Getting Internet To Outbuildings (7 Different Ways)

If you're looking to put smart devices (or any other WiFi based device) in an outbuilding, you'll almost certainly need internet access.

I've recently needed to do the same for my Ring Indoor Cam (which I put in my garage), which got me thinking of the various ways you can get internet in an outbuilding which only has power.

The 7 approaches I came up with are:

0:00 Intro
0:26 WiFi extenders/repeaters
2:23 WiFi mesh
3:57 Point to point
5:03 4G or 5G hub
6:10 Satellite internet
7:43 Run Ethernet cable
9:09 Use powerline adapters.

Attribution
* The Ring Chime Pro was from the European Ring Press Pack.

[inspireacademy]

Really helpful, thank you. You were really clear and articulated yourself brilliantly. I appreciated this because I'm rubbish with stuff like this. Thank you

[epowellrob]

I wish all youtube videos were this straightforward. Thanks for the info pal 👍👍

[sewob]

Re: outbuildings and shared consumer units. I've experienced difficulties here, before my rewire in 2018 on 50 plus year old wiring the circuit was definitely shared and some Moss security lights which sent a signal to an audible chime on a unit inside when the PIR was triggered worked perfectly. As soon as my new wiring was installed with the outbuildings now fed from the house consumer unit by armour plated cable the apparatus stopped working; further testing revealed that if I used it in the house it worked and if I used it in the outbuilding it worked but nothing if one element was in the house and the other outside, I've found this to be the case with range extenders as well. In very simplistic terms it's as if there's a resistance issue due to the distance (10-70m depending on outbuilding) or the step up from internal cable to external armour plated.

[steviexup]

I have Sonos wifi speakers and a Sky Minibox in my mancave at the bottom of my garden. I used TP-Link power line adapters and everything worked at the beginning. Then my Sky Q main box started experiencing internet connection problems. This would filter back to the mancave and things stopped working properly. The connection would constantly drop out and then reconnect itself. I changed all my Ethernet cables, got a new Sky Q box from Sky and even changed my ISP. All to no avail. Eventually i unplugged the TP-Link PA and the internet connection reconnected and stayed up. Powerline adapters are a great idea but they're not for everyone. If you try them out and the internet connection drops out, remember this post. And keep your receipt as you'll be able to get your money back.
I'm in the process of running an external ethernet cable to the mancave instead. I hope its worth the trouble !!

[michellemitchell]

Thank you so much for explaining all of this! Very helpful.

[Yves]

That was very helpful, thank you👍🏻 Do you know if the powerline adapter works if the secondary house is on a different electricity company meter? (I don't think so as it's not on the same electrical circuit).
One annoying thing is that when searching for repeater or booster, internet gives results mostly for extenders that works on a different network, meaning you have to choose between your house network or the extender network, it's not the same thing, plus the one I tried was a fraction of speed, even in the same room as my router, I returned it.
I think I'll use either a cable or a bridge system but it requires a second router in both cases, so the most efficient and economical is running a cable, not the easiest tho☹.👋🏻

[DCChumley]

If your outbuilding is metal and is on a separate electrical meter what's the best method.

[mumsysescape]

Thankyou for your time, this was helpful and Shiney!

[sakinaproductions]

Hands down this is the best video out here on this topic!

My question is for method 6 (running an etherent cable).

I am running a 50 meter cat 6 cable underground from my Sky router to my outbuilding.

What kind of router do i buy to plug it into. Ive heard people say access points and some people saying a basic router is fine.

Just a little confused as to what would be best?

Any advice would be highly appreciated.

Thanks!

[rickyribs]

Thanks for all the information exactly what I needed really appreciate it cheers

[norain]

Hello Tristan .question for you since you seem like a internet nerd <code for really smart} .ha ha . I put up gate camera weak signal .i purchased this from amazon, WiFi Extender, 2023 Fastest WiFi Booster 1200Mbps Dual Band (5GHz/2.4GHz) WiFi Extenders Signal Booster for Home, Internet Booster WiFi Repeater Covers up to 10000sq. ft and 45 Devices . my router is by the wall . camera is 110 ft from house signal starts to drop at 75ft so if i plug in the extender on the outside wall will this give me the 25 ft i require in theory or can i plug it in at garage which is 40ft from house and has signal .Other thing is i watched a video saying you cant use a surge protector oR power bar ??? i thought 110 volt was 110 volts either way that dosen't make sense to me . Thanks look forward to your answer .hopefully i explained things well.

[CrazyIsBad]

I have a garage in my back yard and want wifi in there I think a Ethernet cable work be fine do I use any router and would putting it in
Another router work would I have the same login and password as my router in my house or would it be different?

[Boxcar-dlop]

Hey really helpful video man. I have a question and it may be a dumb one but; if my home has a modem can I purchase a router and run it to an external building and get a WiFi signal in there?

[yeusev]

I'm just getting started in IT so this is great info. Love the shirt 👍. Also appreciate a fellow Elon fan 😆

[stevea]

Very informative video, thanks. For me it would be easiest to split my incoming Broadband and run a coax from the splitter to my outbuilding, is that an option (I suspect not) and if so what device would I need in the outbuilding to connect my coax into? Thanks.

[kelvinnieves]

if your outbuilding is about 100 feet away from your main building is there a way to get wifi to the outbuilding?

[frostyguy]

So if I'm barely getting signal from my neighbor, (can't really watch YouTube) could I use a wifi extender to be able to get better signal AND upload and download speeds?

[dapimon]

Hi can you run the Ethernet cable to an out building connect to an extender instead of a router?

[davidosullivan]

goodman yourself that was most helpful

[viktorakawisevik]

Thanks. Using the Ethernet cable method, is there a difference between a cat5e or cat6 cable? Also, does it really matter what category cable to use if the download speed from my network provided is less than 100mb/s?