Basement suite networking questions

[Gohdan]

Hi guys,

My parents live upstairs, and for a few months I'll be renting their downstairs suite from them. In the mean time, I need to figure out my best option to get a connection downstairs.

Current setup: Telus Optik 150 down/150 up connected to RT-N66U. The connection is strong enough to reach downstairs but it fluctuates based on the room downstairs.

I would like to both have my desktop downstairs wired in some fashion or another and also host a Plex server on another PC. Due to this, I don't think Powerline will work. When my stuff from the move arrives next week, I will have my Asus AC-66U router within possession. I've done a bit of reading that would suggest I could use the secondary Asus router as an access point or repeater and essentially have it function as a "mesh" system. This doesn't seem too difficult if the SSIDs for the networks are the same as upstairs for a handoff, but I'm skeptical.

What would the best method be to get a stable connection from the upstairs router to the downstairs router without taking too big of a hit on connectivity? The house is about 10 years old if it matters.
My options, as I can see, are as follows but I'd like to know the general consensus on which way to go

a) Use the AC-66U as a repeater. I'd need to likely mount it near the ceiling in the basement so it receives as good a connection as possible. From here, I could wire this secondary router to my main PC, the future Plex server PC and my Nvidia Shield TV. So far this seems the most likely/plastique scenario. If I do go this route, can I still use this AC router to output AC wifi despite the upstairs router being N?

b) Wire ethernet through the upstairs to the downstairs. My father isn't too keen on this idea as it would require drilling a hole through the ground in the upstairs office but if it's better for both now and future tenants, he's open to it.

c) Powerline from the upstairs office to the downstairs, with the output going into the AC-66U. I have to imagine this might kill some of the connection even with a gigabit one but I'm not really sure. As mentioned, the house is 10 years old and other places I've tried Powerline in were a total bust, but most of them were 30+ year old houses.

d) The house is wired with Cat5E but for some reason the outlets in the house all have a telephone jack. The main office upstairs has an ethernet jack in the wall that outputs ethernet to another input jack in another office upstairs. Is it possible that the rest of the house also functions as an output for the CAT5E and that the origianl electrician just wired it for telephone connectivity, or was it more likely that it was wired exclusively. for telephone connectivity on CAT5E? I can't seem to find a switch anywhere in the house or outside the house but my dad said that the original electrician insisted he wire it for CAT5E for future proofing. What's the liklihood that if i take the telephone jack plate off one of the outputs downstairs that it would also output an internet signal and not just a telephone signal?
Regarding D, I also went outside to look at their Fibre box and I can't seem to find anything resembling a switch. Is it possible that the box outside can still function like a switch if it's just a mess of red, white, orange, blue and green cables or is it more likely just for a telephone connection?

[Electronics Wizardy]

Just use the cat5e in the walls. You can replace the jact for rj45. Ethernet is so much better.

 

If you want multiple wifi ap;s, get a proper solution, like a unify ap, and don't just have 2 ap's with the same ssid.

[The Benjamins]

21 minutes ago, Gohdan said:

Hi guys,

My parents live upstairs, and for a few months I'll be renting their downstairs suite from them. In the mean time, I need to figure out my best option to get a connection downstairs.

Current setup: Telus Optik 150 down/150 up connected to RT-N66U. The connection is strong enough to reach downstairs but it fluctuates based on the room downstairs.

I would like to both have my desktop downstairs wired in some fashion or another and also host a Plex server on another PC. Due to this, I don't think Powerline will work. When my stuff from the move arrives next week, I will have my Asus AC-66U router within possession. I've done a bit of reading that would suggest I could use the secondary Asus router as an access point or repeater and essentially have it function as a "mesh" system. This doesn't seem too difficult if the SSIDs for the networks are the same as upstairs for a handoff, but I'm skeptical.

What would the best method be to get a stable connection from the upstairs router to the downstairs router without taking too big of a hit on connectivity? The house is about 10 years old if it matters.
My options, as I can see, are as follows but I'd like to know the general consensus on which way to go

a) Use the AC-66U as a repeater. I'd need to likely mount it near the ceiling in the basement so it receives as good a connection as possible. From here, I could wire this secondary router to my main PC, the future Plex server PC and my Nvidia Shield TV. So far this seems the most likely/plastique scenario. If I do go this route, can I still use this AC router to output AC wifi despite the upstairs router being N?

b) Wire ethernet through the upstairs to the downstairs. My father isn't too keen on this idea as it would require drilling a hole through the ground in the upstairs office but if it's better for both now and future tenants, he's open to it.

c) Powerline from the upstairs office to the downstairs, with the output going into the AC-66U. I have to imagine this might kill some of the connection even with a gigabit one but I'm not really sure. As mentioned, the house is 10 years old and other places I've tried Powerline in were a total bust, but most of them were 30+ year old houses.

d) The house is wired with Cat5E but for some reason the outlets in the house all have a telephone jack. The main office upstairs has an ethernet jack in the wall that outputs ethernet to another input jack in another office upstairs. Is it possible that the rest of the house also functions as an output for the CAT5E and that the origianl electrician just wired it for telephone connectivity, or was it more likely that it was wired exclusively. for telephone connectivity on CAT5E? I can't seem to find a switch anywhere in the house or outside the house but my dad said that the original electrician insisted he wire it for CAT5E for future proofing. What's the liklihood that if i take the telephone jack plate off one of the outputs downstairs that it would also output an internet signal and not just a telephone signal?
Regarding D, I also went outside to look at their Fibre box and I can't seem to find anything resembling a switch. Is it possible that the box outside can still function like a switch if it's just a mess of red, white, orange, blue and green cables or is it more likely just for a telephone connection?

so I can read it in night theme will edit response in a bit.

 

I would grab some connector ends and use the cat5e cable in the walls and use a cable test to figure out which lines go were.

[Gohdan]

 

Not sure if it's any help but here's the outside cabling setup and [currently RJ-11, though it looks like CAT5e connected] wall plate in the basement

[mariushm]

You should pull some cable besides that old cable, for your ethernet. If there's no room...

You could buy some cat5e / cat6 / cat6a cable, tie it to the existing cable (twist the wires together, use insulating tape over the ends to make it smooth, to make sure the two ends are well glued to each other) and then go and pull out the old cable - as you take the cable out the new cable goes in the wall in the place of the old cable.

You can easily buy one of those covers... but you may need to buy a punch down tool .. for example : https://www.amazon.com/TRENDnet-Storage-Interchangeable-Reversible-TC-PDT/dp/B0000AZK4D

 

Another suggestion would be to use powerline networking, place one device in the room with your router/switch and connect it to the router/switch and in the basement you have the other device.

You should have better (lower) latency, and potentially higher bandwidth but could be problems if in the basement the mains sockets are on different circuits/phases.

Here's one suggestion : https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833122819&ignorebbr=1

 

Doesn't seem bad for 40$... I don't have much experience with powerline networking, so check other models and what people say about them.