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How far should my router connection extend outside our property?

BM57
Hooked
Posts: 6
Registered: ‎14-05-2020

How far should my router connection extend outside our property?

Hi all,

Any idea how far router connection should reach outside the property its housed in? I need internet connection in our garden cabin which is very roughly 16m away from router, and its not happening....

Thankyou in advance!

11 REPLIES 11
jgb
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Registered: ‎01-08-2007

Re: How far should my router connection extend outside our property?

@BM57 

As well as distance there are other variables that will affect wifi range such as what walls (or other obstructions) are in between the router and the receiving piece of kit (number, thickness, material), whether there are any metallic objects etc that might interfere with the signal, and so on.

Also, different routers have different ranges. The Plusnet Hub1 is not the best in this regard.

If the router is not at the nearest point in the house to where you want reception, have you thought about plugging in a wifi extender at such a point?

MisterW
Superuser
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Re: How far should my router connection extend outside our property?

@BM57  in a ideal world, the 2.4ghz wireless should reach up to about 40m indoors. Problem is that most home environments are anything but ideal, you usually have less than ideal router placement, walls, and most of all interference from neighboring wifi.

Using a wifi analyzer to see what channels are being used by neighboring wifi is a good start, and changing your router channel to one that's least used by others. NB only channels 1,6 & 11 are fully non-overlapping. Experimenting with router placement is another, but that's usually limited by distance to the telephone connection.

The other option would be to get a wired network cable(cat6) to the cabin OR If the cabin has an electircity supply on the same circuit as the house then Homeplugs MAY be an option but they often dont perform that well. 

Superusers are not staff, but they do have a direct line of communication into the business in order to raise issues, concerns and feedback from the community.

BM57
Hooked
Posts: 6
Registered: ‎14-05-2020

Re: How far should my router connection extend outside our property?

JGB, many thanks for your reply. We will check if we have Hub 1 and may I ask where we might get a wifi extender?

BM57
Hooked
Posts: 6
Registered: ‎14-05-2020

Re: How far should my router connection extend outside our property?

Thankyou MrW. We do have a few walls from router to the outdoor cabin for sure and yes we are restricted by where the phone connection is placed..

Wouldn't know where to start with wifi analyzer and I will mention Cat 6 to the hub to see whether this is a possibility.

 

Tanks again for your reply.

jgb
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Registered: ‎01-08-2007

Re: How far should my router connection extend outside our property?

@BM57 Wifi extenders are available widely either on line or in stores such as Currys or Argos. For example --

Amazon - https://www.amazon.co.uk/slp/wifi-extenders/9uqzcbr6aj3x9rs

Argos - https://www.argos.co.uk/browse/technology/laptops-and-pcs/networking/wi-fi-boosters/c:649215/

I have had one for several years now - I think I got it from Argos and I chose to buy a BT branded one to try to ensure compatability with my HUB 1 which is, in fact, a rebranded BT HUB 5 as there can occasionally be compatability issues with some extender / router combinations. There have been no issues. 

If you have a HUB 1 (or any other dual band router) ensure you buy a dual band extender so that you can use both the 2.4 and 5 kHz bands seamlessly via both router and extender.

dvorak
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Re: How far should my router connection extend outside our property?


Moderators Note


This topic has been moved from ADSL Broadband to My Router

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BM57
Hooked
Posts: 6
Registered: ‎14-05-2020

Re: How far should my router connection extend outside our property?

Wow, thankyou, this is a useful avenue to explore. How would I find out if we have a hub 1 router, it doesn't mention the model on router?

jgb
Champion
Posts: 800
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Registered: ‎01-08-2007

Re: How far should my router connection extend outside our property?

@BM57 

Here is alink to the various routers that PLusnet have supplied at various times. The HUB 1 (or HUB ONE) is the current model supplied. The sketches on that page and the links should allow you to identify if it is a HUB 1.

https://www.top10wifiboosters.com/gb?adgrid=&campid=6669985863&adgroupid=79461817136&gclid=EAIaIQobC...

Also various images of a HUB 1

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=plusnet+hub1&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwi78q6E_bPpAhXqQk...

BM57
Hooked
Posts: 6
Registered: ‎14-05-2020

Re: How far should my router connection extend outside our property?

Thankyou so much for your replies to my query, really helpful. Sorry for tardy reply, I've been distracted from this job in hand! Back on it now. Thankyou again.

Longliner
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Registered: ‎22-10-2014

Re: How far should my router connection extend outside our property?

BT HH6 is better than PN Hub One. I replaced mine using Baldrick's excellent guide and I'm well pleased with result. Plenty of HH6 on Gumtree right now from £10 to £40, some unopened in the box.

BM57
Hooked
Posts: 6
Registered: ‎14-05-2020

Re: How far should my router connection extend outside our property?

Thankyou very much for this!