Complete novice req. Wifi bridge advice/help

Forums › LAN (ethernet/Wifi/routers/Bluetooth) › Complete novice req. Wifi bridge advice/help

Riden

9 posts

Wannabe Geek

#294032 1-Mar-2022 12:22

Hi all,

Will be moving away from my fiber connection (very painful) to a rural property in a few months.

Best connections I can get are VDSL (from MyRepublic, though a little unclear weather I can actually get it there or not) or Starlink, which we will probably be going with.

The issue is we will have two houses about 20-30m apart and both need strong internet. Getting two Starlink connections is way too costly (and overkill), so I've been trying to find a way to get it to both houses, and using two outdoor ap's (or whatever they're called) to create a point to point wifi bridge seems to be the best option.

The problem is, networking setup and device knowledge in my family is pretty much zero.

I spent a few hours the other day trying to get a simple overview of what I need, but that has been surprisngly difficult. Most of the guides I've seen (that claim to be about my very issue) have pretty much focused solely on the p2p units themselves, connecting them directly to laptops etc. and mainly go into how to configure them and their performance.

What I need to know at this stage is what hardware besides these units do I need to set up a wifi network, spread between two buildings and how should it all be connected.

This and also any product recommendations would much appreciated, especially for whatever is the simplest to understand and set up.

Also, if anyone using is MyRepublic VDSL around the Whangarei district, can you tell me how good it is?

RunningMan

8961 posts

Uber Geek

#2876825 1-Mar-2022 12:37

As far as VDSL is concerned, drop your address in the Chorus checker. It should let you know if you can get VDSL, then you are free to choose whichever ISP you like.

There's a few networking componants you will need:
1) Router - this manages the connection between your local network, and your ISP
2) WiFi Access Points - these provide wireless coverage for mobile devices like phones and laptops. You would need at least one per house. A router supplied by an ISP is usually a router and WiFi access point (and switch) in the same device
3) Point to point bridge - this will be a pair of units, one for each end of a wireless link between the buildings. The work similarly to wifi, but just talk to each other. One would be plugged with an ethernet cable in to your router, and the one at the other end would be connected to a WiFi access point to provide WiFi for the second building
4) Network switch - used to plug in mulltiple wired network devices like computers. You may need one in each building, depending on how many devices you have. Again, a 4 port switch would usually be built in to the router an ISP would supply.

Is it possible to run a cable between the buildings? In some cases running a fibre cable might be easier or cheaper than a radio link.

robjg63

4098 posts

Uber Geek

Subscriber

#2877044 1-Mar-2022 15:42

I would say maybe check out a cable if possible.

30m ($12):

https://www.emax.co.nz/Network-Cable-CAT6-30M-Brand-New-3685.html

50m ($22):

https://www.emax.co.nz/50m-CAT6-Network-Ethernet-LAN-Cable-RJ56-7136.html

A cat-6 cable should be ok over that distance.

Might that be an option?

Nothing is impossible for the man who doesn't have to do it himself - A. H. Weiler

Lias

5589 posts

Uber Geek

ID Verified

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#2877081 1-Mar-2022 16:33

Riden:

This and also any product recommendations would much appreciated, especially for whatever is the simplest to understand and set up.

Also, if anyone using is MyRepublic VDSL around the Whangarei district, can you tell me how good it is?

A: Run a cable, it will be much simpler and cheaper.

B: VDSL connection speed isn't really going to vary between ISPs, it's all just a resold Chorus connections. That being said, you really don't want to use MyRepublic as an ISP. If MyRepublic is the only ISP who's maps say you can get a VDSL connection, odds are you can't actually get one.

I'm a geek, a gamer, a dad, a Quic user, and an IT Professional. I have a full rack home lab, size 15 feet, an epic beard and Asperger's. I'm a bit of a Cypherpunk, who believes information wants to be free and the Net interprets censorship as damage and routes around it. If you use my Quic signup you can also use the code R570394EKGIZ8 for free setup.

tim0001

264 posts

Ultimate Geek

#2877084 1-Mar-2022 16:41

There's a huge variation in VDSL speeds depending on the cable length and condition etc . See ComCom graph below.

The Chorus Checker that Runningman mentioned can be pretty good because it can report the actual sync rate on that particular line.

Riden

9 posts

Wannabe Geek

#2877093 1-Mar-2022 17:15

RunningMan:

As far as VDSL is concerned, drop your address in the Chorus checker. It should let you know if you can get VDSL, then you are free to choose whichever ISP you like.

There's a few networking componants you will need:
1) Router - this manages the connection between your local network, and your ISP
2) WiFi Access Points - these provide wireless coverage for mobile devices like phones and laptops. You would need at least one per house. A router supplied by an ISP is usually a router and WiFi access point (and switch) in the same device
3) Point to point bridge - this will be a pair of units, one for each end of a wireless link between the buildings. The work similarly to wifi, but just talk to each other. One would be plugged with an ethernet cable in to your router, and the one at the other end would be connected to a WiFi access point to provide WiFi for the second building
4) Network switch - used to plug in mulltiple wired network devices like computers. You may need one in each building, depending on how many devices you have. Again, a 4 port switch would usually be built in to the router an ISP would supply.

Is it possible to run a cable between the buildings? In some cases running a fibre cable might be easier or cheaper than a radio link.

Ok, thank you. Starlink comes with a wifi router I believe, so I would need the two units and an ap for the 2nd house, thats alot less than I thought.

As for running a cable, I did consider that, but its gotta be laid under a steep bank, kind of a pain in the ass.

Also dosn't the signal degrade alot over a long cable?

Spyware

3764 posts

Uber Geek

Lifetime subscriber

#2877188 1-Mar-2022 19:20

Riden:

Also dosn't the signal degrade alot over a long cable?

No. Copper or fibre will give you 10 Gbps at that short distance so faster than any wireless link.

Spark Max Fibre using Mikrotik CCR1009-8G-1S-1S+, CRS125-24G-1S, Unifi UAP, U6-Pro, UAP-AC-M-Pro, Apple TV 4K (2022), Apple TV 4K (2017), iPad Air 1st gen, iPad Air 4th gen, iPhone 13, SkyNZ3151 (the white box). If it doesn't move then it's data cabled.

jonherries

1396 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

Subscriber

#2877197 1-Mar-2022 19:44

I know a couple of people who have starlink and rave about it. One in BOP and one in Southland.

Jon

Sharesies

Trade NZ and US shares and funds with Sharesies (affiliate link).

tim0001

264 posts

Ultimate Geek

#2877252 1-Mar-2022 20:00

Not sure if you're aware, but you'll also need an "Ethernet Adapter" from Starlink ($60 I think). This is because the latest routers don't have a spare Ethernet port available to connect to your point to point bridge. Below from https://support.starlink.com/

The router does not come with a built-in Ethernet port. However, there is an Ethernet adapter available for purchase on the Starlink Shop to allow for a wired connection to the network.

quickymart

13963 posts

Uber Geek

ID Verified

#2877273 1-Mar-2022 20:20

What's the area you're moving to? Someone here should be able to check what you can get there.

Oh and don't go with My Republic.

Riden

9 posts

Wannabe Geek

#2877337 1-Mar-2022 20:53

quickymart:

What's the area you're moving to? Someone here should be able to check what you can get there.

Oh and don't go with My Republic.

Just outside of Ruakaka.

Why do you say that about My Republic?

Lias

5589 posts

Uber Geek

ID Verified

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#2877446 2-Mar-2022 07:00

Riden:

Why do you say that about My Republic?

There's lots of reasons, here's some:

Their customer service is widely slated.
Their customer support is online only.
Their actual network product is at best "ok".
Their marketing is very BS (they claim to be NZ's fastest ISP, but the methodology by which they claim that is very flawed).
Foreign owned company (named after Republic of Singapore where it was started)

richms

28191 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#2877447 2-Mar-2022 07:11

robjg63:

I would say maybe check out a cable if possible.

30m ($12):

https://www.emax.co.nz/Network-Cable-CAT6-30M-Brand-New-3685.html

50m ($22):

https://www.emax.co.nz/50m-CAT6-Network-Ethernet-LAN-Cable-RJ56-7136.html

A cat-6 cable should be ok over that distance.

Might that be an option?

Please do not buy cables that cheap. They will be copper clad aluminum conductors, the jacket will be made from the lowest quality plastic and shred itself in a month and the plugs will need periodic re-crimping to remain connected.

Go to PB tech or somewhere and get dynamix branded ones as the cheapest option that isnt junk. Those linked ones are just long versions of the $2 shop cat5/6 cables.

Also if the buildings have different ground rods then connecting a cable between them is a bad idea, despite Ethernet having isolating transformers on the lines there is usually a center tap on those transformers going to the chassis thru some other components, and the isolation isn't that great on Ethernet anyway.

Over 50m or so, and having only a low speed connection available, I would just get a couple of mesh units and see how you go before putting in a point to point bridge. If you can get the mesh units on windowsills where they can see each other it is usually pretty good between buildings. If its not good enough then you can add a point to point between the places and use the Ethernet ports on the mesh bases and use them as accesspoints so its not wasted and many ISPs have deals to get them (vodafone with their wall to wall wifi etc)

Richard rich.ms

quickymart

13963 posts

Uber Geek

ID Verified

#2877474 2-Mar-2022 08:17

Riden:

quickymart:

What's the area you're moving to? Someone here should be able to check what you can get there.

Oh and don't go with My Republic.

Just outside of Ruakaka.

Why do you say that about My Republic?

Have a look at the subforum for them here:

https://www.geekzone.co.nz/forums.asp?forumid=165

Many, many unhappy customers. Good luck getting any service out of them or getting anything done/changed.

My protip: don't choose a provider based on price. Also, what Lias said.

The Chorus map should be able to give a guideline on what you can get at your place. Looking at Ruakaka, some parts can get VDSL: https://www.chorus.co.nz/tools-support/broadband-tools/broadband-map