topic Re: Trying to expand my network in Broadband & Landline

Trying to expand my network

thelodge2025 — Thu, 13 Feb 2025 21:52:37 GMT

I am trying to get better internet coverage in my newly converted garage and am currently on EE wifi 7 at 1 GBPS in the house. I ran a cable from the back of the main router in my house to the garage and plugged it into the wifi 7 booster yet it only gives me 70 MBPS. How do I get my full internet speed in the garage with a cable coming from the main router? Do i need to add a router and change the configuration to act as a AP switch only?

Re: Trying to expand my network

Mustrum — Thu, 13 Feb 2025 21:59:09 GMT

@thelodge2025 what spec was the cable? And what is the legnth of the cable?.

It sounds like it was not a good enough spec and is limiting your speeds, were it me I would be using a minimum of cat 6/7, but 8 would be better.

Re: Trying to expand my network

thelodge2025 — Thu, 13 Feb 2025 22:23:31 GMT

Thank you for the reply. It is a cat 6 cable between the main router and the garage. Distance is about 30 meters.

Re: Trying to expand my network

JimM11 — Thu, 13 Feb 2025 22:33:33 GMT

@thelodge2025 If you have a laptop with an ethernet port, plug it into the cable in the garage, see if the laptop syncs at 1000/1000 in the properties for the Ethernet port, at 70Mb/s sounds like the cable has a bad connection and you are down at the 100Mb/s range. One bad connection kills the NIC.

Also reported that the Wi-Fi Pro and smart wireless, are very picky about cabling, may be down to the fact that they are 2.5Gb/s ports. Do not use so cannot say for sure.

Re: Trying to expand my network

Mustrum — Thu, 13 Feb 2025 22:31:33 GMT

@thelodge2025 Ah OK, thats my theory out the window! Unless it is a faulty cable or connection.

Is there a way you could plug something else with a 2.5Gb Network card on the end of the cable to help test it.

Also do you get the same with a shorter cable on the extender?

Re: Trying to expand my network

JimM11 — Thu, 13 Feb 2025 22:37:27 GMT

@Mustrum Bob pullen posted up the other day regarding some testing on the Pro Smart wireless ports, producing crap signal throughput but was way better up in the 600mb/s speed if i remember,

Re: Trying to expand my network

Mustrum — Thu, 13 Feb 2025 22:37:34 GMT

@thelodge2025 Just to avoid confusion, are you on a 900Mbps or 1.6Gb package?

I was thinking or looking at link speeds, but speed tests are also helpful, so let us know which you are showing.

Re: Trying to expand my network

thelodge2025 — Thu, 13 Feb 2025 22:38:59 GMT

Thanks. I will need to try that and see if it connects correctly without the booster and straight into the laptop ethernet. What about adding a router on the end and making it effectively a switch, is that viable if the cable is a good cable and works fine?

Re: Trying to expand my network

thelodge2025 — Thu, 13 Feb 2025 22:41:56 GMT

The extenders are not very workable. I have two, one in the garage right now (where my cat 6 is plugged into giving me 70 MBPS) and one in the kitchen in the house, whereas the main router is at the front door of the house. When I added the extender in the kitchen and just had it powered on, no other cables attached, it then only gave my entire house 70 MBPS, when I removed it completely, the speed went back to normal at 500 MBPS plus....??? My first time with these wifi 7 extenders...do not seem to work very well.

Re: Trying to expand my network

Mustrum — Thu, 13 Feb 2025 23:03:50 GMT

@thelodge2025 Probably best not to ask too many more questions at this point, and let you get the cable tested.

After that, what is it you need connecting in the garage?

Rather than a router, a simple switch might be a simpler option.

And for now, if you are getting 600Mbps without the extenders, why on earth use them??

Re: Trying to expand my network

thelodge2025 — Thu, 13 Feb 2025 22:59:09 GMT

I agree will double check the cable. I do not need the extender in the house, it is fine without it I was just saying how weird it is that once plugged in, it limited my actual signal, eversus expanding it.

When you say a switch would work, can you recommend what I should buy in this regard? I am not familiar with switches so any recommendation is appreciated.

Re: Trying to expand my network

thelodge2025 — Thu, 13 Feb 2025 23:01:18 GMT

That said, the cable is working in some capacity as the garage is at least getting 70 MBPS via the booster whereas it wasn't getting any prior. It just needs to be replicating the house wifi or at elast a better than 70 MBPS speed for me to connect some devices etc.

Re: Trying to expand my network

JimM11 — Thu, 13 Feb 2025 23:09:20 GMT

@thelodge2025 Let's hang fire with anything extra at present, the extenders and router wired connection backhaul has been proven to work, that's the whole object of connecting the unit to shove the wireless extender signal device connection down the Ethernet cable. so the theory is what you get standing at the router say 800mb/s on a wireless device, you can go do the same standing at the smart wireless and it should in theory be up there or there abouts as long as the device has connected to the extender and not all the way back to the router.... Devices make the decision as where the want/need to go, and if they can think that the router is best, though it may not be then if they see the signal they can be stubborn and not move.!

Re: Trying to expand my network

Ewan15 — Fri, 14 Feb 2025 07:32:10 GMT

@thelodge2025 I have seen this happen when you first connect an extender using an ethernet cable. Have you rebooted the router and the extender(s)? Doing so fixed the speed issue for me.

Re: Trying to expand my network

JimM11 — Fri, 14 Feb 2025 08:30:24 GMT

@Ewan15 Just in case you missed this some info regarding testing that was carried out.

Reduced throughput of ‘Smart WiFi plus” Ethernet ports - slow - The EE Community

Re: Trying to expand my network

Mustrum — Fri, 14 Feb 2025 09:25:13 GMT

Thanks @JimM11 I had not seen that one.

@thelodge2025 The link above is well worth a read before you get too involved in testing..

Re: Trying to expand my network

JimM11 — Fri, 14 Feb 2025 09:29:35 GMT

@Mustrum Yip, Bob is one off the people that certainly knows what he is doing and what it's all about. And if he say's so then in my reading his post there is going to be NO refute to it, that's for sure.

Re: Trying to expand my network

thelodge2025 — Fri, 14 Feb 2025 13:55:12 GMT

Ok sounds good....will review it.

Re: Trying to expand my network

thelodge2025 — Fri, 14 Feb 2025 13:57:17 GMT

I read it but not technically savvy enough to understand my solve...any suggestions on what I should do next?

Re: Trying to expand my network

Profile closed — Fri, 14 Feb 2025 14:59:03 GMT

First and foremost, while an inadequate/faulty cable may limit speed, the cable does not determine the speed. That is down to negotiation between the two network cards either end. They sometimes screw it up, hence the reason a reboot is a good idea. If one of the devices connected is only 100Mb/s capable this can confuse the negotiation as well.

Cat 5e (the e is important; Cat 5 won’t do) or Cat 6 is the appropriate cable here. Cat 6 can (unofficially) handle 10Gb/s at 50m. Cat 7 will do but is over spec. Cat 8 is way over spec. It is intended as a copper alternative to fibre in data centres and only rated to 30m. 5e/6/7 are rated to 100m (in theory). Working techies rarely push beyond 80m as the 100m figure is a perfect install under lab test conditions. Even so, the cable needs to be good quality pure copper, not CCA or CCS (copper clad aluminium and steel). Connections 1, 2, 3 and 6 are enough to give 100Mb/s so a break/bad contact in one of the other wires will knock the speed down. You need all 8 connections for gigabit.

Assuming the cable is good, problems like this usually lie elsewhere.