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Advice on stable internet in outbuilding

Jazzbouche said:
Maybe I'm biting off more than I can chew. I don't know what the difference between managed and unmanaged is, so I probably won't notice or use the benefits.
Click to expand...

Which tells me you need unmanaged. Networking can get confusing quite quickly and is easy to cock up.

Basically, an unmanaged switch is just like a fancy, powered extension lead - you plug it in, power it and then plug other things into it. Job done, no config needed at all, it will just switch packets all day between the things that are connected to it.

A managed switch needs config. It needs its own IP address, you need to tell it what to switch and where (and what not to switch, one of its main uses) and you can do all sorts of fancy things like segmenting networks and it'll usually have tons of monitoring options. Some will come in 'dumb' mode, effectively acting like an unmanaged switch until you do stuff to it, but many (inc Ubiquiti) will not and will need at least a basic setup loaded before they'll start switching packets.

Of course, for all that extra functionality, you pay more
 
Thanks everyone. Looks like first thing to do is sort out the cable across there. I already have a buried conduit with a phone line in it (I assume that's not the same as an internet cable?), but as I don't and won't use the phone line I was thinking of cutting it to attach the cat6 cable too and drag it through. Any issues with this? the phone line is a spur off the main phone socket in the house.
 
A reverse pull through.
The phone cable you have probably terminates in an RJ11 plug or if it goes into the back of a white plastic BT box it will be terminated in punch down terminals similar to the plugs on a pinball.

Free the cable, tie a line to it ( I use waxed kite string) and tape the tie. Nothing fancy needed, just a few half hitches as if you were trying a pork belly. Go to the shed with a helper at the house end.

Pull the phone cable through to the shed.

Un-tape and untie the phone line.

Tape the phone line and new cat cable together at the shed end.

Do the same half hitches and tape over both cables and get the helper at the house end to pull both cables back.

Terminate the BT line back in, crimp a RJ45 on the cat cable and plug it in. You are then free to do as you wish on the shed end.

Important thing in this whole process. You use the BT line to PULL the string through. On the reverse process the string is just a guide. The person pulling the string at the house just keeps tension, the person in the shed PUSHES the cables in. At no point should it feel like the person in the house is dragging the two cables through.
 
@Jazzbouche - I think there are two simple options for you.

Option 1- drag through a Cat 6 cable from a roll and add the connector each end (you'll need the insert and connector (comes together), boot if you want a pretty rubber(ish) holder and a Cat 6 crimping tool. Easy to do (see the internet) - DON'T connect for a crossover cable. Add on any old cheap switch (gigabit if you wan't to have speeds over 100 Mbps) - they are really cheap from Amazon, literally a few quid. Then add in an AP - doesn't particularly matter which one given that you'll be far away enough to avoid wi-fi from the house. BUY: cable, crimper, connectors, cheap switch, AP (or old router or similar). If it's not too far you can just buy the correct length cable pre-connected if you can hide the excess.

Option 2 - get an AP Outdoor Mesh that you can connect to a CAT 6 point in the house (assuming you have one). AP device required only (see here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Ubiquiti-U...+outdoor+ap&qid=1575921899&s=computers&sr=1-1). However, you'll still likely need the cable, connectors and crimping tool, and potentially the switch for the house to connect the device to unless it is near your router. I think these project 300m, but could be wrong, so way powerful for you needs (not sure that BT do something like this). Downside is that others will be able to see your network (so you'd need to take precautions which you should be anyway).

I'm on Ubiquiti APs anyway, so the outside AP was a no brainer, it simply added to my existing managed APs. Having mixed APs might be a pain.

All-in-all, if you have a conduit and don't need the telephone cable, you can cut it and pull through or disconnect the shed end, connect string and pull back then through preserving your phone cable in the future (not sure who actually uses internal phone cabling these days, but there you go). Then you could keep your single AP provider and buy a cheap switch (I note the BT Mesh Disc can be cabled). You can get a TP Link metal case 4-port switch for under £15 and some cheaper than that.
 
Moonbus said:
A reverse pull through.
The phone cable you have probably terminates in an RJ11 plug or if it goes into the back of a white plastic BT box it will be terminated in punch down terminals similar to the plugs on a pinball.

Free the cable, tie a line to it ( I use waxed kite string) and tape the tie. Nothing fancy needed, just a few half hitches as if you were trying a pork belly. Go to the shed with a helper at the house end.

Pull the phone cable through to the shed.

Un-tape and untie the phone line.

Tape the phone line and new cat cable together at the shed end.

Do the same half hitches and tape over both cables and get the helper at the house end to pull both cables back.

Terminate the BT line back in, crimp a RJ45 on the cat cable and plug it in. You are then free to do as you wish on the shed end.

Important thing in this whole process. You use the BT line to PULL the string through. On the reverse process the string is just a guide. The person pulling the string at the house just keeps tension, the person in the shed PUSHES the cables in. At no point should it feel like the person in the house is dragging the two cables through.
Click to expand...

Clever!! Wouldn't of thought of that. Makes sense and does the least damage! Thanks.
 
MartinY said:
@Jazzbouche - I think there are two simple options for you.

Option 1- drag through a Cat 6 cable from a roll and add the connector each end (you'll need the insert and connector (comes together), boot if you want a pretty rubber(ish) holder and a Cat 6 crimping tool. Easy to do (see the internet) - DON'T connect for a crossover cable. Add on any old cheap switch (gigabit if you wan't to have speeds over 100 Mbps) - they are really cheap from Amazon, literally a few quid. Then add in an AP - doesn't particularly matter which one given that you'll be far away enough to avoid wi-fi from the house. BUY: cable, crimper, connectors, cheap switch, AP (or old router or similar). If it's not too far you can just buy the correct length cable pre-connected if you can hide the excess.

Option 2 - get an AP Outdoor Mesh that you can connect to a CAT 6 point in the house (assuming you have one). AP device required only (see here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Ubiquiti-U...+outdoor+ap&qid=1575921899&s=computers&sr=1-1). However, you'll still likely need the cable, connectors and crimping tool, and potentially the switch for the house to connect the device to unless it is near your router. I think these project 300m, but could be wrong, so way powerful for you needs (not sure that BT do something like this). Downside is that others will be able to see your network (so you'd need to take precautions which you should be anyway).

I'm on Ubiquiti APs anyway, so the outside AP was a no brainer, it simply added to my existing managed APs. Having mixed APs might be a pain.

All-in-all, if you have a conduit and don't need the telephone cable, you can cut it and pull through or disconnect the shed end, connect string and pull back then through preserving your phone cable in the future (not sure who actually uses internal phone cabling these days, but there you go). Then you could keep your single AP provider and buy a cheap switch (I note the BT Mesh Disc can be cabled). You can get a TP Link metal case 4-port switch for under £15 and some cheaper than that.
Click to expand...

I ordered the Ubiquiti 8 port switch and Disc AP, but I think earlier in the thread it was established that it's probably overkill with a high chance of me cocking up the setup! Sounds like an unmanaged switch with the BT disc connected will be the simple solution that gives everything I need.
 
Jazzbouche said:
Thanks everyone. Looks like first thing to do is sort out the cable across there. I already have a buried conduit with a phone line in it (I assume that's not the same as an internet cable?), but as I don't and won't use the phone line
Click to expand...

Neil might have a spare DSLAM knocking about you that would allow you to use the phone cable ;)
 
He is joking.

Also honestly stop it with the CAT6!!!

nobody needs that at home and it’s a lot harder to terminate for the noob - just get an armoured CAT5E roll.

Fusion splicing? Are you running fibre on the street? Better to get multi cores.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
 
Neil McRae said:
Also honestly stop it with the CAT6!!!

nobody needs that at home and it’s a lot harder to terminate for the noob - just get an armoured CAT5E roll.
Click to expand...

Yeah CAT6 is a ball ache to crimp, I did a couple of runs down to access points in my house the other day and I'd forgotten what a pain it is to do compared to CAT5E - I only used CAT6 as a had some.
I've got 2 switches in different parts of my house and as I only wanted to do this job once so I ran OM4 between those, should would be good for a while, although they were more of a pig to get through the 2ft stone wall because the ends are bigger than unterminated copper cable.
Still it's done now, the switches will change once 10Gb Aruba stuff ends up coming down to a decent price on eBay but I suspect that might be a little while.
 
Neil McRae said:
He is joking.

Also honestly stop it with the CAT6!!!

nobody needs that at home and it’s a lot harder to terminate for the noob - just get an armoured CAT5E roll.

Fusion splicing? Are you running fibre on the street? Better to get multi cores.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
Click to expand...

thanks - good to know regarding cat6 vs cat5e.
And also when someone is ‘joking’/taking the p1$$
 
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