Cat5 what router?

[sparkymarka]

I’ve got a Draytek AP 810 access point down in my garage / workshop , picked it up from eBay around £20 LAN in. plus point it gives you a local wifi point plus 4 lan ports any of the AP 710/ 810/ 910 units

 

[Why Not Indeed]

I suppose then my question should of been -
How do I get WiFi into the garden room through a cat5 cable. I can't use mesh as it doesn't work.

Plug a router in to it. Give it the same wireless settings as your existing network. That's pretty much it.

 

[RandomGrinch]

Plug a router in to it. Give it the same wireless settings as your existing network. That's pretty much it.

Yes, but the Strong Atria mesh unit he already possesses, should do the job, if it were to be plugged into the ethernet cable in the garden room.

 

[SUNRAY]

Yes, but the Strong Atria mesh unit he already possesses, should do the job, if it were to be plugged into the ethernet cable in the garden room.

Now I'm confused... Not difficult these days.

I didn't understand how you were anticipating plugging in a mesh unit as Mesh is exclusively a WiFi repeater system and the only connector on them is for power and it doesn't use LAN, doesn't use data ports etc...

Except I've just had a look at the AC1200 kit and see the term 'Mesh' has been corrupted like everything else these days and these have yellow data ports...
Everyday's a schoolday.

I haven't looked at setting up or use of the units but I imagine the colour yellow has not been incorrectly used and therefore these have LAN ports, by inference I expect these contain a wired switch and access point as well as a WiFi repeater.

It looks like you have come up with a solution.

 

[Why Not Indeed]

There has to be some uplink somewhere in the mesh network, right? So a wired connection on equipment marketed as "mesh" is not a massive surprise.

 

[SUNRAY]

There has to be some uplink somewhere in the mesh network, right? So a wired connection on equipment marketed as "mesh" is not a massive surprise.

All of the Mesh units I've dealt with; probably a dozen different models have had no port at all, purely WiFi. Which have generally been used as extensions to networks, such as the one I mentioned earlier on an ad hoc basis. However I'll add they are all elderly units, the last time I personally had any dealings with them would have been pre 2020, possibly 5 years prior to that. AFAIA Mesh was never designed as a cabled system.

 

[RepairingDave]

The mesh system was Atria Strong or Strong Atria bought from Curry's, 3 units, 1 master that plugged into the router which then communicated itself to the other two units, all three units were connected to the mains.

I can't find how far the range should/could be on these.
You could plug one in at the end of your house closest to the garden room, then walk towards your garden room with your phone and see how far away you are when you lose connection.
That will give you an idea if wireless would work.

 

[chirpychippy]

I can't find how far the range should/could be on these.
You could plug one in at the end of your house closest to the garden room, then walk towards your garden room with your phone and see how far away you are when you lose connection.
That will give you an idea if wireless would work.

The "tech expert" which in itself is a dubious job title reckons it has a range of 50sqmtrs.

The garden room is 28 mtrs ish from the router in the bungalow, so you'd think it should have coverage, but a sqmtr range is an ambiguous measurement. If its 50 sqmtrs around the master then it will only go 25mtrs one way...maybe...

 

[Why Not Indeed]

I reasonable assumption is that it's a circle of area 50m². Predicting this stuff is very, very difficult. Depends on what the walls are made of, how many there are, etc.
Anyway, just plug that base unit in in your garden room, and connect it to that cat5 that you may or may not have terminated yet.

 

[DetlefSchmitz]

Just to be clear; an area of 50 m² means a range of 4 metres. Technical expert chosen for scamming talent.

 

[chirpychippy]

I reasonable assumption is that it's a circle of area 50m². Predicting this stuff is very, very difficult. Depends on what the walls are made of, how many there are, etc.
Anyway, just plug that base unit in in your garden room, and connect it to that cat5 that you may or may not have terminated yet.

I took it back, at £80 and I couldn't get it to work despite 2 hours of trying and following various youtube videos in addition to supplied instructions...mind you if I had of connected the cat5 instead of overthinking it we may now have WiFi....I'll re attempt this weekend...

 

[SUNRAY]

The totally wireless mesh units I've used would work to about 50m with extremly clear line of sight, it was not uncommon to strap them to streetlamps about 15ft up but that was commonly too far apart when a crowd appeared and additionally the bloody Iphones would hack through the system and crash it.

 

[chirpychippy]

I managed to get the RJ45 Connectors on the CAT5 this evening, after the 5th attempt of putting them on and cutting them off and starting again, I couldn't stop the line 3 malfunction, just before throwing in the towel I put more pressure through the crimper, problem solved...A Victory...

I can't get a router from friends or family, people just give them back to the ISP when they go wrong...

I've looked at the TP Link AC1750 "it's a bit like lifting a bonnet and saying yep that's an engine" thereof i remain clueless..

 

[SUNRAY]

I managed to get the RJ45 Connectors on the CAT5 this evening, after the 5th attempt of putting them on and cutting them off and starting again, I couldn't stop the line 3 malfunction, just before throwing in the towel I put more pressure through the crimper, problem solved...A Victory...

I can't get a router from friends or family, people just give them back to the ISP when they go wrong...

I've looked at the TP Link AC1750 "it's a bit like lifting a bonnet and saying yep that's an engine" thereof i remain clueless..

Trying to send you a Private Message but your profile won't allow it

 

[chirpychippy]

Trying to send you a Private Message but your profile won't allow it

That's a whole new world of I.T Jargon to confuse me, I've gone into my profile, searched to give access and failed