Please help me run wifi to my shed

August 14, 2023 3:59 PM

Do you have knowledge of how to run an ethernet cable? Does this sound accurate, and if not, what is the correct process?

A family member is having electric run to their shed. He asked the contractor to run an ethernet cable at the same time, for his work computer (it's required to be connected to ethernet). The contractor said yes, to get the cable, and he will include it. Everything will be placed underground.

Is it that simple? And if so, what cable does he need? He was also advised to get a new router, since his is nearly eight years old. Would he need a new modem also?

Thank you!

posted by racersix6 to Computers & Internet (12 answers total)

You could look at ethernet over power devices instead. Or if they go with a buried cable, it really ought to be using cable rated for burial, with weather proof connections, and you need surge protection in case of lightning strike at both ends.
posted by pipeski at 4:18 PM on August 14, 2023 [2 favorites]

Best answer: This question has been asked before. Note that even though my answer got Best Answer'ed, I think in hindsight jmsta is correct, and the answer is buried fiber (fewer potential electrical isolation issues) or Ubiquiti point-to-point wireless extender.
posted by Alterscape at 4:28 PM on August 14, 2023 [4 favorites]

Most modern "modems" are also routers, depending on how he's getting his internet. It should already have Ethernet ports in the back. Though some modern cable modems may just be modems. You can get a very decent router for $100. There are some gently used ones on Woot.com right now.

Then you just need to buy enough Cat 6 Ethernet cable to go from the house to the shed, plus extra 10-20 ft on either side (for slack and luck) plus however long the distance from the conduit to the modem/router.
posted by kschang at 5:31 PM on August 14, 2023

To get good advice you need to know how far the shed will be from the part of the house where the existing Internet router is located. There are definitely limits to some of the technology choices.
posted by mmascolino at 6:12 PM on August 14, 2023

You might want to check with the contractor whether they intend to run conduit or want to use direct burial cable. I guess you could just buy direct burial Cat 6 regardless, but if there will be conduit, it will be cheaper and easier to buy regular cable. For example, Monoprice is a decent place to buy cable, and they have 1000' direct burial Cat 6 on backorder for $250 or various lengths, all for substantially less if it's "normal" indoor cable.

Also, it's generally a bad idea to run ethernet cable next to and parallel to power. So it might be worth checking whether the contractor intends to just dump both cables in the same trench. It's difficult to say exactly how much of a problem it would be if they did, and it may be fine, but if it's possible to do things the better way...

As mentioned already, fiber would be more forgiving in various ways. It's more work (and equipment) to hook up on both ends, though. The "required to be connected to ethernet" policy may also accept fiber, as it's probably a requirement that eavesdropping must be impossible.

It's not clear why he was advised to get a new router. If it works, he's fine. Newer routers will have newer wifi standards, but that's not an issue at least for this particular connection. There's a chance his old router only has 100Mbps ports while a newer one would have 1000Mbps, but even that may not be a major limitation for him. If he currently has a separate modem and router, then he can upgrade either one independently of the other. If either is broken or specifically is not meeting one of his needs, replace it.
posted by whatnotever at 6:28 PM on August 14, 2023 [1 favorite]

Honestly, for the sake of just giving the contractor a work order that he can complete expeditiously, have them run a piece of conduit separate from the conduit that the electric is in. In this conduit, run CAT6 and MTP cables with an extra 20' on either end. That should be all you need infrastructure-wise; you can figure out the details later.

The router decision is entirely separate from--and independent of--what wires are going to get buried.
posted by mr_roboto at 7:28 PM on August 14, 2023 [8 favorites]

mr_roboto has the right of it. tube, cables, plenty of spare, sort everything else out later.
posted by Sebmojo at 7:59 PM on August 14, 2023 [1 favorite]

Yep, what mr_roboto said. I wouldn't have thought of running fibre as well, but it's a good idea if only for some future-proofing.
posted by dg at 10:41 PM on August 14, 2023

If your family member does insist on using copper, put a cheap switch at each end of the outdoor run. That way EMF from nearby lightning strikes will only take out ports on the switch, and not the more expensive router, or worse, PC.

I mean, they're still going to be screwed by really close lightning or a direct strike, but that's much less frequent than lightning in the neighborhood killing Ethernet ports connected to long runs of wire.
posted by wierdo at 5:39 AM on August 15, 2023

+1 on Alterscape - fiber or point-to-point wifi. I just SO wouldn't want to screw with the potential weird electrical issues from Ethernet, and fiber is just not exotic enough to not use.

Note: for inside the house work always use wire, fiber isn't worth the hassle and doesn't offer a benefit.
posted by wotsac at 9:07 AM on August 15, 2023

Response by poster: thanks everyone! he's read the responses and is going with ubiquiti wireless bridges,
posted by racersix6 at 11:20 AM on August 15, 2023

Personally I would run BOTH Ethernet and fiber so that I have choices later. The cable run is by far always the most expensive / annoying part of the whole project, so when you have that opportunity, maximize it. Even if you might end up doing wireless anyway!
posted by intermod at 8:46 PM on August 15, 2023