Internet to garage ?

[Mikey D]

Hi easy question for internet geek type people
Had some solar panels/ battery put on /in the garage :theres no internet signal there .
so solar guy said run a cable over and plug in another router in the garage connected to the router in the house .
Pic of garage router so where do I plug cable into LAN 1 -4 or WAN ?
house router just has LAN Ports .....
Would I need to do any setting up apart from power too router ?
Cheers geeks

 

[ajlelectronics]

You can use an old router with the cable plugged into the WAN port but better would be a Wireless Access Point, which are not expensive. Plug in and go.

 

[Mikey D]

I'll give the cheap option a go first I've got the cable and garage end router , I'll give it a try tomorrow , if not I'll look into the wireless access point thingy .
Cheers for the advice , Mike

 

[Mikey D]

Hi easy question for internet geek type people
Had some solar panels/ battery put on /in the garage :theres no internet signal there .
so solar guy said run a cable over and plug in another router in the garage connected to the router in the house .
Pic of garage router so where do I plug cable into LAN 1 -4 or WAN ?
house router just has LAN Ports .....
Would I need to do any setting up apart from power too router ?
Cheers geeks

I always forget the pic

 

[MetalMonkey]

You should be able to plug into your LAN1 port on that and then you will have to look at the config on how its set up.
It might have a Access Point mode, but if not then what you will need to do is disable the DHCP server and set it on one static IP.

On your house one you will need to set up the DHCP so that it doesn't conflict with IP which you assign to the garage router, but that they are on the same subnet.
You could do that by adjusting the range of leases or adding in an exclusion, depending on what it supports.

Basically you want the house router to never be able to hand out the IP you have assigned to the garage router, but they are on the same subnet and can talk to each other.

 

[ajlelectronics]

You should be able to plug into your LAN1 port on that and then you will have to look at the config on how its set up.
It might have a Access Point mode, but if not then what you will need to do is disable the DHCP server and set it on one static IP.

On your house one you will need to set up the DHCP so that it doesn't conflict with IP which you assign to the garage router, but that they are on the same subnet.
You could do that by adjusting the range of leases or adding in an exclusion, depending on what it supports.

Basically you want the house router to never be able to hand out the IP you have assigned to the garage router, but they are on the same subnet and can talk to each other.

If the CAT5 is plugged into the WAN socket, it becomes a totally separate network without having to tweak settings.

 

[MetalMonkey]

If the CAT5 is plugged into the WAN socket, it becomes a totally separate network without having to tweak settings.

It isn't recommended as you will be double NAT'ing and applying a firewall on the private network.
Connect it via the LAN port, unless the garage router specifically has an AP mode which permits the use of the WAN port - consult the documentation to determine this, most IME still need the connection to the LAN port.

 

[Jack_K]

You should be able to plug into your LAN1 port on that and then you will have to look at the config on how its set up.
It might have a Access Point mode, but if not then what you will need to do is disable the DHCP server and set it on one static IP.

On your house one you will need to set up the DHCP so that it doesn't conflict with IP which you assign to the garage router, but that they are on the same subnet.
You could do that by adjusting the range of leases or adding in an exclusion, depending on what it supports.

Basically you want the house router to never be able to hand out the IP you have assigned to the garage router, but they are on the same subnet and can talk to each other.

This.


Once that's done you can set both routers to have the same WIFI SSID and password. That means devices will connect to either router without having to setup two networks.

I assume this garage is very close to the house? If it's not close it's best to run fibre optic.

 

[drjim]

Does the inverter have a network port??

 

[Mikey D]

Cheers for the advice guys , much of it goes over my head tbh

I'll get the cat 5 pulled thru the ducting to the garage , I'm not sure if the inverter has a network port , I did notice some kind of dongle thingy . That looked like a cat 5 plug .
.

 

[bricol]

I do like the replies - based on the original question, which would be much like mine would be if I was doing the same thing, I would assume a certain level of knowledge of the subject . . . and then I read some of the replies which would also fly by several feet above my head, at supersonic speed . . .

 

[ajlelectronics]

I do like the replies - based on the original question, which would be much like mine would be if I was doing the same thing, I would assume a certain level of knowledge of the subject . . . and then I read some of the replies which would also fly by several feet above my head, at supersonic speed . . .

Which is why I suggested the WAN socket, although not ideal for reasons given above, it is plug and play. The double NAT isn't really an issue, after all 4G is double NAT, like it or not. Equally the firewall issue is unlikely to cause problems. A totally separate wifi service in my opinion, it also a plus.

Those of us with the knowledge will go for a more involved and efficient solution (you should see my network map!), but for a quick and dirty job, the WAN socket may well give you an adequate service.

 

[skotl]

If it's not close it's best to run fibre optic.

Following on from this, is there not a risk if either the earths are different between garage and house or there becomes an earthing problem at the garage?
TBH I'd try to get wifi running first (as has been suggested by a couple of others).

 

[voipio]

Ethernet data lines are transformer isolated at either end, so earth loops shouldn't be an issue. However, ethernet cable screens would provide a continuous connecton end to end, provided the Ethernet jacks are designed for screened cable. The Ethernet connections shown in the image of the back of the router (posting #4 above) are clearly insulated, so earth potential differences wouldn't be a problem.

 

[Mark 5]

I maybe not understanding this but surely if just for internet, run a CAT5+ cable from back of existing router into garage and into a splitter, don't require another router??

 

[ajlelectronics]

I maybe not understanding this but surely if just for internet, run a CAT5+ cable from back of existing router into garage and into a splitter, don't require another router??

Not for one single connection of course. However to use wifi equipment, an oldrouter will provide that service as well as hard wired connections.

 

[pedrobedro]

Use your phone as a hot spot.

 

[MetalMonkey]

I maybe not understanding this but surely if just for internet, run a CAT5+ cable from back of existing router into garage and into a splitter, don't require another router??

I think the inverter requires a wireless connection, otherwise hard wiring it would be the better option.

Which is why I suggested the WAN socket, although not ideal for reasons given above, it is plug and play. The double NAT isn't really an issue, after all 4G is double NAT, like it or not. Equally the firewall issue is unlikely to cause problems. A totally separate wifi service in my opinion, it also a plus.

4G uses Carrier grade NAT by design, its not quite the same thing.
Depending on how the inverter communicates, and how any apps connect to it there may well be an issue.
The problem with double nat is it can appear as things are working in general but can still cause issues with certain applications making it harder to troubleshoot.
Unless there is a specific reason to use it, its best not to.

A cheapy wireless access point will do the job and is another option if router is too awkward to set up.

Use your phone as a hot spot.

I don't think that's going to be practical if he wants to monitor his solar panels.

 

[Mark 5]

I think the inverter requires a wireless connection, otherwise hard wiring it would be the better option.

Solar panels, I missed-skipped that bit for wireless.

Wireless has it's advantages but I hard wire where I can, much more reliable.

 

[MoreWellie]

The solar guy saying run an RJ45 (network) cable over to the garage suggests there is at least a network port on the inverter. The inverters I was looking at with my son didn't have wifi as a standard capability and needed an add-on dongle so ideally check what capability your solar inverter actually has

If the only internet capability you need in the garage then simply run the cable, connect it to a lan port on the router in your house and plug the garage end directly to your inverter, job done

Most people have access to 4g on their phones and don't need wifi so much these days but if yours is a poor reception area and you spend time in the garage then you may want to add wifi capability to this as well. The easiest way to do this is to find if there is a wifi repeater designed to work with your router and then stick that on the end of your cable. A number of these repeaters have an additional network socket on them which can be used to further connect to the inverter if that only has cable access

if the repeater you would get only has a single network socket then it gets more complicated and it is potentially cheaper to use a second router in the garage. A simpler, minimal configuration, option would be a small network switch with the wifi repeater

You need to find out what is needed for solar and decide if you have any other requirements then make a decision