Wifi to barn?

[Millerrx]

Hey Community. You were so helpful before, I wonder if I can tap into your expertise again. 

In our house, we are all set up with the Nest router and 4 points. All meshing well and happy. 🤗

Now, we need wifi in a barn/garage about 100 yards away, so we can install a Nest thermostat out there. The wifi signal is weak there, so we assume we need some sort of extender or repeater to bring it down from the house. 

We see many options online, but not from Nest and we are unsure what might work and be compatible.

Thanks in advance, for all probable solutions.

Happy holidays, too. 🎁🎄

Lisa

[MichaelP]

Hello @Millerrx 

There are a couple ways to approach this. First, if you can run an Ethernet (or coaxial, with MoCa adapters on each end to make it look like Ethernet) cable from your house to your barn, then you can use a Google WiFi unit out there as a secondary to your existing Nest WiFi system.

But, if you can't run Ethernet, then one or more high gain WiFi units might do the trick. Here's a relatively recent article I read about TP-Link products that could solve this problem. If your barn is close enough, putting one of these in the house aimed at the barn might provide a strong enough signal to make the thermostat work out there. If the thermostat only uses 2.4GHz, make sure you use a 2.4GHz version of the product. It will need to connect to your primary Nest WiFi Router's LAN Ethernet port, so you may need to run a cable from there to a place this unit can be installed in the house. These have high gain (directional) antennas rather than the omnidirectional antennas in the Nest WiFi units.

If one of these alone isn't enough, then you can put one more in the barn in client mode aimed at the one in the house that's in access point mode. At that point, you have a virtual Ethernet, since the one in the barn will have an Ethernet port on it you can then connect a Google WiFi unit to as if you'd run an Ethernet cable out there. Or, just pick up an inexpensive WiFi router and configure it to be in bridge mode. It won't be managed as part of your Nest WiFi network, but again, if you're just trying to get that Nest Thermostat on line, it may be sufficient.

None of these solutions are cheap or easy, I'm afraid.

[Millerrx]

Thanks so much, @MichaelP ,  for thinking this through and for the advice. 

[kiltguy2112]

There are a few ways to approach this, and your right, Nest wifi is not the rignt equipment for the job. 

1. Run Cat6 cable from house to barn. You are right at the edge of that as Cat6 is good for 328 feet. 

2. Run fibre between house and barn. Getting the ends terminated might be probematic, but the cable and equipent is less expensive then you might think.

3. What I would do is use something like the Ubiquiti airMax NanoBeam. You would install one on the house, and one on the barn. They must have unubstructed line of site at all times. You could then put another Nest wifi router out in the barn, and it would be connected to you network.  These are overkill for your use, as they will work up to 6 miles, but they are fairly inexpensive and are designed for outdoor use. https://store.ui.com/collections/operator-airmax-devices/products/nanobeam-5ac-gen2

[Millerrx]

Really helpful, @kiltguy2112 

For the #2 option, would my fiber optic company come and do the installation, perhaps?

I do like #3, provided my wifi is nice and strong outside the house. 

Thanks so much.

Lisa

[kiltguy2112]

What number #3 does, is make a wireless eithernet connection betwwen your house and barn. It is just like running Cat6 but wirelessly. It is NOT wifi it is point to point.

[Millerrx]

• Fascinating! I think we will give it a try. Merci! 

[Jeff]

Hi, Millerrx.

I know it's the holidays, but I wanted to check in to see if you were able to try out that option and to see if it worked out for you and to see if you needed anything else here. If you still needed some help, just let us know.

Thanks.

[Millerrx]

Hey Jeff. Happy holiday season. Well, I’m not too tech, so this is what I did. 

I installed a point in the barn - but it is getting a weak signal and will not mesh (as I figured would happen). 

So, I’ve contacted our fiber optic company to assess having service installed in the barn, so I can add a router. I’m waiting for their “engineer” to call me back. I’ll “ping” them again tomorrow. 

It looks like the prior owners had some sort of cat5 from the house before (when they were using Satellite cable). Perhaps the fiber optic company can figure out how to reinstate that. 

I did not do the nano beam, as I don’t have an Ethernet connection anywhere near the point where I would need to install it. 

Sooo, in summary, I really think I need an on-site professional to sort it out for me. 

Thanks for checking in. I’ll let you know where I land. 

Happy 2022! 

[Jeff]

Sounds good, Millerrx. I'll wait to see what you find out. Happy 2022 to you, too!

[Millerrx]

Hi. I need help with my decision. My options are 1. to run a Cat 5 from the house to the barn underground (existing pipe) from my current fiber optic service (account) or 2. to run a direct fiber optic line from the “pedestal” in the yard to the barn via an underground existing pipe. This option means I would have a second service line. 

my quandary is how much will option 1 possibly slow my wifi service and will a second router and point somehow compete with my current mesh? I like option 2, but realize it will come with the expense of a second service monthly charge. 

Is one preferred, for the NEST system? 

The fiber optic technician agreed that the point to point beam would be challenging, given our configuration. 

Thanks for considering my challenges and options.

Lisa

[MichaelP]

Hello @Millerrx 

I don't think I'd pay for a second service every month if I could possibly avoid it. If you have an existing pipe in place that a new cable can be run through (Cat 6 would be best) from the house, I would pursue that option myself. I wouldn't expect any issues with WiFi interference.

The question is how exactly you connect equipment at each end of that new cable. If you want the barn network to be part of the same Nest WiFi network in your house, then you can use another Nest WiFi Router unit out there to extend your house network to the barn. It will need to be set up in the house first as if it was another mesh point, then once it's working in there, connect it via Ethernet to the LAN Ethernet port on the primary Nest WiFi Router unit you already have and make sure it's working properly (check the details for the new unit in the Google Home app to make sure the connection type changes from "mesh" to "wired" when you plug it in). Then you can move it out to the barn and use the long Ethernet cable to connect it back to the house in the same way. I would put a pair of inexpensive Ethernet switches on that long cable run just for some electrical isolation, though. So, it would look something like this:

internet service <-> primary Nest WiFi Router <-> switch <--long cable run to barn--> switch <-> secondary Nest WiFi Router

All of that said, there are a ton of different ways to make this all work. You could buy a less expensive single WiFi access point and set it up in the barn, too. You can even configure it to have the same network name and password. But, that introduces some risks of having clients get "stuck" to the house or barn as you move between them. If it's far enough away, that won't be a problem, but if they're relatively close, it might be. It would also mean a completely separate solution to set up and maintain independently of the Nest WiFi system.

The fact that there are so many ways to approach this is a blessing and a curse, though. Lots of things will probably work, but the large number of options makes choosing one more complex. The biggest expense will be getting that cable run in place and tested. Once you have that there, you can start experimenting with different ways to use that asset – every worthwhile option I can think of will need that cable in place. So, I would start there and pick an approach to using it. Ask for advice and keep the receipts in case anything you try ultimately doesn't work out so you can try something else. Good luck!

[Millerrx]

Thank you MichaelP. I will follow your advice, although it may be spring before they can run the line (due to super freezing conditions here). One last question, where can I find or search for a “switch”? I’m not familiar with what that actually is. If you can guide me, I’ll get those ordered and available. 

[MichaelP]

Sorry – I should have been more specific. I'm talking about relatively inexpensive 5-port or 8-port unmanaged Ethernet switches. I buy Linksys brand Ethernet switches myself, but I don't want to recommend one brand over another – a 5-port gigabit Ethernet switch from TP-Link, Netgear, or Linksys should be between $15 and $25 and work just fine. Along with a couple more short Ethernet cables, these will help protect the more expensive equipment you'll be putting in each building from something like a lightning strike. They just have a bunch of identical ports on them.

[Millerrx]

This is perfect. I think I am set up for success. We shall see how it all works out in April, with the spring thaw. Thanks so very much.