Extend in-house internet to out-house (network)

A reader wanted to know how to Extend in-house internet to external buildings. There are several ways – all with different outcomes.

On Charlie Brown’s 2GB Life and Technology Radio, Heather asked how to get internet from one building to another building at her caravan park.

Charlie suggested a pair of $899.90 Wi-Fi 5 AC wireless bridges. These could connect the two buildings up to 20km away. This practical solution provides a solid half-duplex (one way at a time) signal of up to 5GHz 867Mbps.

There are a few other solutions depending on the distance between the in-house and out-house.

Other options to Extend in-house internet to outbuildings

Note that the options below are not for commercial use. They are for getting the same Wi-Fi internet from one place to another.

Cat 6e Ethernet cable up to 100m.

An electrician or cable guy could run an Ethernet Cat6e cable through a conduit either under the ground (recommended) or aerially (a cable cannot be run without a conduit). This solution, likely to cost under $300, offers an affordable way to extend your internet to external buildings. Connect a Wi-Fi extender (as an Access Point) or Mesh router (for seamless roaming with the same SSID) in that area.

Benefit: At least 1000Mbps full-duplex speed.

PowerLine AV if your 240V power is on the same switchboard and <100m away

You can run Ethernet over Power with D-Link’s $199.95 PowerLine AV2 1000Gbps pass-through kit. Plug one into the 240V power and connect it to the main router via an Ethernet Cat 6e cable. Plug the second (up to five more) into power at the out-house. Ditto for local router options.

Benefit: Faster speed and Quality of Service. DIY plug and play.

Note: If PowerLine works and you want a mesh system, consider the combined TP-Link Deco PX-50 Mesh/Powerline Wi-Fi 6 AX3000 – the perfect 10 currently under $500 for three nodes.

Use a Mesh System – maximum 10m away

A Wi-Fi 6 AX6000 system can traverse up to 10 metres. D-Link’s new D-Link Aquila Pro M30 AI Wi-Fi 6 AX3000 mesh router (the review is for the AX3000 version) could be the answer. It can also daisy chain from one device to another. A router/satellite costs $699.95.

Benefit: Seamless roaming with one SSID and password or set up a guest network.

Note: D-Link’s mesh offerings are currently up to Wi-Fi 6 AX6000. If you want faster units, consider Deco Mesh, which has a range of mesh up to Wi-Fi 7 BE22000, or its X50 Outdoor extender. Netgear Orbi have Wi-Fi 6/ 6E AX6000/AXE11000 mesh routers.