Internet for big house

Ace2007

Hi guys,

Looking for advice, I live in quite an old and big house (in Dublin) - to the point that while the broadband is near perfect downstairs, as you move up the house it gets weaker and weaker to the point that there is no connection at the top of the house - which I have now made into a small office so need good internet.

I have been onto sky about the issue and they ran some tests, and in the end suggested that I get a wireless booster, but this has done little/nothing to help the issue.

What are my options to get the internet at the top of the house
- do I need to get another phone line put into the house or is there any other option?

In addition is there anyone that I can call that isn't say sky, to help with this issue - i.e. pay a technician of some sorts to come to the house and just fix it so that it is working as I feel it's a waste of time/money contacting sky.

Riesen_Meal

Ace2007 wrote: »

Hi guys,

Looking for advice, I live in quite an old and big house (in Dublin) - to the point that while the broadband is near perfect downstairs, as you move up the house it gets weaker and weaker to the point that there is no connection at the top of the house - which I have now made into a small office so need good internet.

I have been onto sky about the issue and they ran some tests, and in the end suggested that I get a wireless booster, but this has done little/nothing to help the issue.

What are my options to get the internet at the top of the house
- do I need to get another phone line put into the house or is there any other option?

In addition is there anyone that I can call that isn't say sky, to help with this issue - i.e. pay a technician of some sorts to come to the house and just fix it so that it is working as I feel it's a waste of time/money contacting sky.

What wireless booster did sky recommend?

https://www.amazon.co.uk/TL-WPA4220KIT-Powerline-Broadband-Configuration-UK/dp/B01LXOZ4EN/ref=mp_s_a_1_14?ie=UTF8&qid=1547895880&sr=8-14&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=tp+link+smart+plug

That is what would do the job, you can even buy a few of the WiFi ones and clone the signal all over the house...

Once the house is on a single electrical circuit you should have no problem... 95% of houses are...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KCD_K1_rtsk

This is how you set them up...

Very handy, then just add more as you go along...

We have a big house too and the only way we got it to work was to get 4 boosters so the main router in attic works for our top floor (attic converted), 2 boosters on first floor say one does the east side and one west of the house and then 2 again downstairs. Just generic boosters as far as i know but that amount were needed to make it work properly for us.

Tow

Fieldog wrote: »

Once the house is on a single electrical circuit you should have no problem... 95% of houses are...

Many 'old and big houses in Dublin' have 3 phase, especially if they were originally in flats/bedsits. This may be the OPs issue, or they may not have set it up properly. There are 3 phase 'power line type' boosters, but these are professional kit and well out of any domestic budget.

The next cheapest option would be to run Cat5 (network cable) from Sky's Modem to the new existing 'wireless booster', which may already have a RJ45 socket. Otherwise it would require a 'Access Point' to be purchased.

All the above options require some basic configuration, most are not plug in and work.

ED E

First. Where did you put the booster?

Johnboy1951

Ace2007 wrote: »

Hi guys,

Looking for advice, I live in quite an old and big house (in Dublin) - to the point that while the broadband is near perfect downstairs, as you move up the house it gets weaker and weaker to the point that there is no connection at the top of the house - which I have now made into a small office so need good internet.

I have been onto sky about the issue and they ran some tests, and in the end suggested that I get a wireless booster, but this has done little/nothing to help the issue.

What are my options to get the internet at the top of the house
- do I need to get another phone line put into the house or is there any other option?

In addition is there anyone that I can call that isn't say sky, to help with this issue - i.e. pay a technician of some sorts to come to the house and just fix it so that it is working as I feel it's a waste of time/money contacting sky.

Do you have the capability to take an ethernet cable up to the office?
It could maybe go out, up the wall, and back in again.

DubInTheWest

Sorry I don't want to hijack the OP's thread but I just want to ask about those home plugs linked up above. I'll be getting the FTTH in relatively soon. I live in a long bungalow and as it is, the Archer c9 router I'm using with the eir modem/router is just about making the whole of the house but sometimes the signal is very poor. Would the above plugs send out a decent wirless signal ? The kids use their consoles down near the end of the house, so a decent signal is essential

Poulgorm

BT Whole Home Wifi is the answer to you problem. The package comes with 3 discs, which you can position throughout the house. My bungalow is long, with all internal block walls. A relative of mine installed a switch in the attic, connected by cable to the router. Connect one of the discs by cable to the router and you can wirelessly connect the other 2 discs. I think the system is called mesh wifi.

In my case, all three discs are connected by cable to the switch (because it was fairly easy to do - the 3 discs are in the attic). It does a perfect job covering the whole house.

Argos sell them, there may be others.

Ace2007

ED E wrote: »

First. Where did you put the booster?

I put the booster upstairs in a room with poor wi-fi (in a room directly below the office), do I need to be putting a few in the house to boost up the wi-fi through the house? Given that the booster I bought cost 40€, I'm reluctant to buy 3/4 of them without knowing for definite that they will work.

Given that I'll have to be connected to the work network, the connection needs to be good.

Is there anyone that I can get out to the house to set it all up?

ED E

Ace2007 wrote: »

I put the booster upstairs in a room with poor wi-fi (in a room directly below the office), do I need to be putting a few in the house to boost up the wi-fi through the house? Given that the booster I bought cost 40€, I'm reluctant to buy 3/4 of them without knowing for definite that they will work.

Given that I'll have to be connected to the work network, the connection needs to be good.

Is there anyone that I can get out to the house to set it all up?

If you put it one floor down from the office that was probably the right place. Buying more is a bad idea. Repeaters come at a large performance cost.



Get an electrician to run network cables up from the ground floor/basement to each level. They'll be useful for years to come.

Nonoperational

Mesh wifi is probably the best and simplest solution.

Red Alert

I'd recommend cabling for an additional access point or two. I have two UniFi access points in my house with no trouble.