Need one internet connection to work in two buildings - how?

Discussion in 'Networking and Computer Security' started by Cerio, Jan 25, 2012.

  1. Cerio

    Cerio Geek Trainee

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    Hi.
    I live next door to my mother's house, with my house in the same garden but just a few feet away from hers (an ex farmhouse and farm worker's cottage). Both houses have very thick stone walls. We only have one land line phone between us (in her house), through which I get my internet connection, and I want to be able to set up a computer in my mother's house too, for her to use; she's 90 and I think it is time she learned to use one, especially as she gets less mobile with age and it would give her a new interest while in the house. My internet signal, however, does not reach from my house into her house.
    Is there some way I can make the one router work in both houses? I know people manage to boost their signal or relay it, so that it works in their house and in an outbuilding where they have a home office and such, so it seems to be possible but I can't work out how to do it. I haven't had much success with internet searches about it.

    I do have a spare router, can this be used to do it? If it can, I have no idea how to, so any step by step instructions for a novice would be great.

    I would have the router in her house (where the land line phone is), with a wired connection from it to a desktop computer in there, for her to use, and would then need the wireless signal to reach into my house. At the moment the set up is that I have an incredibly long cat cable going from the phone line in her house, all the way down the outside of the houses into mine, where it is plugged into the router in my house, so the router is currently in my house and I use it for wireless internet on my laptop. If I move the router up to her house and don't use the cat cable so I'm able to put it in my house, the wifi signal does not reach from her house into my house. With it in my house, as it currently is, the wifi doesn't reach her house.

    ~So, in short, I want the router in her house, attached by cable to a computer there, and the wifi signal to reach into my house, which is beside hers. How do I boost or relay the signal so that can be done?

    Although I can pick up the wifi signal from other houses a bit further away, my wifi doesn't reach her house right beside mine. It may be something to do with thick stone walls.

    Can anyone advise me, please? If you can, I'm afraid I may need a step by step guide.

    Thank you

    Cerio
     
  2. donkey42

    donkey42 plank

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    well heres a few guides Here i think the easiest way is by using a wireless bridge with maybe a repeater dependant upon the actual distance required, within many standard routers (or Residential Gateway to use their correct name) however, the best way to achieve it would either be to setup a *nix router or maybe to flash the firmware of a compatible router with something like DD-WRT or one of the many project based on Open-WRT Here

    as a solution to your wireless range problem there are Wireless Extenders available like Here & Here, also Here is a very good article about Wireless Extenders

    there is also This which would pretty much guarantee you use WiFi as you want, however you may think this is overkill but those old thick walls will be annoyingly resistant to WiFi
     
  3. Cerio

    Cerio Geek Trainee

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    Thank you so much. I will look into this. I'm not very tech savvy when it comes to routers/wifi but am determined to find a way to do it, so I am grateful for your help.

    Cerio
     
  4. donkey42

    donkey42 plank

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    your welcome

    to simplify, WiFi just uses radio frequencies, the new term "WiFi" is just to make it sound good and impress mere mortals but anything can be simplified if explained correctly, so dont worry

    WiFi is just a buzz word, so if you know about it you'll impress many people, whereas in reality you'll find it fairly easy

    just remember, if in doubt, search the net and you'll soon sort it

    good luck, Donkey xxx
     
  5. rickysmith2050

    rickysmith2050 Geek Trainee

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    First of all let me tell you, you have got a great post .I am interested in looking for more of such topics and would like to have further information. Hope to see the next post soon.
     
  6. donkey42

    donkey42 plank

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    if theres somthing you would like detailed, please start a new thread / new post, as most contributers prefer answering a new thread rather than "invading" someone else's thread, so everyone please start a new thread[ot]ricky please start a new thread & either me or someone else with reply[/ot]
     

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