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Garage Wi-Fi?

3K views 24 replies 9 participants last post by  pdupler 
#1 ·
I figure some of you guys are really into computer and network tech and maybe some of you have done this before What should I do to get my home Wi-Fi signal to reach into my metal shop building in the back yard? I have AT&T U-verse wi-fi router in a closet in the center of the house. I can pick up the wi-fi outside all the way to the shop building, but once inside, I lose the wi-fi signal. My phone also has trouble picking up the 4g network inside the building too, I guess its being blocked by the sheet metal. I've done a little research on wi-fi extenders and repeaters and such, but quite frankly, I'm just sort of totally overwhelmed by all the hundreds of options. Note that both buildings are on separate electrical services, one's a residential home meter and the other is a commercial meter so those gizmos that purport to use the home's existing electrical wiring wouldn't likely work since the buildings are not connected.
 
#2 ·
Do you want to run a wire to the garage or do you want something wireless between them? If you can run an ethernet cable over just buy a switch two split the connection and have another router in the garage. If you want a wireless solution buy something like a pair of nanobeams and point them at each other. Powerline ethernet doesn't work that great
 
#3 ·
Do you want to run a wire to the garage or do you want something wireless between them? If you can run an ethernet cable over just buy a switch two split the connection and have another router in the garage. If you want a wireless solution buy something like a pair of nanobeams and point them at each other. Powerline ethernet doesn't work that great
I agree. A physical wired connection is far superior to any wireless connection. If you can run one I would. OR you could get like a mesh wireless router that has satellite "boosters" that extend the range of the wireless network. The stock ATT uverse wireless gateway is trash. What you do is get a netgear orbi system or one like it. Google sells one too. Connect the main of the new mesh system to your uverse gateway via ethernet, disable the Wi-Fi on the uverse gateway and use the netgear mesh router for Wi-Fi. That's what I use in my house and it works great.






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#4 ·
WI FI signals probably won't penetrate the metal buildings walls. Is there a window? Add one.
Can you locate the wireless router in your house next to a window? It needs a clear path for the signal to go to the garage. Closer, the better.
If microwaves or refrigerators are in its broadcast path, NOT GOOD.
A WI FI extender in your house may help.
I use a nighthawk by Netgear and it's kick butt!
 
#8 ·
Is there a window? Add one.
Can you locate the wireless router in your house next to a window?
The router along with the alarm system, battery and DVR are in a locked closet in the center of the home. That's to slow down the burglars from being able to disable anything before the police are notified or video uploaded. Hopefully they didn't bring any tools with them and will just leave without trying to get into the closet. The shop building has its own separate alarm system with a cellular modem.
 
#9 ·
Basically, all I want to do is pipe tunes into my shop (Apple Music) and occasionally access a car forum for "how to" instructions without having to stop working and go back into the house. I'm not going to have a PC running. What is a cloud key?
 
#10 ·
Actually you won't need the cloud key if you keep it simple and don't use any access points. Here's a pretty good video on how to setup the nanobeams;

 
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#11 ·
That explains how to set up the bridge, but I guess I still need to connect the reciever end to an access point? transmitter inside the "barn". Or can I just get any old wireless router to put inside the shop?
 
#14 ·
I was watching some youtube videos and saw the following idea of just getting a cell phone antenna for the outside of the building that could attach via cable to I guess a range extender or another router inside the building (he mentions a link to $9 antenna some $29 router, but I didn't see any links anywhere so I don't know specifically which products). I actually seem to have a very strong wifi signal right at the front of the shop building but close the garage door and the signal goes away.



Any feedback on this method?
 
#16 ·
An old router and an external antenna will probably do the trick, but try to get an antenna that is as close as possible to the WiFi frequencies, there are plenty ones made specifically for the 2.4G or 5G frequencies that has a compatible connector. Just set up the router as an access point, most will do the job quite fine, as long as they are compatible with the encryption standard.
 
#17 ·
Thanks. I've ordered a $30 ASUS router/extender/access point since I will apparently need one of those anyway even if I have to go with a bridge setup. Only thing was that while it had removable antennas, the type of connection wasn't specified. Someone had asked the question whether it was SMP and the seller reply was simply Yes. But I didn't take that as being clearly SMP vs SMP-RP which seems to be more standard. Since the omnidirectional outdoor wifi antennas with a 10' cable were only $8 and came in both flavors, I ordered one of each. But with my luck, the router side will be female instead of male or something. Thats the problem with buying stuff over the internet is you can't see the product and verify what you're ordering. Half the time the pictures are of a different, older model anyway. But you guys had already posted ten times more than the sales staff at Best Buy had ever heard of so I appreciate the help. Wish me luck.
 
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#18 ·
You will be OK. Any OLD wired or wireless router will work. Send and receive is what you are looking for.
I donated 5 old wired routers 2 weeks ago. My Netgear wireless router is fine! 3G.5G.
Your metal building is what is holding you back.
 
#19 ·
Well, it works. I have internet in the shop now. Pretty simple. Unscrewed one of the standard antennas from the back of the router and attached an external antenna. The external antenna is conveniently and inconspicuously mounted on the top of an exterior light fixure above the garage door. Cable runs through a hole in the R-panel behind the light and then

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inside a structural frame member along with the wiring for the garage door opener. I mounted the router near the garage door opener to share the power outlet and because it was sort of centrally located Still the signal is strong throughout the shop.

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The router itself is configured as a repeater, picking up the signal from the AT&T gateway inside the house and retransmitting it inside the metal building. All for under $50 and by a guy who had no idea what he was doing.
 
#22 ·
I probably claimed success too soon. It worked fine for a few hours, then got flakey and by the next day, didn't work at all and nothing I tried would recover it. That's what I get for ordering a cheap router. So for a replacement I ordered one that's four times the price and has dual radios, one dedicated for the outdoor antenna and another radio for the two indoor antennas on the unit itself. It arrived this evening so I'll mess with it this weekend.
 
#23 ·
Well the new Hawking HW2R1 repeater appears to be working. Its designed specifically for the purpose. Even the very good english instructions showed an illustration of a house and backyard shop. I streamed music to my phone and browsed the web on a laptop here in the shop for about an hour. Fingers crossed that it stays working. Now to see about returning that cheapie router...
 
#25 ·
I figured that I couldn't do the powerline converter because the two separate buildings are on separate electric meters. BTW, I dropped off the defective router at a Kohls Department Store for Amazon return and they give you a coupon for 25% off anything in the store while you are there. Whoever came up with that idea for Amazon returns is brilliant. I never would have gone anywhere near a department store if not for that, but I needed some new socks anyway.
 
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