WiFi to ventilation unit without wireless network

hajsveen · February 19, 2022

Hi everyone,

I’m helping my parents with a lot of technical things while they are renovating a whole floor in their house. Now with a new ventilation system mounted, the control unit needs a network connection. Now, before I explain the issue, let me explain how the Wi-Fi system is built up in the home.

A few years ago, me and my father added two Cat6 cables frow the basement where the fiber network enters their home to deliver Wi-Fi to the two uppers floor. One of the cables is going to the top floor and the other to the mid-floor. Both is connected to Ubiquiti UniFi 6 Lite access points. With this system, Wi-Fi coverage is almost perfect in every corner on every floor. We are very pleased with this.

However, the ventilation unit needs network to be controlled properly. I can’t find any good reason, but the brand that makes them has decided to not implement Wi-Fi to the motherboard. It needs a wired connection! ☹ This is a Scandinavian quality product, so I’m kind of disappointed that such a respected brand and product does not have Wi-Fi. I think it’s a weird decision to do on a product that needs an app to work. Anyway, there is nothing I can change about that now.

We didn’t realize this before the carpenters had closed all the walls, so the option of adding another cable down to the basement where the switch and all the other network is united is not possible. I have tried to google and read around for a bit, but this is out of my knowledge. My question is; does there exist some sort of access point I can plug in to a AC socket that has a LAN port on it? In that case, could I use this to make the ventilation unit wireless? The Wi-Fi signal is very good on the floor, so I’m not worried that stability will be an issue. Does this exist? I’m thinking some sort of repeater or access point that receives our Wi-Fi and delivers it though the LAN port to the ventilation unit.

I hope this was possible to understand. Thank you in advance!

Falcon1986 · February 19, 2022

1 hour ago, hajsveen said:

We didn’t realize this before the carpenters had closed all the walls, so the option of adding another cable down to the basement where the switch and all the other network is united is not possible.

Just a thought: If the duct system runs to the basement, you can use plenum-grade ethernet in the ducts themselves and guide the run in that direction.

1 hour ago, hajsveen said:

My question is; does there exist some sort of access point I can plug in to a AC socket that has a LAN port on it? In that case, could I use this to make the ventilation unit wireless?

Sounds logical.

Since this is essentially an IoT device that doesn't need much bandwidth, perhaps a wireless repeater/extender with an ethernet port might be a solution. An alternative that doesn't even require WiFi is PowerLine.

hajsveen · February 20, 2022

10 hours ago, Falcon1986 said:

Just a thought: If the duct system runs to the basement, you can use plenum-grade ethernet in the ducts themselves and guide the run in that direction.

Sounds logical.

Since this is essentially an IoT device that doesn't need much bandwidth, perhaps a wireless repeater/extender with an ethernet port might be a solution. An alternative that doesn't even require WiFi is PowerLine.

Would something like this work?

https://www.tp-link.com/us/service-provider/powerline-adapter/tl-pa4010-kit/

And if so, do you know what kind of band this is running on? Would it affect/interfere with our Wi-Fi?

Falcon1986 · February 25, 2022

On 2/20/2022 at 4:55 AM, hajsveen said:

Would something like this work?

https://www.tp-link.com/us/service-provider/powerline-adapter/tl-pa4010-kit/

Should be fine, but you won't know until you try it.

I'm not a proponent of Powerline if an ethernet or AP alternative is possible. Both powerline adapters need to be on the same circuit without interference from surge protectors or line conditioners for them to work optimally. Given your limitations and low bandwidth needs in this scenario, however, it's worth a shot.

On 2/20/2022 at 4:55 AM, hajsveen said:

And if so, do you know what kind of band this is running on? Would it affect/interfere with our Wi-Fi?

The model you linked to does not have WiFi, so it won't cause any interference with your existing WiFi setup. Since you don't need WiFi for the ventilation unit, I wouldn't worry about getting one with WiFi anyway.

Needfuldoer · February 25, 2022

They make external bridge devices that connect to a WiFi network and spit out Ethernet. As far as the Ethernet device knows, it's just plugged into a wired network like any other. They're common in retrocomputing circles to get older computers and OSes on a modern network.

https://www.amazon.com/Vonets-VAP11G-300-Wireless-Multi-Functional-Amplifier/dp/B014SK2H6W