Help getting internet in shed

[Beerstalker]

I'm posting here hoping someone with a bit more networking knowledge than me can help come up with a solution for getting internet into my shed. Right now I'm using the 6th gen Apple Airport Extreme (A1521) in my house and have been very happy with it. I know it is outdated and I should probably upgrade, but it is good enough for me at the moment. Every time I get close to looking into something else I see a rumor that Apple might get back into the networking space so I hold off a bit longer.

Anyway, I get service everywhere in the house, and across a good portion of my yard outside (4 acres). However, I have a 36'x64' shed with metal siding/doors/roof and get no service inside at all. I have good Verizon 5G service, as well as good WiFi signal standing outside, but as soon as I go inside I have no service at all. I know the best solution is to run ethernet, and I plan to do that eventually. I have a water line running to the shed that has a leak, so when I dig that up to replace it I will probably bury ethernet and coax in the same trench and then I'll have internet and DirecTV in the shed I can use. We are saving up to do that, but it might take a year or so before it happens. Here is an aerial view showing the approximate distance I am dealing with. About 120 feet from my router to the door to the shed, 155-160 feet to the far wall of the shed.

In the mean time I am looking for a possible cheaper/quicker solution. I have another 6th gen Apple Airport Extreme (A1521) I picked up used when I first bought this house in case I needed to put one at each end of the house to get good WiFi. I ended up not needing it, so it has been sitting in storage. Can I set this Airport Extreme up in bridge mode and then run an ethernet cable from it to something like this Wavlink AC1200 also in bridge/repeater mode mounted to the outside of my shed?

AC1200 Outdoor WiFi Range Extender, WAVLINK Weatherproof Outdoor Access Point with POE, High Power Long Range WiFi Extender Signal Booster, Dual Band 2.4/5GHz, Support WiFi AP/Repeater/Router Mode.

WAVLINK Outdoor WiFi Extender - Reliable, Fast & Weatherproof Connectivity for Your Outdoors Extend Your Network Beyond Limits The WAVLINK WN572HP3 Outdoor WiFi Extender is engineered to deliver a superior wireless experience over long distances, ensuring reliable internet access in hard-to-re...

www.amazon.com

I'm not looking for incredible internet speed. I'm just hoping to get good enough to let me stream music, watch YouTube videos for auto/tractor/ATV repairs, or possibly stream Netflix/HBO/Hulu etc. on an AppleTV. Not even worried about 4K streaming, 1080p would be fine since I only have a little 25" TV out there right now anyway.

My other thought was maybe a Cellular repeater like this to get Verizon 5G inside the building. I'm not really as concerned about getting cellular signal inside the shed, but I figured this might at least allow me to stream over Verizon and Airplay to the AppleTV for video or bluetooth to the stereo for music. Of course this is more expensive and would run up my Verizon data usage.

Cell Phone Signal Booster for Home up to 3000 Sq.Ft | Boost 4G 5G Cellular Signal Amplifier 65dB for T-Mobile, AT&T Verizon All U.S Carriers with 2 Indoor Antennas Band 12/17/13/5/25/2/4

Tired of dropped calls, dead zones, or slow data? The is the for home and office users. It improves voice and data across all US carriers, including Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, and Sprint. This is your ultimate for reliable connectivity. Bands: 2/4/5/12/13/17/25 Uplink: 6...

www.amazon.com

I originally put the TV and AppleTV out there thinking I could download shows/movies to my phone or iPad and then airplay them directly to the AppleTV, but I guess none of the apps allow you to do that. I can get it to work with videos shot with my phone camera, or music saved on my phone, but none of the video apps that I have tried work (AppleTV, Netflix, HBO, Hulu, etc).

So, would my idea about the spare Airport Extreme and Wavlink AC1200 work? Is the Cellular repeater a better solution? Or am I pretty much out of luck until I can get the ethernet run?

Thanks in advance for your help.

 

[Bigwaff]

Can I set this Airport Extreme up in bridge mode and then run an ethernet cable from it to something like this Wavlink AC1200 also in bridge/repeater mode mounted to the outside of my shed?

AC1200 Outdoor WiFi Range Extender, WAVLINK Weatherproof Outdoor Access Point with POE, High Power Long Range WiFi Extender Signal Booster, Dual Band 2.4/5GHz, Support WiFi AP/Repeater/Router Mode.

WAVLINK Outdoor WiFi Extender - Reliable, Fast & Weatherproof Connectivity for Your Outdoors Extend Your Network Beyond Limits The WAVLINK WN572HP3 Outdoor WiFi Extender is engineered to deliver a superior wireless experience over long distances, ensuring reliable internet access in hard-to-re...

www.amazon.com

So, would my idea about the spare Airport Extreme and Wavlink AC1200 work?

For $90, it's a pretty cheap experiment, especially with 30-day return policy. It's difficult for folks here to provide you with solid "Yes/No" on compatibility with AEBS. From reviewing the specs of the AC1200, I think you should be able to use the AEBS as a repeater for the repeater. Whether you get speeds you want in the shed, unfortunately, only setting it up for real and using it will provide you the answer you seek.

 

[BigBlur]

Point-to-point Wi-Fi bridging would be a better option rather than trying to extend your existing Wi-Fi network. They have high bandwidth and may even eliminate the need to run Ethernet.

This is an older article, so there are newer models out there, but it should give you the gist of it.

Point-to-point Wi-Fi bridging between buildings—the cheap and easy way

It cost us ~$100 to wirelessly connect two buildings across a small wooded area.

arstechnica.com

 

[Bigwaff]

Point-to-point Wi-Fi bridging would be a better option rather than trying to extend your existing Wi-Fi network. They have high bandwidth and may even eliminate the need to run Ethernet.

Beauty…. This is the way

 

[Beerstalker]

First off, thank you for you help.

WiFi bridging like that does seem like it would probably work better, but it appears to be more work. I believe it would require me to set up the wired network in my house and run an ethernet cable to the rear of the house to one of the bridges correct?

Unfortunately, I've been putting off setting up my wired network in the house because my job/kids have kept me busy, and the WiFi has been working well enough for everything we do so far in the house. If I end up going thru the effort of moving my cable modem and router to the basement, setting up my gigabit switch, and running ethernet from the switch to the rear of the house to hook up the bridge, I probably would just run a longer ethernet cable all the way to the shed and trench it by hand for now, or something like that. Running ethernet in the house requires dealing with two different crawlspaces, drop ceilings, etc.

With the Wavlink, I believe all I will have to do is run one ethernet cable from the Wavlink inside the shed, to the power inserter, and then another to the Airport Extreme, and then plug both items into power. Is that correct? If so this is going to be much less work for now, I can probably get it done in an hour or two. I just wasn't sure if it that idea would even function the way I was trying to do it, let alone function well.

From Bigwaff's original post it sounds like it should work in theory, I just won't know how well until I try it. I will purchase one and try it out with just running an ethernet cable thru a doorway temporarily to try it out. If it seems to work well enough I can mount it to the shed and then drill a hole/run the ethernet cable properly.

My other thought here is that when I finally get an ethernet cable ran to the shed I can still leave this Wavlink hooked up and just use it as an outdoor access point to have a good chance of covering my entire property with my WiFi since the shed is pretty centrally located.

 

[Beerstalker]

Is that Wavlink unit a good option to try, or is there maybe some other brand/model I should look at?

 

[erihp]

duplicate

 

[erihp]

Run the cable*. Its cheap, fast, less latent and dead simple to setup. Plus theres zero configuration or networking knowledge required.

Then you can just put that other airport extreme (that you already have) out there to provide network ports and wifi to the shed.

Another great option would be an Airport Express (A1392 - 2nd Gen). Not only would it give you wifi and a network port, they can also act as an airplay 2 target. Hook up some speakers to the 3.5mm jack and youve got music out there too.

*Hell I'd advise running two ethernet runs for later use. You can send just about anything down that cable.

 

[Fishrrman]

Agree with erihp above about running ethernet cable.

Get something like this:

Micro Connectors, Inc 200 ft. Cat 6 Outdoor-Rated Shielded Ethernet Cable Kit with Waterproof Coupler in Black E08-200BOU-KT - The Home Depot

Provide detailed road maps and points of interest for your device by using this Micro Connectors Inc CAT Shielded Ethernet Cable Kit with Waterproof Coupler in Blue.

www.homedepot.com

or this:

Ultra Spec Cables 150ft Cat6 Outdoor Waterproof Ethernet Cable Direct Burial (600MHz) Shielded (Pure Copper)

Ultra Spec Cables 150ft Cat6 Outdoor Waterproof Ethernet Cable Direct Burial (600MHz) Shielded (Pure Copper)

www.amazon.com

You don't even need to bury it for now.
Run it through the trees if you have to, put up a small (2x4) pole or two where needed.

It's weatherproof/waterproof, so it ought to last "in hillbilly mode" for a year or two until you dig a trench and bury it.

 

[Beerstalker]

Ha ha ha, I'm sure my wife would not be acceptable of a random wire strung across the backyard from 2x4's stuck in the ground. Not to mention the kids would probably end up hitting them driving around on their Ranger etc.

Here is an embarrassing update.

I bought the Wavlink AC1200, and it arrived on Sunday. I went and dug the Airport Extreme out of storage and reset it, and made sure the firmware was updated. The instructions I found online for setting it up in bridging mode had me hook it up with an ethernet cable between the two Airport Extremes, so as soon as I unhooked the ethernet, the one set up for bridging would lose connection and stop working. I eventually found different directions to show me how to hook it up for wireless bridging and I got that working with both Airport Extremes sitting in my office.

I took the Airport Extreme out to the shed and plugged it in just to try out a couple of locations and make sure the devices in the shed would be able to see it. I get everything hooked up to the WiFi network and all seems good. Out of curiosity I go ahead and turn on the TV/AppleTV and try streaming a show. Everything seems to be working just fine, so I figured I would close all the doors and it would lose signal and stop working. So I close the large overhead door and it is still working. I close the small overhead door and it is still working. I close the large sliding door and it is still working.

I stayed out there for an hour or so logging into apps, watching football game, etc. and the AppleTV just keeps streaming away. I set up the Aqara G100 camera in the shed and it is streaming fine to Homekit.

So evidently the antennas in the Airport Extreme are much better than my other WiFi devices because they are able to see each other and share the network between the shed and my house on their own. I've been living here for a few years dealing with no internet in the shed because I assumed it wouldn't work without buying extra stuff, or doing a bunch of extra work, all because I didn't even bother trying it until now.

It doesn't look like I am even going to need to set up the Wavlink AC1200. I'm still trying to decide if I go ahead and set it up anyway just to get better signal in my yard, or just send it back to Amazon.

Eventually I still plan on trenching in network/coax cables, but this seems to be working fine as is for now.