a cost effect solution when you still need to factor in an AP for the garage to provide WiFi.
But if the OP could get an ethernet run to an outside wall, then a decent outdoor AP would be just as good for the requirements and easily half the cost.

Daniel Henshaw said:
I've reconsidered hard wiring and now think this is doable.
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Definitely the better solution if you can do it. Don't forget the WiFi AP (access point) if you need WiFi in the garage and make sure you use decent quality outdoor (or shielded) spec ethernet cabling for the run and ideally in outdoor conduit. Plus it's always worth doing a number of runs, if you can, in case one fails/want to deploy link aggregation in the future etc.
 
I’d just Chuck an outdoor AP on the side of the house and be done with it, 40ft and a single skinned wall should be no problem and you’ll also get good coverage in the garden.
 
b0rn2sk8 said:
I’d just Chuck an outdoor AP on the side of the house and be done with it, 40ft and a single skinned wall should be no problem and you’ll also get good coverage in the garden.
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If the OP can cable it then that's optimal. The challenge with an external access point signal penetrating a brick wall 40' away is that you've already wasted a big chunk of the signal power just covering that 40', then to push the signal through a brick wall? It's a tough ask. You might well get signal, but it won't be good signal.
 
WJA96 said:
You might well get signal, but it won't be good signal.
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Define "good"?
I've seen many similar setups over greater distances and if the user can use a mobile/laptop for browsing/socials, connect a car or stream HD to a firestick and the like, then surely that's good enough, no?

I agree if it needed to be the quickest link possible or the location would be in continuous use or it was mission critical or you've got the money to do it, then a PtP link is absolutely the way to go. But the majority of home users just need a bit of WiFi once in a while when they're in a garage/shed etc and an appropriately spec'd and positioned AP will, most of the time, cover that requirement and cost less than a PtP setup ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
 
visibleman said:
Define "good"?
I've seen many similar setups over greater distances and if the user can use a mobile/laptop for browsing/socials, connect a car or stream HD to a firestick and the like, then surely that's good enough, no?

I agree if it needed to be the quickest link possible or the location would be in continuous use or it was mission critical or you've got the money to do it, then a PtP link is absolutely the way to go. But the majority of home users just need a bit of WiFi once in a while when they're in a garage/shed etc and an appropriately spec'd and positioned AP will, most of the time, cover that requirement and cost less than a PtP setup ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
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Good = Meeting the expectations of the user.

This garage is 40’ away. And pretty much every external WAP I’ve seen is omnidirectional, so not directed at the garage.

Most UK homes are 15 - 30’ wide. And 30’ tall. And yet most people complain of terrible WiFi performance in a home.

You will riposte that this is 40’ outdoors but it’s still 40’ and there is still a wall you have to get through at the other end. And then any clients in the garage have to go back through that wall and across 40’ of open ground. I do this a LOT and what you are suggesting isn’t a good solution to what the OP wants to do.

A cable is clearly the best option. You might consider a full 1Gbps PtP solution expensive but it just works and you don’t have to dig up the garden. Anything 2.4GHz wireless is going to be crap. 5GHz is really unlikely to make the distance so you’ll be stuck with 2.4GHz. And that’s going to be running at dog slow speeds with lots of dropouts and retries because that’s what happens with a bad signal.
 
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