Garden offices, garages and workshops tend to be built right where the Wi-Fi gives up. The router’s inside a house with solid outside walls, the outbuilding has walls of its own, and metal cladding or a metal garage door can stop the signal almost completely.
So if you’ve tried a Wi-Fi extender for your garage or shed and been disappointed, you’re not alone. What works is bringing a proper connection to the building, then setting up good Wi-Fi once you’re inside it.
Two ways to get a connection out there
An outdoor network cable
We’d normally start here. A cable gives you a fast, steady connection, and the weather, the trees and next door’s Wi-Fi won’t affect it. We use cable made for outdoors or for going in the ground, and we’ll plan the route with you, perhaps along a fence or a wall.
If you’re having a garden office built, or laying a new path or patio, tell us early. That can be the perfect time to get a cable in.
The cable connects to an access point inside the outbuilding, and in many cases it can power that access point too.
A wireless link between the buildings
If digging or a long cable run isn’t practical, two small outdoor antennas can link the buildings. They need to be able to see each other, so we check the line of sight during the survey. Because the link is aimed at one spot, it’s far stronger than ordinary Wi-Fi spreading out in every direction.
What people use it for
- A garden office where video calls need to stay connected
- A garage or workshop with music, how-to videos or a connected charger
- A summer house or annexe for family and guests
- A shed with a smart device that keeps dropping off
What we’ll check first
We’ll look at how far apart the buildings are, what they’re made of, where a cable could go, and whether there’s power at the far end. We’ll also check the network indoors, because the outbuilding can only ever be as good as the connection it’s joined to.
If you need new electrics out there, like a mains supply, you’ll need a qualified electrician for that part. We’ll let you know if it comes to that.
Outbuildings at work
This works for businesses too. A workshop, stock building or yard office on the same site can join the main network, so it isn’t left running on a weak signal.
Tell us about your outbuilding
Send us an enquiry with a rough idea of the distance and what you use the building for. If you’ve got weak spots in the house as well, we can look at those on the same visit.