Getting wireless from house out to shop/man cave

[slightlyhuman]

I have a metal shop I'm trying to get wireless out to. I keep the router by the window on the same side the house is on. Probably 30 yards between house and shop. I was told by the DSL guy that I could turn the metal building into an antenna, letting me get wireless inside the shop.

Can someone elaborate? Said radioshack will have everything I need. Just curious if any one else has done something similar or has another idea. Can't run a cat5 line out there so looking for any other suggestions to get wireless out to my mancave.

 

[Raizinman]

This is more a Networking question then a Garage question.

 

[Mutilator]

I'd setup a cheap access point in the shop and use something like this as the antenna on it rather than trying to make the building an antenna itself.

 

[JCH13]

I have a metal shop I'm trying to get wireless out to. I keep the router by the window on the same side the house is on. Probably 30 yards between house and shop. I was told by the DSL guy that I could turn the metal building into an antenna, letting me get wireless inside the shop.

Can someone elaborate? Said radioshack will have everything I need. Just curious if any one else has done something similar or has another idea. Can't run a cat5 line out there so looking for any other suggestions to get wireless out to my mancave.

If your shop is magically tuned for your WiFi frequency... sure... why not... bigger antennas are not always better though.

Because you've got two fixed points, I'd try a cantenna or something like what Multilator suggested on the receiving end before spending any real money.

 

[slightlyhuman]

my paint skills are great and all but this WAP sounds like what i need. just a noob in the networking world. here's a small image of what i need.

Uploaded with ImageShack.us

 

[slightlyhuman]

alright, a little confused on this. so i have the PC i need internet in the shop. is a router and WAP two different things?

 

[Zap]

Do you want me to move this to Networking?

I have a metal shop I'm trying to get wireless out to. I keep the router by the window on the same side the house is on. Probably 30 yards between house and shop.

So the wireless router is sitting next to a window? From the metal shop, can you actually SEE the wireless router? If so, 30 yards is nothing.

Get a USB WiFi adapter that has a high gain external antenna and mount it where it has direct line of sight to the wireless router, even if you have to mount it outside the shop building. Then just run a USB cable to the PC.

 

[ElFenix]

bury outdoor cat6.

 

[slightlyhuman]

Sure, you can move it, thanks!


Well it's not in a DIRECT line to shop. it's right around a brick corner. My PC is on the other side of the shop so pretty much as far away in the shop as it can be.

Does brick throw the reception off that bad?

 

[slightlyhuman]

bury outdoor cat6.

Thought about doing that and running it to a switch in the shop. What are the cons of NOT using conduit? Just running the line in the ground?

 

[Arkaign]

bury outdoor cat6.

I agree with this. It's a little more sweat, but worth it whenever possible in every respect.

 

[slightlyhuman]

What's the best way to get the line in the ground? Hire someone? Anything from a rental for cheap I could knock it out with?

 

[ElFenix]

What's the best way to get the line in the ground? Hire someone? Anything from a rental for cheap I could knock it out with?

whatever you do, make sure you know what all is in the ground and where before you dig.


you could probably rent some sort of ditch digger but you probably don't need to be any lower than a foot in.

two nice things about conduit: it's harder to cut through accidentally with a shovel when you forget where the line is in 5 years, and if the cable ever goes bad you can just run a new one through the conduit rather than digging a new trench. you'll really want a conduit line puller if you go that route.

 

[alkemyst]

My workshop PC is about 35' away through two concrete walls from my e4200. I get a good connection. For what I am doing in the workshop, I don't have to have uber bandwidth. I am pulling up web parts diagrams or DIY's.

 

[gsaldivar]

If your router doesn't have a removable antenna, then pick up a cheap one that does. Then get yourself a cheap directional antenna like this one or this one.

 

[slightlyhuman]

Thanks for the links. Would I need two of those antennas? One where the router is in the house pointing across the yard to another one by the shop?

 

[gsaldivar]

Thanks for the links. Would I need two of those antennas? One where the router is in the house pointing across the yard to another one by the shop?

You can probably get by with just one. You can use these on either the transmitter (router) or receiver (computer) side, as long as you have the correct adapter. I used the 14dbi panel with an external USB Hawking wireless adapter with excellent results. Bear in mind, that directional antennas require careful aiming. I recommend using the hardware included in the box to bolt this thing to a pole or wall so that it doesn't move once you get it locked on the target.

 

[slightlyhuman]

I have a cisco E1000 wireless router. Here is where the router is:

By derrickperry at 2012-05-22

in this angel you can see the brick corner that could get in the way. the green building is the shop i'm trying to get wifi to:

By derrickperry at 2012-05-22

By derrickperry at 2012-05-22

from out here there is a roll-up door. standing here i still get a few bars:

By derrickperry at 2012-05-22


and lastly, here's my inside the shop, no reception. about 5 feet behind where i'm standing in this pic is a wall(just wood, insulation and drywall).. that's where i'm needing wifi/net access:

By derrickperry at 2012-05-22


hopefully these pics will help explain what i need and where i should put it. does the antenna have a cable going to the pc? if so i would need a pretty long one going from the outside edge of the shop to my pc, correct?


TIA :beer;

 

[gsaldivar]

Thought about doing that and running it to a switch in the shop.

If possible in your case, using Cat6 is definitely the preferred way of doing this.

 

[slightlyhuman]

why cat6 over cat5? just wondering the big difference.

just don't want to pay someone to run the wire. any one have any cheaper alternatives to running a wire in the ground?

 

[dawks]

I'm no wireless expert, but in this case, you're not going to make the whole garage into an antenna. If anything, the aluminium will act like a giant shield blocking the wireless out. Your best bet would be to run a wire.

If you really want to go the WiFi route, you'll have to try a few things. That brick corner will truly EAT the signal. You need to move the router, or add a repeater at a third point in the yard to bounce the signal off. There are a few out-door antennas/routers, that you might want to mount on the outside of the garage, then run a Cat5 cable inside..
http://www.engeniustech.com/network...tworking/outdoor-access-points-client-bridges
These guys are somewhat known for longer range WiFi.

 

[sm625]

I bought a pair of powerline networking modules from tigerdirct for under $30 a month ago. They are working great.

 

[JCH13]

why cat6 over cat5? just wondering the big difference.

just don't want to pay someone to run the wire. any one have any cheaper alternatives to running a wire in the ground?

Run a wire through the air?

We're not talking rocket science here. I would run the wire through a garden hose to protect it and take strain off of it and either stick in 6in under the soil or string it through the air. If you have to replace it in a few years or accidentally ding it while digging... oh well, you're out some CAT6 and a garden hose...

 

[kbp]

Cable and Phone guy's rarely go six inches deep. Most put it just under so the mower can't get it.

 

[sm625]

If that were my yard I would have no problem burying a network line. I'd want to run a homebrew silent alarm out there anyway, and for that I wouldnt trust wireless. It would have to be wired, and buried pretty deep.

It's pretty fun to lay cable anyway.