Extending network

[Mike247]

Hello. I have a Smart Hub 2 at home. I recently had a cabin built in the garden and had the electrician run an ethernet cable so I can connect directly into the existing router in the house.  What is the easiest / best / cheapest way to extend my wifi to the cabin so I have a single name - purchase a wifi disk and connect it via the ethernet cable to the router rather than wirelessly? Would this improve the signal, rather than using a wireless mesh system as I presume I would need several discs as it's some distance from the house - approx 25m?

many thanks

[licquorice]

If you have already run an Ethernet cable you simply need a WAP ( wireless access point) or just repurpose an old router if you have one. Personally, I would give the access point a different network name (SSID) so that you know which signal you are connecting to and can force a change if your device hangs on to a weak signal.

[Mike247]

Thanks for the reply. I currently have a TP link powerline extender upstairs I would like to replace so it's seamless in the house.  I think if I buy 3 No. mini whole home disks I should be able replace the powerline extender to make it seamless in the home. I believe I need to connect 1 No. disk to the router in the house, then I can place 1 No. upstairs wirelessly. The third could be connected in the cabin via the ethernet port.

[gg30340]

I would go with a wireless access point connected to your Ethernet cable in the cabin. You can name it the same as your BT Hub but I would agree that you are better to have a different name so that if your wireless device does not jump automatically to the stronger signal you can change it manually, which you will not be able to do if it has the same name as the hub.

If your cabin is 25 meters from the house you might get a wireless signal from the house but it might not be a strong signal.

As regards getting a seamless signal the only way to get that would be with a mesh system. If you just use wireless access points, even with the same SSID, they will need to drop one signal before picking up the other and it may not always happen and your device could be stuck on the weaker signal.

[philip42h]

I would second the advice to use the ethernet cable and go with a WAP in the cabin.

I use two TP-Link ethernet over powerline units to extend the Wi-Fi throughout our house, meaning that I have three wireless access points in all - the SH2 and the two TP-Link wireless units. All use the same SSID so that WPS works flawlessly and one password etc allows access via all three. The issue as mentioned above is that this doesn't support active roaming between them. This is not an issue for computers or other static systems - once set-up they are good for 'life'. With mobile 'phones or laptops/tablets moving from one room to another a simple Wi-Fi off / Wi-Fi on resolves the problem - yes, better if that wasn't necessary but hardly a major hardship.

The TP-Link ethernet over powerline units typically provide a better than 500Mbps backhaul to the SH2. That might be difficult or expensive to achieve with mesh Wi-Fi. Hopefully you have gigabit ethernet to the cabin? (Not that there is anything much wrong with old fashioned fast ethernet.)

[philip42h]

 I believe I need to connect 1 No. disk to the router in the house, then I can place 1 No. upstairs wirelessly. The third could be connected in the cabin via the ethernet port.

That's a good question - and I don't know the answer 😉 but I don't think that it works like that. In a mesh system, one and only one device is connected via ethernet to the network and together with all the rest created the mesh wirelessly.

Perhaps someone who really knows could confirm or put us both straight? 🙂

[Mike247]

Just did a search

 “Can I connect more than one disc to my hub (router) using the Ethernet cables?

If you're using Whole Home Wi-Fi or Mini Whole Home Wi-Fi, you can. If you wish, you can locate a disc a long distance from your hub (router) - for example, in an outbuilding - and have an Ethernet cable connection back to your hub (router). Just plug in the cable in the disc’s RJ45 socket and it'll join your Whole Home Wi-Fi network.”

[Mike247]

“If you're using Premium Whole Home Wi-Fi, you can't. Only your first disc can be connected to the hub (router) using an Ethernet cable. If you wish to connect more discs by Ethernet, you'll need to connect them to the Ethernet port on another disc. You can also use the Ethernet ports on these discs for devices such as TVs and printers.”

[licquorice]

There is no point in having a mesh system with seamless handover if the 2 discs supplying the signal are too far apart Once you move away from either the house signal or the shed signal, you will be in an area with no signal in any case so you will drop the connection.

I shall no doubt get shot down in flames, but I find the whole obsession with seamless handover in a domestic environment totally unnecessary in my view. How often do you wander about with a device whilst watching a streaming service or Zoom meeting that would only get the briefest of interruptions with conventional WAPs with different SSIDs in any case.

[spile]

I would strongly recommend a wired install in conduit. Cat5e for under 100m is fine. A repurposed router as a wireless point is a good option in your shed.