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Getting WiFi in my Summer House

UnknownUnknown
edited July 2011 in Tech & Games
So at the very bottom of my garden I've got a summer house (for those who don't know, it's like a wooden hut which you can sit in). I want to be able to access the internet from right down there but the problem is, my garden is about 30 meters long, and the access point is probably 40 meters away. I can't really move the AP around, and my WiFi signal gets about 10 meters down the garden before it dies.

Any ideas on how I can get the WiFi signal down there? I was thinking of using another router to boost the signal but we don't have electricity at the end of the garden. Oh, here's a detailed drawing of my situation.

8c.png
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Comments

  • LostInTheWoodsLostInTheWoods Regular
    edited June 2011
    Option 1: (reasonable and safe option)
    Buy an extra accespoint and an directional antenna that you point at the summer house.

    Option 2: (ghetto improvisation, OMG your gonna get electrocuted by lightning option)

    Gardenhose with Cat 5 burried in the ground, only possible if you can dig a trench for the hose. Use PoE (Power over Ethernet) to power an accespoint in the summerhouse or just connect using the ethernet cable.
    Will possibly cause problem if there is lightning in the area, but i know people that have done it without problems.
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  • DfgDfg Admin
    edited June 2011
    Get a repeater or AP, get a directional Antenna, point it to the hut and you're down. Check Youtube for making a 8db+ Antenna.
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  • BoxBox Regular
    edited June 2011
    Tether your smartphone's internet connectivity? My friend was grandfathered into the iPhone 2G's unlimited data plan and uses it as a hotspot for all of his other devices.
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  • UnknownUnknown
    edited June 2011
    Dfg - I tried the Ez-12 Parabolic Reflector as you can see from that thread, and it didn't quite work as well as I'd hoped :( The signal is blocked as soon as I step into the hut. Would it be possible to set some aluminum foil up nearby, point it into the hut so that Wireless signals bounce off of it and reach my laptop?

    And Box - that's a good idea but I don't have an unlimited amount of data use :( I might give it a shot though, although it will definitely be temporary.
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  • DfgDfg Admin
    edited June 2011
    trx100 wrote: »
    Dfg - I tried the Ez-12 Parabolic Reflector as you can see from that thread, and it didn't quite work as well as I'd hoped :( The signal is blocked as soon as I step into the hut. Would it be possible to set some aluminum foil up nearby, point it into the hut so that Wireless signals bounce off of it and reach my laptop?

    And Box - that's a good idea but I don't have an unlimited amount of data use :( I might give it a shot though, although it will definitely be temporary.

    Download inSSIDer and check RSSI and then report back.
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  • BaconPieBaconPie Regular
    edited June 2011
    Cat5: < £10 Check eBay
    Hose: < £10

    What's the problem with this solution?
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  • BoxBox Regular
    edited June 2011
    BaconPie wrote: »
    Cat5: < £10 Check eBay
    Hose: < £10

    What's the problem with this solution?

    Total mindfuck :eek::eek::eek:
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  • LSA KingLSA King Regular
    edited June 2011
    http://www.turnpoint.net/wireless/has.html
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  • UnknownUnknown
    edited June 2011
    I think I figured out why my makeshift antenna isn't working... It doesn't have a direct line of sight to the summer house :( My router is plugged into the only telephone socket in that room, and the desktop PC nearby has only got a small ethernet cable. If I wanted to put the router in direct line of sight (IE, so it can see out of the door and not through a wall, washing machine and another wall, oh and a shed too) then I'd have to buy some longer cables.

    While this might work a little better, it's just money which I don't really have. Plus, it might not even work any better.
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  • skunkskunk Regular
    edited June 2011
    Use a second wireless router as a bridge.
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  • PsychotogenPsychotogen Regular
    edited July 2011
    trx100 wrote: »
    8c.png

    this is my favorite picture
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  • SlartibartfastSlartibartfast Global Moderator -__-
    edited July 2011
    The cheapest way would be to buy cat5, < $20.00.

    you don't even have to do any digging just place the length around your fence.

    I don't imagine a second router acting as a bridge will work, as you still have 30m distance regardless.

    maybe the pringles antenna will work. consider playing with the channel your signal resides in. Ten metres out of the house it too little, the innards of your walls are deflecting the signal. Try placing the router out the window and see what happens.

    Is it possible with smartphone hotspots to force it to use your home internet?
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