Advice for Getting Decent Wi-Fi to Granny Flat

Shane043 on 04/12/2024 - 15:13
Last edited 04/12/2024 - 16:00 by 1 other user

Hey all, I live in a granny flat which is about 20 meters off the main family house.

I ran a cat6 cable to my flat from the house and this works well for my main PC. However, my issue is poor Wi-Fi connectivity from the modem in the main house. (TP-Link vx220)

2.4ghz is terrible (even in the house it's not great), 5ghz is much better. However, when I made 2 separate networks and turned off band steering the people in the house were complaining of poor performance and dropouts. So i just went back to one wifi network with band steering on.

Was hoping for suggestions about how to improve the situation..

Would a decent router with external antennas be solid over 20 meters? i don't really want any more Cat cables on my floor

Cheers

Computing Modem Router TP-Link Wi-Fi

Comments

  • geekcohen on 04/12/2024 - 15:15
    +7

    House CAT6 to Granny Flat > Into Switch. Then out of the switch to Computer and to your own Access Point. Configure your own WiFi.

    • Boioioioi on 04/12/2024 - 15:32
      +9

      You don't need all these components.

      Just get a common wireless router, turn off DHCP on it then you can plug the cat6 right into that. You will create your own WiFi network, then plug network cable into the router for your computer. The router can do both jobs of being a cheap switch and access point.

      • ihfree on 04/12/2024 - 15:37
        +2

        I've done this once before. Some routers have a dedicated AP mode(eg: Asus).

        • Boioioioi on 04/12/2024 - 15:43
          +1

          They all do - you just need to turn off DHCP. Asus just makes it more intuitive with the terminology. DHCP is what makes the router be the "master" assigning IPs on your network. If you untick that box it works just fine as an access point.

          • ihfree on 04/12/2024 - 15:50
            +1

            @Boioioioi: Yes and no. Functionally, there would be minimal difference.

            There are advantages to using a dedicated AP mode if available. Nicer UX, and the router acting as an AP is able to pick up its own IP from the main router.

          • bamzero on 05/12/2024 - 07:10

            @Boioioioi: You'll end up double NATed. Router with AP mode is a much better idea.

            • kiitos on 05/12/2024 - 08:27

              @bamzero: What does double NATed mean? If you only disable DHCP, is that router still a separate LAN to the main one?

            • ihfree on 05/12/2024 - 12:49

              @bamzero: You'd use a LAN port so you wouldn't end up double NATed. With DHCP disabled, you'd likely end up with no connectivity if you did connect to the WAN port.

              • bamzero on 05/12/2024 - 16:48

                @ihfree: In my mind I was thinking the LAN ports would work but the WiFi would be routed, but yeh I guess it should just bridge the WiFi and LAN for local traffic same as it would if you were using it as a router.

      • geekcohen on 04/12/2024 - 15:41
        +1

        Whilst true, depending on the OPs networking/computer knowledge, my suggestion could be a little easier. However, what you have said is another solution.

        • SlickMick on 05/12/2024 - 15:33

          I agree

          all these components

          2 devices each doing an obvious and simple function, vs 1 device with multi superfluous functions, some of which need to be turned off to not screw everything up.

  • Hybroid on 04/12/2024 - 15:17
    +11

    This is a very easy fix since you already have an ethernet cable to the granny flat. Just get a decent router and setup your own wifi. Many of them will have an ethernet port output to hard wire your PC without even needing a switch.

    • Payne on 04/12/2024 - 15:41
      +1

      Yep, and if you don't want the long ethernet cable, you can probably use a powerline adapter. That's what I use.

      So powerline from the house to the flat, them connect that to a wirelss router (in bridge mode) in the flat.

      Then you can get wifi for your phone etc. and ethernet for any fixed devices.

      • geekcohen on 04/12/2024 - 15:48
        +2

        Yep, and if you don't want the long ethernet cable, you can probably use a powerline adapter. That's what I use.

        Provided the Granny Flat is not on its own Circuit, which it could be, depending on how Sparky did the wiring.

        My Garage isn't; it's linked to one of the house circuits. But my neighbour's shed, which he just had done, is on its own Circuit.

      • ColtNoir on 05/12/2024 - 11:09
        +2

        Powerlines are rubbish compared to an already run Ethernet cable.

    • bargaino on 04/12/2024 - 16:17
      +1

      No, you don't want to be double-NATed. See above.
      Plug the ethernet into a LAN port (not WAN) and turn off DHCP, or better AP mode.

  • geekcohen on 04/12/2024 - 15:17

    2.4ghz is terrible (even in the house its not great), 5ghz is much better. However when i made 2 separate networks and turned off band steering the people in the house were complaining of poor performance and dropouts. So i just went back to one wifi network with band steering on.

    What WiFi did they connect to? 5GHZ or 2.4GHZ?

  • CodeXD on 04/12/2024 - 15:19

    You can also use a spare wireless router in bridge mode.

    https://www.reddit.com/r/HomeNetworking/comments/18feoj6/can…

    • bargaino on 04/12/2024 - 16:19

      Careful, "bridged mode" normally means something else, bypassing the modem.

  • JimmyF on 04/12/2024 - 15:29
    +1

    I ran a cat6 cable to my flat from the house and this works well for my main PC.
    Would a decent router with external antennas be solid over 20 meters? i don't really want any more Cat cables on my floor

    Not really going to be able to extend the wifi from the main house. So best to look at getting a Wifi Access point to install into the granny flat.

    So use the cable you have, but plug that into a WiFi AP, then a cable from that to desktop.

    Have a look on fangbook marketplace for a cheap TP Link Deco units, something like a S7, pop it on access mode mode, it has 3 LAN ports on the back. So no need for extra bits. But if you are on FTTP/HFC/FTTC you could replace the main TP-Link with a Deco unit as well. If that is the case, put that one into router mode in the house and the one in the granny flat as a satellite unit.

    Basically this will give you strong wifi in the granny flat using the existing cable.

  • JohnSy on 04/12/2024 - 16:18
    +1

    If you want the same SSID throughout the home, you can use a mesh network to extend the range and maintain the same wifi network throughout the property. Adding access points as suggested will create a different Wifi network in the granny flat. This may or may not be what you want. You could even repurpose that cat 6 cable you ran as the backend used for that node of the mesh located in the granny flat. I had a similar issue last week with not wifi signal in a shed at the rear of the property and so I used a 3 pack of these: https://www.amazon.com.au/TP-Link-Deco-X20-3-Pack-AX1800/dp/…

    I relied on a wifi backend to link the 3 units together and the reception was very good at the shed. Not sure if it was as far as 20 meters but it would probably have been at least 15 meters.

  • sumyungguy on 04/12/2024 - 21:47

    Wi-Fi 6 (2.4GHz and 5GHz) is rated to 45m so a gatway/router with beam forming antennas should work OK; just comes down to how much you're prepared to spend.

  • scotty on 05/12/2024 - 13:10
    +2

    Also have Ethernet running from house to my granny flat, and then a T-Link Deco X68 node to be part of the mesh network. Now having decent Wi-Fi for the backyard as well.

  • munecito on 05/12/2024 - 15:24

    Buy one of the small GL-Inet modems, confiure it as AP and connect the cat 6 to it.

    Added bonus, you can take it as a travelo router when you travel.

    Beryl AX, Slate AX are great but even an Opal would do.

  • skillet on 05/12/2024 - 22:07

    Uproot all your current WiFi. Buy a two node WiFi mesh. Install one in the main house, one in granny flat. Connect them back to back with the existing cat6 cable.

    This way you have 1 WiFi network that don't interfere with another due to close proximity. Also you can roam between houses.

  • diceman99 on 05/12/2024 - 22:22
    +1

    Get a wifi mesh system, plug the mesh wifi into the Ethernet port of the granny flat.
    Wifi mesh works better than the 2.4ghz and 5ghz extenders. Has to to with the csmacd and size of the broadcast domain, the bigger the broadcast domain in meters the longer the csmacd has to wait for the carrier sense to determine if signal is clear to send in milliseconds if it has to constantly wait milliseconds for clear signal it causes bottle necks

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