Networking Solution Help Request

[Swoops McGee]

Hey all,

 

I just moved to a new house with a few roommates (HUGE upgrade, super stoked) but we are now faced with a few networking obstacles. We previously lived in an apartment that was quite plug'n'play for our cable provider. That is not the case here at the new house and am looking for some recommendations on effective ways of hardwiring and possibly improving our wireless capability.

 

Our networking hardware:

Motorola SB6580 (not the best but served us well at the old apartment, so we're sticking with it)

Linksys Dual-band AC1200 (not sure of the model)

 

Context:

Our cable service plan allows for 300mb/s, our house is 2 stories, ~1500 sqft

 

We had a cable technician come out to initiate service at the new location as well as setup our hardware. Unfortunately, our coax lines inside are not powerful enough to send the signal we are paying for, but the direct line in the garage is. So, our modem and router are currently located on our workbench in the garage. Sparklight stated that they would be coming out to re-run some lines to bring the setup inside, but due to COVID, this will be delayed for the foreseeable months to come.

 

This wouldn't be the biggest issue if the router location was a bit more centered, and we did not have any hardware that requIres a hardwired ethernet connection. However, my rig's MoBo does not have WiFi built in as well as a few of my roommates' rigs. Additionally, I work from home and while my work rig does have WiFi built in, I am upstairs on the opposite side of the house, resulting in about 6mb/s.. 

 

So, the solutions that I have come up with are:

A central Powerline Adapter to connect our router to inside and allow for a bit of hardwiring, leaving the modem in the garage

Wireless adapters for everything hardwired and a range extender

Another router inside to act as an extender/switch (idk how this works but I have heard that it can be done with some network tweaking...)

 

I am looking for the most cost-efficient and effective way to enhance WiFi capabilities and to hardwire at least my rig inside. I am open to all suggestions as I am a bit of a noob when it comes to networking.

 

Thanks in advance

[Spdrcrv6tt]

Well, it depends. If you are just looking for a quick, temporary solution, then just buy some high quality coaxial cabling, and, since you mentioned coaxial, You should be able to if your central router has a coax interface. Then, just buy a coaxial PCIe card then you're set. If you do not have a coaxial interface on your router, then just buy some Cat5e cabling and just run it to your rig or a router on the opposite side of the house. The powerline adapters are what I would have recommended next, and if neither of my previous suggestions are viable that may be your best bet.

[Lurick]

33 minutes ago, Spdrcrv6tt said:

Well, it depends. If you are just looking for a quick, temporary solution, then just buy some high quality coaxial cabling, and, since you mentioned coaxial, You should be able to if your central router has a coax interface. Then, just buy a coaxial PCIe card then you're set. If you do not have a coaxial interface on your router, then just buy some Cat5e cabling and just run it to your rig or a router on the opposite side of the house. The powerline adapters are what I would have recommended next, and if neither of my previous suggestions are viable that may be your best bet.

Word of caution. That cable you linked is CCA ethernet and is not in spec. CCA is copper clad aluminum and is generally considered junk being peddled to save someone a few cents. CCA is very fragile as well and prone to breaking.

[Spdrcrv6tt]

8 minutes ago, Lurick said:

Word of caution. That cable you linked is CCA ethernet and is not in spec. CCA is copper clad aluminum and is generally considered junk being peddled to save someone a few cents. CCA is very fragile as well and prone to breaking.

I am sorry! I have only been in this field for around 2 years, so I still have much to learn! For reference, could you link a non-CCA cable?

[Lurick]

9 minutes ago, Spdrcrv6tt said:

I am sorry! I have only been in this field for around 2 years, so I still have much to learn! For reference, could you link a non-CCA cable?

No worries, you usually have to be careful because some just say "CCA" and other's spell it out so it's not always one term to search on in the product page and I've seen a couple not even mention it but if you look really close or read the reviews people mention it there. Here is some solid copper cable:

https://smile.amazon.com/Monoprice-1000FT-350MHz-Ethernet-Copper/dp/B001VPLSE0

[Spdrcrv6tt]

6 minutes ago, Lurick said:

No worries, you usually have to be careful because some just say "CCA" and other's spell it out so it's not always one term to search on in the product page and I've seen a couple not even mention it but if you look really close or read the reviews people mention it there. Here is some solid copper cable:

https://smile.amazon.com/Monoprice-1000FT-350MHz-Ethernet-Copper/dp/B001VPLSE0

Ah, thank you! I will keep that in mind next time I recommend Ethernet cables!

[Donut417]

6 hours ago, Oll_Greg said:

Unfortunately, our coax lines inside are not powerful enough to send the signal we are paying for, but the direct line in the garage is.

Sounds like you have too many splitters in line. Generally how it works is the main line that comes in to your home should just have a two way splitter on it. One side of the splitter will feed the Internet and the next side will either go to your TV or in to another splitter if you have multiple TV's. The more splitters between the cable co and your modem, the less signal your modem will get. If you want to you might be able to track down the path that your coax takes and see how many splitters are in line between where the cable enters your home to where you want your modem.