I agree 50m is easy for wireless when you have line of sight,
though using a external antenna is often better. ( I found good old lead glass masks wifi quite well)

Yes an external directional antenna would work fine at this range.

The OP could use something such as a NanoStation M2 Loco just one on the outside of the main building if the guest building walls are not too thick or if the signal can be seen from a guest window.

Or could use a pair one on each building to form a link. In that case, one could use the M5 version (5GHz) for less interference.

Whatever the method to link the buildings, the OP may want to consider the choice of router / firewall in the main building if the guest access needs to have its own LAN distinct from the owners, but that is a separate question.

These guys
http://www.broadbandbuyer.co.uk/Shop/ShopDetail.asp?...
do a 150Mbps up to 4km line of site wireless for £125. This is probably the cheapest solution

If both buildings are on different phases this could well be an issue

How about two of these units

http://www.solwise.co.uk/wireless-outdoor-bridging-e...

Have a look at the video.

Hi all,

I have done a very good article on my site about establishing multi-building home networks like your setup with the farmhouse and the cottage. It is on my site at http://homenetworking01.info/2008/11/feature-article... and have looked at the use of a dedicated-wire run, a wireless run or a HomePlug powerline setup. I have written it also to encompass the use of those charming old caravans that some people like to buy as a way of creating extra living space, with my preference fo HomePlug as a preferred link for those vans.

With regards,

Simon Mackay

Most of the possible options are listed above. Here's my take on each (caution, contains opinions)

As-is wireless - Fiddly to keep reliable over that distance without dedicated kit. Driving a tractor and trailer across the yard would probably cause the link to drop.

Wirelsss w. external antennae - Feasible, would require specific kit at each end and some configuration. A day's work plus the equipment costs, probably. Still some risk of interruption, but much less with careful siting.

Homeplug - Really, really simple if it works. No "sunk" costs, you can remove and re-site the kit easily.

CAT5 - risk of physical damage, not the cheapest solution, and some risk from different earth potentials between buildings, and lightning strike. Can be mitigated with surge protection, but this is becoming expensive. Definitely worth it if there is a need for Proper Bandwidth betwen the buildings, rather than enough to drive email and web browsing.

Fibre - the safest, highest-bandwidth option. You can buy a ready-made cable and a couple of converters, but again, it's not a particularly cheap option.


For that distance, I would try Homeplugs first. My own garage is connected to the house's main board with a longer cable than that. Works perfectly and has done for years. Buy a pair of the 200mbps ones from Argos and try it. (£50 for tp-link, £75 for Netgear)

If you rummage through some of my old posts you'll find numbers for distance and bandwidth acheived with 85Mbps plugs. More than good enough for general internet and email access, it's the ADSL that's the likely bottleneck.


edit - The reason I sugegsted Argos instead of somewhere cheaper was the low-hassle returns policy.

Edited by deleted (Mon 30-Jan-12 20:14:06)

Thank you for all the replies and information. I will get back to him with the suggestion of trying Argos as if the homplugs do not work, he can always return them.

I wouldn't usually recommend Argos you understand

If they want wireless in the "shed" these may be worth a look, one plug also contains a wireless access point,

http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/partNumber/558...