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Forum Discussion
Orbi LBR20 ethernet connection to TP-LINK AC1200 WiFi router?
We have a cabin that is located between two hills in the mountains of Virginia. There is no cell service at the cabin, but there is service about 250' up the side of one hill. Could I use a LBR20 up on the side of the hill (in a weather proof box with solar power) and connect a outside rated Cat6 cable down to the cabin and connect it to a TP-LINK AC1200 WiFi router? Or is there an easier way to get the cellular data signal down to the cabin and my wifi enabled devices?
5 Replies
Theoretically? Sure, you could.
A couple pointers though.
1. an ethernet run is only good for around 300ft. Make sure that's all you're running or you can run into issues.
2. the lbr20 might get a bit hot in a sealed enclosure. Finding a way to vent it a bit will help (while still keeping it water proof)
3. If you're not using the wifi on the lbr20, its a pointless waste of energy with your solar setup. You're really not needing the routing/wifi portion of it. I'd probably look for something along the lines of the LM1200. Cheaper and doesn't have wifi.
4. Another option of you get even better signal higher up the hill would be using something like you indicate (enclosure + solar + LTE modem) but you could use a point to point system like netgears Airbridge and reach even further. Getting an even better signal might give you better speeds.
Thank you for your reply and you make some very good points that I hadn't thought about.
I planned to buy a premade 300' outdoor cat6 cable with factory ends so that will keep me in the limit but I like the idea of not running cable at all. There are alot of trees on that hill so I wasn't sure if a wireless solution, like the Airbridge, would work without "line of sight". I will look at the specs.
I hadn't thought of a heat issue, but will add an small DC fan to the enclosure design.
I'll also look at the LM1200 since wifi at the top of the hill isn't necessary.
Thanks again for letting me bounce these ideas. I needed a "sanity check" LOL
The airbridge is a bit sensitive to line of sight but if you get it up high enough, you might be fine. If you decide on that route, you can always make sure to buy from somewhere with a generous return policy so if the connection isn't good enough, you can go back to the running a cable option. Plus the problem with airbridge is it adds another burden to the solar plan.
