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Thread: Computery wirelessy internetty question.

  1. #1
    Dinosaur Excalibur's Avatar
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    Default Computery wirelessy internetty question.

    Bear with me folks, cos this isn't my problem. ( Yet. It soon will be though. )
    Scenario: Bungalow with router inside. Portakabin with business computer and telephone twenty yards or so across the yard. Until the last storm, a cable joined up the two without too many problems. When the wall holding up the post holding the cable fell down, connection was lost. As was a section of wall, half the post, an electric cable and a few yards of phone cable.

    Customer says, can I find some heavier duty outdoor type phone cable, and refit it? Can't we do it wirelessly, say I ? Right, here are the present problems, and the stipulations.
    Apparently, the existing router can't send a strong enough signal across the yard for the existing kit to work*. Will something like this and
    assuming they haven't already got something similar in there, this work?

    My other thought was a range extender to boost the signal from the bungalow.

    The main worry my customer has is whether a wireless link will be as secure as a hard wire. She uses it for business, and doesn't want any Herbert who comes into the yard picking up her details on their smartphone/ipad. I think that as long as the router is password protected, she'll be OK, but I'd like your views on this.
    The other stipulation is that they must have a phone in there as well, so will these wireless efforts send a phone signal as well? If they didn't want internet access, a cordless phone would have solved the problem, but I wouldn't like to tell them they have to buy two separate items to get phone and internet across the yard.

    * My old Livebox sends a signal at least a hundred yards, cos I've driven off in the van, and seen how far I got before I was out of range. Theirs seems very poor.

    The items I've linked to are simply for illustrative purposes. The first ones I came across.
    Thanks in advance folks, as always.
    Excalibur. Older than the average DJ.

    www.excaliburmobiledisco.co.uk

  2. #2
    deltic's Avatar
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    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Excalibur View Post
    Bear with me folks, cos this isn't my problem. ( Yet. It soon will be though. )
    Scenario: Bungalow with router inside. Portakabin with business computer and telephone twenty yards or so across the yard. Until the last storm, a cable joined up the two without too many problems. When the wall holding up the post holding the cable fell down, connection was lost. As was a section of wall, half the post, an electric cable and a few yards of phone cable.

    Customer says, can I find some heavier duty outdoor type phone cable, and refit it? Can't we do it wirelessly, say I ? Right, here are the present problems, and the stipulations.
    Apparently, the existing router can't send a strong enough signal across the yard for the existing kit to work*. Will something like this and
    assuming they haven't already got something similar in there, this work?

    My other thought was a range extender to boost the signal from the bungalow.

    The main worry my customer has is whether a wireless link will be as secure as a hard wire. She uses it for business, and doesn't want any Herbert who comes into the yard picking up her details on their smartphone/ipad. I think that as long as the router is password protected, she'll be OK, but I'd like your views on this.
    The other stipulation is that they must have a phone in there as well, so will these wireless efforts send a phone signal as well? If they didn't want internet access, a cordless phone would have solved the problem, but I wouldn't like to tell them they have to buy two separate items to get phone and internet across the yard.

    * My old Livebox sends a signal at least a hundred yards, cos I've driven off in the van, and seen how far I got before I was out of range. Theirs seems very poor.

    The items I've linked to are simply for illustrative purposes. The first ones I came across.
    Thanks in advance folks, as always.

    cat5 underground?
    www.mobiledjcumbria.co.uk

    N.A.D.J Member

    North East & Cumbria branch Founder member

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    The Powerline should do the job assuming it's on the same ring.
    A wireless extender (or poss newer router) could also work and will be secure assuminga password is used.
    You can also get a Powerline for the phone as I use one for my burglar alarm, but not sure how they would work together.

    - - - Updated - - -

    The Powerline should do the job assuming it's on the same ring.
    A wireless extender (or poss newer router) could also work and will be secure assuminga password is used.
    You can also get a Powerline for the phone as I use one for my burglar alarm, but not sure how they would work together.

  4. #4
    Web Guru Marc J's Avatar
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    1) Don't go near powerline adaptors. They're dreadfully slow, never reaching anywhere near their theoretic maximum speed.

    2) This is the same as you linked to (I think) but £20 cheaper. It has network ports on the back, so if you manage to get it into the portakabin and it still picks up a signal then you could go wired from there, saving you on the USB wireless adaptor. Remember the range extender stands a much better chance of picking up a weak WiFi signal than most other kit.

    If you can't connect with the extender in the portakabin, then you'll just have to play around and see where is best to position the extender (then try to pick it up with the USB adaptor in the portakabin). Note that if you then find that you want to attempt to extend an already extended signal things could get complicated! You could always upgrade their existing router as well, as it sounds rubbish!

    Security-wise, they're right - nothing will be as secure as a wired connection. But as longs as you use the best encryption you can, and also take other precautions like use a really good password and don't broadcast your SSID, you should be OK. If they're really paranoid, also limit wireless devices by MAC address meaning only selected wireless adaptors can connect (although these can be easily spoofed, it's still a good extra layer of security).

  5. #5
    Web Guru Marc J's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by deltic View Post
    cat5 underground?
    I had a client do this and it lasted all of a few months. I don't know what quality cable they used, but I'm pretty sure the pipe they ran it in got flooded.

    I guess if you do it right it'll last - I ran a good CAT6 cable from my dad's house to his bolt-hole in the garden a few years ago and it's still working, the pipe was thick walled and well sealed so if done right it should be OK...just make sure (if you do this) that there's no snagging so that replacing the cable will be easy in future if it comes to that.

  6. #6

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    I'd say go wired, but use armoured sleeving. It might cost a bit, but it's a solid investment.

    You may get a wireless connection working, but not at optimum speed and reliability. I suppose it depends on what sort of usage and bandwidth is required. I don't see any issues with security, unless someone really wanted to hack into the network.

    No, I would go with a solid wired connection!

  7. #7
    Dinosaur Excalibur's Avatar
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    Thanks then lads, sadly it seems like I'd better get either my ladder or my shovel out then. Thanks.
    Excalibur. Older than the average DJ.

    www.excaliburmobiledisco.co.uk

  8. #8
    Dinosaur Excalibur's Avatar
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    Update:

    Just been to see the customer, armed with pick, shovel and ladders! Before doing anything rash, we took my Surface tablet into the Portakabin, and found the network easily. Since it's a BT router, we were able to log me on publicly as if I were a passsing BT broadband user, and the blasted thing absolutely flew, miles faster than I can get at home, a mile down the road. Grrrrrrrr.
    Turns out that when she says she can't get a signal in the Portakabin, she actually means her Hudl doesn't see the network. A quick call to the computer shop she deals with turned up the required piece of kit for under £20, so all good there, she'll get one today. He says that as long as she uses good encryption on the router ( and it's about a twenty digit alpha-numeric pasword, so should be good enough ) security in't an issue.

    The phone should be sorted in a similarly easy and inexpensive fashion, by getting a cordless system with a couple of handsets. It's obvious that the existing cable is causing real problems, because when the extension to the portakabin is plugged in, the house phone becomes very noisy, to the point of being unusable.

    Now the only slightly confusing bit. Her son has a desktop PC in the house, but can't connect to the router, despite being very close to it. He does however connect his smartphone to it, so I suspect the fault lies in his WiFi dongle.

    Hopefully that's problem solved, we'll see what happens next.
    Excalibur. Older than the average DJ.

    www.excaliburmobiledisco.co.uk

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