# Getting Internet to my Workshop



## craig11152 (Jun 20, 2015)

Not my area but in my brief existence here there are a few very knowledgeable guys. In fact a spirited argument could ensue that will get so technical they may as well be speaking Mandarin :whistling2:


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## joecaption (Nov 30, 2011)

We use one of these.
http://www.verizonwireless.com/internet-devices/ellipsis-jetpack-mhs800l/
Works just fine even when traveling.


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## tucker0104 (Dec 1, 2010)

joecaption, Thanks for the recommendation but not really wanting to use my phone data to access the internet in my garage.


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## ToolSeeker (Sep 19, 2012)

Just set up wi fi it makes your whole house wireless including the workshop and doesn't use data.


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## rjniles (Feb 5, 2007)

ToolSeeker said:


> Just set up wi fi it makes your whole house wireless including the workshop and doesn't use data.


And install a WIFI extender in a window facing the outbuilding.


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## tucker0104 (Dec 1, 2010)

Toolseeker, I have wifi for my house but my question is how do I get it to my workshop.


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## djlandkpl (Jan 29, 2013)

If your shop is on the same electrical panel as your house look up powerline adapters. They use you electric lines to transmit data. 

One goes near your router in the house and the other in your shop. 

Some adapters have wifi built in or you can use a standalone.


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## tucker0104 (Dec 1, 2010)

djlandkpl, it is not.


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## djlandkpl (Jan 29, 2013)

tucker0104 said:


> djlandkpl, it is not.



Bummer. The easiest option is to use the suggested range extender. 75 yards might be too far but you won't know until you try it.


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## rjniles (Feb 5, 2007)

If you can, at the house put your router at the window facing the shop. At the shop, place the WIFI extender in s window facing the house. Or use 2 WIFI extender. Often older unused routers can be used as extenders.


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## JustScrewIt (Mar 14, 2015)

You can do what I do after getting fed up with Comcast and AT&T's BS. I went to T-Mobile, bought a 4G LTE Hotspot Z915 device for $100, a SIM card for $15, and signed up for a Simple Choice Plan with 9GB data plan for $60/month. This effectively solved my internet woes. I just plug in the Hotspot device in the office where my laptop is, switch on the internal wi-fi on my laptop, and connect to the signal broadcasted by the Hotspot device. Essentially, the device acts just like a normal router, except you can take it with you anywhere you go and connect to it. I just leave mine on my desk plugged in 24/7, but options are nice. You can also choose to have more or less than the 9GB that I have. I believe the highest it goes is 11gb or so. In any case, if you're not streaming movies all day, 9GB/month is more than enough. There are a lot of other perks that T-Mo is offering to try and win over more customers (free 10GB if you sign up for a 3gb+ plan, Rollover data, etc) so it might be something to consider. There is also no charges if you go over your allotted data amount, all that happens is the connection speed slows down. Still, when I had guests over last month, they watched a lot of movies and ended up using 19GB, and the only time I noticed the throttled speeds was during peak hours. Still never got charged a cent for going over either. Definitely worth checking out.


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## Colbyt (Jan 27, 2014)

A wire would be best but not what you want. I found this via Google and know nothing about it ampedwireless.com/family/products/sr600ex.html

It does sound like it may do the trick for you. I would shop a bit in that class of device before I plucked down any money. Here is the search page on which that was found: https://www.google.com/search?q=range+wifi+extender&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8#q=maximum+range+wifi+extender


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## JustScrewIt (Mar 14, 2015)

Here's a forum with a question that sounds (eerily) similar to yours. Might be able to find a more reliable answer from these fine folk.

http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/42497-43-extending-range-wireless-wired-internet-connection


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## iamrfixit (Jan 30, 2011)

You should be able to cover this short distance using wifi, a wireless extender as others have suggested in a window facing your shop may do the trick. Speeds may not be real great but might be good enough if you are not trying to stream music/video or do multiple operations over the same connection.

For longer distances or a higher speed connection I have set up a few wireless bridges that work very well as long as you have line of sight. They are pretty simple to get going if you have some basic computer skills. I use ubiquiti nanostation M2's one on each end. The whole setup cost around $100 and can work even over a few miles with clear line of sight, a few hundred feet is no problem. Once set up and pointed at each other they act pretty much like a wire, you plug one end into the router and the other into your computer or access point. Here is a link to a video that can help you set it up.


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## oh'mike (Sep 18, 2009)

JustScrewIt said:


> You can do what I do after getting fed up with Comcast and AT&T's BS. I went to T-Mobile, bought a 4G LTE Hotspot Z915 device for $100, a SIM card for $15, and signed up for a Simple Choice Plan with 9GB data plan for $60/month. This effectively solved my internet woes. I just plug in the Hotspot device in the office where my laptop is, switch on the internal wi-fi on my laptop, and connect to the signal broadcasted by the Hotspot device. Essentially, the device acts just like a normal router, except you can take it with you anywhere you go and connect to it. I just leave mine on my desk plugged in 24/7, but options are nice. You can also choose to have more or less than the 9GB that I have. I believe the highest it goes is 11gb or so. In any case, if you're not streaming movies all day, 9GB/month is more than enough. There are a lot of other perks that T-Mo is offering to try and win over more customers (free 10GB if you sign up for a 3gb+ plan, Rollover data, etc) so it might be something to consider. There is also no charges if you go over your allotted data amount, all that happens is the connection speed slows down. Still, when I had guests over last month, they watched a lot of movies and ended up using 19GB, and the only time I noticed the throttled speeds was during peak hours. Still never got charged a cent for going over either. Definitely worth checking out.



I would like to know more about this option----I have very poor and expensive service withh AT&T


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## GrayHair (Apr 9, 2015)

There are couple caveats if a network device is used outdoors:


It must be rated for outdoor use
The cables and connectors should be rated for outdoor use
Specifications will probably call for shielded outdoor rated network cable. If the device does not include them, IP66 or better rated connectors are the way to go. They are a PITA to install, not only providing a weather resistant connection, they also allow connecting the drain from a shielded cable.

Follow the manufacturer's instructions to the letter.


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## gregzoll (Dec 25, 2006)

I use the Engious ECB-350. They make a version for outdoors. You will need L-Com's Lightening protector and some Outdoor rated Cat-5e or Cat-6, which you can also get from l-com.com. Also you will need a POE Injector which Engenious also sells.

I can get around a 100' radius with my ECB-350, from where it sets upstairs.


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## craig11152 (Jun 20, 2015)

The op is 225 feet away (75 yards)


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## gregzoll (Dec 25, 2006)

craig11152 said:


> The op is 225 feet away (75 yards)


The outdoor unit will be fine. You get a Monopole Antenna on it, and you could reach it at almost 3 miles with a clear line of sight.


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## JustScrewIt (Mar 14, 2015)

oh'mike said:


> I would like to know more about this option----I have very poor and expensive service withh AT&T


No problem. Admittedly, I don't have a long history with T-Mobile so my experience with their services and the like is limited, so I would go in to one of the branches and just talk with one of the associates to see what they're all about. That's what I did initially because I'm a stickler for customer service so I just went in after work one day---dirty, stinky, lookin like roadkill in August---and did a little window shopping just to see how they treated their customers, especially one as grotesque and malodorous as myself...:shifty: And of course, within a few minutes--like clockwork--here comes the petite little proverbial blond bombshell coming my way (actually, she was a brunette. I remember it well...:yes With legs like 3-tier scaffolding, curves like a well-plumbed kitchen sink, and a helmet that makes Tom Brady look like Tom Arnold! Her smile like a wild hyena. Gorgeous! Well anyway, here she comes, just a walkin toward me. Singing ooh-a-diddy-diddy-dum-diddy-doo. The rhythmic solid clicking on the high compression strength glass-fiber reinforced granulated furnace slag overlay coaxing me with its melodic tune into a pseudo-hypnotic state. I watched as she heel-toed-heel-toed across the room in slow-motion like a runway model on quaaludes. Suddenly, we locked eyes. It got real quiet. The lights dimmed, flickering but for a moment in glib resistance before submitting to the whims of the shadows. A radiant evanescent glow efflorescing efficiently from her effervescent essence--the moment framed forever in a tele-vignette of planned testicular obsolescence........fftopic:

:bangin:Oh, right. Sorry, where was I.. Oh ya, so to sum up, it was awesome. For me. She suffered through it though like a trooper and I ended up buying the device and data plan (wendy, if you're out there, marry me! I'm a good husband and always faithful. Just ask my wife and girlfriend!) 

So here's what you do:

1. First, go check the coverage in your area to make sure the signal is good.

http://www.t-mobile.com/coverage.html

2. Decide if you want to just get a T-Mobile account strictly for connecting to the internet with a Hotspot device (mini portable router) or if you want to drop AT&T altogether and switch over completely. T-Mo will pay your Early Termination Fees (ETF) if you are on a postpaid contract in good standing with AT&T, up to $600 I believe. The money will come in the form of a Visa Debit Card that you receive in the mail in about 4-6 weeks. They also offer to pay off the cost of your phone if you're financing a device under an "AT&T Next" installment plan. They will do this for up to 10 phones I believe For instance, if you have family shared plan, which you can find out more about here: https://www.t-mobile.com/cell-phone-plans/mobile-internet.html. I did the math once and I think for 6 lines with Unlimited everything for all 6 lines was like $265/month. It also allowed 5GB of Hotspot data so you can turn on the wi-fi hotspot on your iphone and go on the internet like that. That is also an option instead of buying the hotspot device. Only thing is, I believe you can only get 5GB max for hotspot usage (tethering). It's not unlimited tethering/hotspot, just unlimited data when used on the actual phone itself, like when you browse safari on your phone when youre at a jobsite or using an app or whatever. This tripped me up a bit at first so that's why I'm mentioning it.

For now though, I'll just assume you want internet at home. You can look into the cellphone plans more if you want here: 
and the ETF policies here: http://www.t-mobile.com/offer/switch-carriers-no-early-termination-fee.html and here: https://support.t-mobile.com/docs/DOC-5232

Mobile internet at home plans, go here: http://www.t-mobile.com/cell-phone-plans/mobile-internet.html. Price ranges from $20/month for 1GB, to $70/month for 11GB. If you get any plan 3GB or more, they give you a free 10GB at startup, and that 10GB is rollover-able if you don't use it all in the first month. 


As I mentioned, I bought the 4g LTE ZTE 917. The interface looks like a throwback to the 1980s, but it's legit and works well. Plug and play all the way. Also, if you do go this route and they don't tell you at the store, when you first go onto the internet, your browser will open to http://mobile.hotspot/index.html. The default password is "admin". This takes you to the account screen where you can see all your network info and adjust the settings.


Hope this helps. Apologies to OP for hijacking the thread  It's all Oh'Mike's fault. I blame him. And society. And canada..


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## oh'mike (Sep 18, 2009)

Thanks--Did I mention that I HATE AT&T?


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## JustScrewIt (Mar 14, 2015)

oh'mike said:


> Thanks--Did I mention that I HATE AT&T?


It's implied. Sorta like saying "salt is salty" or "sugar is sugary."

By the way, the device I have is a *4G LTE Z915*, not a 4g lte zte 917


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## oh'mike (Sep 18, 2009)

Thanks for the info--I like the idea---but must find out if I can get it here---


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## JustScrewIt (Mar 14, 2015)

I think your chances are pretty good. Specified location in map is 1234 Main St, St. Charles, IL. If this happens to be your exact address, know that it is purely by coincidence. Then go buy a lottery ticket


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## zolakk (Nov 28, 2012)

T-Mobile also has a thing where you can try their service out on an iPhone for 7 days for free:

http://explore.t-mobile.com/test-drive-free-trial


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## gregzoll (Dec 25, 2006)

This is a better "Heat Map" for cellular coverage. http://opensignal.com/


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