Access/Mesh points/WiFi booster

[Coops85]

Quick recommendation request please.  Our electricians have only put in power cable - no Ethernet/cat 6 to the 2 points we hope to have some kind of WiFi boosters.  Has anyone any recommendations for a particular booster/WiFi repeater/ mesh access point which only requires A mains power Cable to make it work?  
 

The points are on both landings high on each wall. Walls are plastered and painted!!

 

Any advice much welcome. 
 

Thanks in advance

[joth]

1 hour ago, Coops85 said:

Quick recommendation request please.  Our electricians have only put in power cable - no Ethernet/cat 6 to the 2 points we hope to have some kind of WiFi boosters.  Has anyone any recommendations for a particular booster/WiFi repeater/ mesh access point which only requires A mains power Cable to make it work?  
 

The points are on both landings high on each wall. Walls are plastered and painted!!

 

Any advice much welcome. 
 

Thanks in advance

Have they put in Cat6 to anywhere else? WiFi APs can be powered over the Cat6 cable so don't need to be near a mains socket at all. 

[Mr Punter]

Boosters are a bit crappy and tend to throttle the signal.

 

Cat 5 or 6 cable from the hub to near where your signal is weak.

 

I have 2 x ubiquti unifi ac lites serving a 4 storey + roof terrace and get seamless wifi everywhere.

[Temp]

You can get Powerlink wifi access points. You plug a Tx unit into a 13A socket near your router/modem and connect it to the router/modem with a short network cable. The combined Rx/WiFi access point goes into a 13A socket where you need a WiFi access point.

 

Ideally the Rx/WiFi access point would be on the same mains ring as the Tx.  However if the Tx is reasonably close to the consumer unit it doesnt have to be. Mine is a few meters away on a different ring.

 

This is what I'm using to run a network out to my shed via the underground power cable and get a WiFi signal at bottom of garden.

 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0746HVPMC/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

The PH5 set is what I've got. There might be cheaper units around now.

Edited September 30, 2020 by Temp

[Temp]

Forgot to add that once set up the Wifi access point appears on your network like any regular access point. Eg you type its IP address into a browser and up pops the log in page for the access point. You can set the wifi channel and network name/SSID as you can with any other access point. Speed seems fine.

 

What I haven't tried is TWO Powerlink wifi access points on one Tx unit. Not sure if that works. EDIT: According to Q and A on Amazon it does.

Edited September 30, 2020 by Temp

[Coops85]

4 hours ago, Mr Punter said:

Boosters are a bit crappy and tend to throttle the signal.

 

Cat 5 or 6 cable from the hub to near where your signal is weak.

 

I have 2 x ubiquti unifi ac lites serving a 4 storey + roof terrace and get seamless wifi everywhere.

Can these be plugged straight into a mains cable? 

[Mr Punter]

CAT 5 or 6 but this can be run in voids, boxings, cupboards, loft etc and the Ubiquiti stuff is excellent seamless wifi.

 

Otherwise, go for the powerline stuff, which is cheap, easy to set up and fast.

[ProDave]

I put in loads of Cat 5, to all rooms, and to a couple of places where I might want to put the broadband router.

 

So far I have used just ONE of those cat5 cables, for a wired internet connection to my old desktop computer in the office.

 

The BT home bub router, sat in the under stairs cupboard which is pretty central in the house, gives good wifi coverage in all rooms,

 

How far through the build are you?  If finishing joinery is not yet done and you need to route Cat5 cables, they can go behind skirting boards which might be an easy get out if you find you need a wired connection somewhere.

[LSB]

I live in a long thin house and the new build is a long thin house.

We have rubbish BB here, one of the 5% rural areas where fibre is a future dream.

BT say, maybe next year !!!

They have said the same for years.

 

Currently, I have a router at the BT socket and a booster to get the signal to the end of the house as it doesn't get a reliable signal, old houses, thick walls.

In the new build the router will be pretty central, but I'm still planning on some cat 6 as I find printers and PC with wi-fi adapters run better with a network cable.

 

Our completion is still some time off, but I do need to talk to BT about getting a line as we are 120m from the nearest post.

Ideally, we will dig a trench and put underground ducting which can be used for water, electricity and phone.

One of the many tasks to do on the project plan.

 

 

[AliG]

As said if there is no way of getting Cat 5/6 to a point for a booster then the powerline stuff is the next best option.

 

@lsb there is a form you can fill in on the Openreach website requesting connection for a new property. Openreach are in charge of the cables.

 

They will then give you a reference number and once on site they will come and look at the best way to connect up. It sounds like you are already on site so ready to do this.

 

https://www.openreach.com/single-plot-sites

 

However, once the cable is in, you then need to sign up with a phone provider who will request that the line is actually connected. It is a somewhat convoluted system.

 

On our site they gave us a reel of cable and we put it in ducting between the house and the pole. Is the pole adjacent to your site or is there something else in between as that will make a difference, but they will advise once they take a look.

 

 

[Temp]

Simple explanation of why Cat 5/6 or Powerline access points are better than wifi boosters (in my opinion)..

 

Suppose you have an existing "main wifi" source (which is typically in the modem provided by your ISP) and a "remote room" that has a poor signal.

 

A wifi booster receives and rebroadcasts the wifi signal on another channel. So a booster in the remote room would have the same problem receiving the wifi signal as any other device in the remote location. The only advantage it has is possibly a bigger antenna to receive the weak signal. So to be most effective a booster may have to be placed between the main wifi source and the remote location. It's like putting a stepping stone in a river to make it easier to cross. No point putting the extra stone on the far bank. It has to go somewhere in the middle where it can be reached from both banks. 

 

However this means the booster isn't exactly where you would want to put a new access point which is right in the middle of the remote room.  If you use a Cat 5/6 or Powerline Access point the new access point can go anywhere in that remote room and give you max signal.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited October 1, 2020 by Temp

[Gav_P]

Just use a mesh system, something like Amazon eero or netgears obri are popular, easy to set up, don’t impact your bandwidth, and can create a WiFi network covering the whole house and garden. 
 

.... no-one uses cables anymore do they? ?

Edited October 1, 2020 by Gav_P