Any way to get max internet speed all over house?

[phoenixblue]

Hi. I have a modem in the front of my house and there's no internet connection in the back at all. I want to set up a computer at the back of the house and I read about wifi extenders but it seems that although there will be a usable signal, it will be half the speed or worse.

Is there any way to get maximum internet speed in the front and back the house? Please let me know.

Thanks.

 

[USAFRet]

The best way is to run Cat5e cable to where you need it.
WiFi of any stripe is a very iffy solution.

 

[Saberus]

Running a cable to the other end of the house to a switch is about the best you can get. Ethernet on CAT5e or CAT6a has a max cable length of 328 ft (100M) Just don't run it along power lines, otherwise you could face interference that will make the connection suffer.

Another possible option is getting adapters to use your home's power outlets as the network.

 

[Mr Soup]

even with a good connection, equipment variations will cause differences in the speed you get as will walls, furnishings, distance, other signals, etc. not to mention any issues your ISP may have on their end

If Wifi isn't running at an acceptable speed you should look into direct connection with the modem. This would require you to run Cat5 (or Cat6/7) through the walls and directly to whatever device you want on the network. There are limits to this as well based on the distance but anything under 100m of Cat5 shouldn't see much noticeable loss of speed and would still be faster than WiFi generally.

So basically wherever your router is you should have as many Cat5 cables going out from it as you need and hooked into the ethernet ports of whatever devices (playstation, computer, TV, etc.)

Running Cat5 through the walls isn't very hard. You will just need a length of Cat5 (cost depends on length but generally very inexpensive), a drywall saw (couple bucks at a hardware store), a fish tape (no more than $20 at a hardware store), wall plates if you want a neat finished look (from $0.96 to quite a bit more if you want to add USB, HDMI, other goodies), a flashlight, a partner if neccessary, and some patience.

just make sure you use in-wall/plenum rated equipment, keep to local fire codes, and don't cut through fireblocks and fail to fill them after you are done. You may also consider putting in a conduit if you think you will ever add more cables. That way the next time you won't need a fish tape at all...

 

[Mr Soup]

as mentioned above also

Another possible option is getting adapters to use your home's power outlets as the network.

you can get devices that allow ethernet over your electrical. Plug a box into one outlet and run an ethernet cable to that box, then plug another box into a different outlet, run an ethernet cable from it to the destination and you are set. Though variations in construction, the age of your house, and other factors may reduce the effectiveness it would still be likely better than WiFi

 

[phoenixblue]

as mentioned above also

Another possible option is getting adapters to use your home's power outlets as the network.

you can get devices that allow ethernet over your electrical. Plug a box into one outlet and run an ethernet cable to that box, then plug another box into a different outlet, run an ethernet cable from it to the destination and you are set. Though variations in construction, the age of your house, and other factors may reduce the effectiveness it would still be likely better than WiFi

Thanks for the responses everyone. The CAT5 wiring method seems a bit complicated for me (since I have no experience in that kind of work), but this solution sounds a lot simpler.

If I plug in one of these adapters and connect it to my modem and then plug in the 2nd one at the back of the house and connect it to my other computer, will that computer have maximum speed as though it were connected to the modem? Or will some of the speed be lost?

Thanks.

 

[USAFRet]

Thanks for the responses everyone. The CAT5 wiring method seems a bit complicated for me (since I have no experience in that kind of work), but this solution sounds a lot simpler.

If I plug in one of these adapters and connect it to my modem and then plug in the 2nd one at the back of the house and connect it to my other computer, will that computer have maximum speed as though it were connected to the modem? Or will some of the speed be lost?

Thanks.

Maybe. Depends on the quality of the house wiring.

 

[bill001g]

as mentioned above also

Another possible option is getting adapters to use your home's power outlets as the network.

you can get devices that allow ethernet over your electrical. Plug a box into one outlet and run an ethernet cable to that box, then plug another box into a different outlet, run an ethernet cable from it to the destination and you are set. Though variations in construction, the age of your house, and other factors may reduce the effectiveness it would still be likely better than WiFi

Thanks for the responses everyone. The CAT5 wiring method seems a bit complicated for me (since I have no experience in that kind of work), but this solution sounds a lot simpler.

If I plug in one of these adapters and connect it to my modem and then plug in the 2nd one at the back of the house and connect it to my other computer, will that computer have maximum speed as though it were connected to the modem? Or will some of the speed be lost?

Thanks.

It depends on what you mean "speed be lost". Lets say you get 1g speed out of ethernet cable and you get 80m from the powerline units. If your ISP is only 10m it doesn't matter they are exactly the same speed because they are being limited by internet. If you have 100m internet then the ethernet cable will run at 100m and your powerline would run at 80m. Now if you have google fiber and get can get 1g internet then the ethernet can use 1g and the powerline will still be stuck at 80m.

Powerline units even though the box say 500m get well under this. It is dependent on the house wiring. Most people get in the 50-80m range but there are a small number of houses it does not work or you get very slow speeds. Really no way to predict the number....but it does generally work well for most people.

 

[jacobian]

What the goal in terms of link speed? What's your internet link speed? If it's something like 20Mbits or less, I think you will be fine with old good Wireless-n on 2.4GHz band, using a wireless router with 2-stream MIMO, and with the PCs using two stream wi-fi adapters (that's the key, there are still too many recently built PCs and laptops with those garbage single-band, single stream wireless-n adapters).

 

[ccampy]

Depends on we're you luce as to how easy it is in the UK most walls are made from brick and plaster or breeze block/concrete block in newer homes so to run wires through them requires chiselling out your walls