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Forum Discussion
WiFi extension between two cabins 50 ft apart
Hi,
I'm looking for a solution to extend the WiFi range between two cabins, which are about 50 ft apart.
Situation:
Cabin 1 has the Smart Wifi Router, which is connected to the modem and both devices are housed inside the cabin; cabin 2 has the WiFi Range Extender, which is plugged in on the porch.
Testing: I'm able to get 240 Mbps on cabin 1's porch via the 5G network and I am able to get great reception on Cabin 2's porch using either 5G or 5G-EXT networks (download of about 120-150 mbps); when I step inside the cabin by only a few feet, the download speed drops dramatically to 10-15 mbps. Moving the range extender inside of cabin 2 cuts the signal entirely, which tells us that there's interference in the cabin walls. When I shift to 2.4, I get minimal reception inside cabin 2.
What are my options with the current hardware or additional Netgear hardware to bring the signal inside the cabin for a more consistent and high-fidelity experience (Zoom calls, netflix)? Is there a possibility to add a cat-5 cord to the extender and bring that inside to another piece of hardware? Or is there an antenna that can run from the ethernet receptacle of the extender into the cabin (needs about 7-10 feet to gain access through a window or door).
Thank you for your thoughts.
3 Replies
whats your budget? you have several options. A little depends on the temperature in your area. to hot/cold and outdoor connections will fail quicker or not work at all.
1. get a outdoor rated extender that is powered over POE. It'll also be able to use that connection to connect another access point to in the cabin.
2. Get a weather proof enclosure to put an extender in. This would open up the options to more devices.
3. Spend a little time and bury an underground rated ethernet cable. They're not expensive and they're going to give you the most throughput/reliable connection. They'll also be the cheapest option. (this would be the option I'd use)
4. get a access point that you can add antenna extensions to so you can put them outside the cabin (then you don't need to weather proof the access point. Then simply connect another access point to it via cable in the cabin for broadcasting in the cabin.
It all comes down to you'll need something external to the cabin to pickup the signal and then run a wire inside the cable to connect another device in the cabin for working on the inside. Or you simple take the time to bury the cable.
Thanks for the ideas! Laying the cat-5 between the cabins isn't feasible without some structural modifications, but I'm trying your last idea to push the signal to the extender and then bringing inside cabin 2 with a cat-5 cable connected to another router.
Another option is a point to point system like netgear Airbridge.
There's cheaper options on amazon but it could get the signal there and then you can connect the access point to it.
