WIFI MINI - Ethernet

[IanWS]

I have a wifi mini EE router and I tried to set up a sonos s1 music system but can't do it as the router needs an Ethernet socket.

Is there a way to get round this?

Many thanks in advance.

Ian.

[mikeliuk]

Hi @IanWS ,

The simplest solution would be to replace your WiFi Mini EE router with a 4G LTE router which has multiple gigabit Ethernet ports.

A workaround would be to obtain a device which can connect to your current router and act as an Access Point (with WiFi backhaul) but this configuration is more complex and has higher latency with a WiFi hop.

Alternatively, you may enquire with the manufacturer as to their recommended workaround as they may have a device-specific workaround such as to add an accessory or another of their devices as an intermediary.

[IanWS]

Hi mikeliuk ,

Could I just get a wifi extender (tp-link re650 or similar) and use the ethernet port on that?

[XRaySpeX]

The USB port provides a quasi-Ethernet connection.

[mikeliuk]

Hi @IanWS ,

A WiFi extender is a possibility where the WiFi extender would connect via WiFi to your router and then function as an Access Point for further WiFi and wired devices.

I would usually only prefer this option if you own a WiFi extender already for whatever reason. The WiFi hop between the router and the WiFi extender adds latency and jitter so it's not really a long-term or production-ready solution unless your demands are quite low.

If you find the audio quality to suffer, that would be a sign that you need to look into other options.

[EssexBoyEE]

@XRaySpeX wrote, The USB port provides a quasi-Ethernet connection.

In my experience the USB as an Ethernet on these LTE Routers is only really useful for PC / Lappy as Windows will autoload the Drivers, so doable via the that route but as for a adding USB to Ethernet direct or through another Router with RJ45 Ports could be quiet challenging without the Drivers.