Running Ethernet throughout the House

Knut

Knut

New Member
Hello All,

Recently I have not been satisfied with my internet speeds at all. I am currently getting around 13 Mbps, according to speedtest.net. The reason I am so unhappy with this is because the router is downstairs and my other family members are getting around 65 - 70 Mbps. I have always wanted an Ethernet connection, and I don't really like running off a small WiFi dongle. What are my options in terms of running an Ethernet cable to the router one floor down? Any other suggestions as to how to get a faster connection or how to get Ethernet when the router placement cannot be changed?

Thanks in advance!
 
beers

beers

Moderator
Staff member
A lot of people run them through the walls. You could get by with a simple wallplate and keystone jack on each side and then you would punch down the run in between them both.

Sometimes you can get away with snaking the cable around door frames and similar but it usually looks kind of tacky even if you use some cable raceway

What kind of distance would you be looking at? Something like Cat6 supports 1000 mbps speed up to 100 meters in length for the entire run.
 
Knut

Knut

New Member
I am looking at around 50 meters, If I were to try to hide the cable. Around 30 if I were to just let the cable go straight to the router. The problem is, the wall in my room does in no way shape or form connect to the wall which the router is close to. I am going to try and run the cable to the computer, just to see what speeds I were to get, and then make a decision as to what I might do next. I'll do that and then get back to here with a speed result.
 
C4C

C4C

Well-Known Member
You could pull of the corner of your carpet and wire it against the wall, then push the carpet back down. I did that in my front room to get my 25ft cable from the router, through the wall, and then around to the other side.
 
Geoff

Geoff

VIP Member
If you find out that you can't run an ethernet cable between the two, you could always look at replacing your wireless router and USB adapter with 802.11ac units with external antennas.
 
Knut

Knut

New Member
Ok so I ran a test and with Ethernet my brothers laptop got around 60 Mbps, which is quite nice. However, looking at my options there is no way that I will be able to run ethernet. The router is on a different floor and running the cable would really be a hastle. So I need to find a wireless solution. You guys mentioned Powerline Internet Adapters, if I were to install one of them, and run ethernet from the the adapter, would I see a speed increase? I am thinking that the slower speeds that I am getting have something to do with the wireless adapter I am using with my computer. It runs via USB but it is very old. Do you thinking installing a better USB dongle might increase the speed a little bit?`Something like this maybe? Is USB a bad way to go? I was thinking that I could use a USB extension cable aned move the adaptor closer to the router?
 
johnb35

johnb35

Administrator
Staff member
What is the model of your current usb wireless adapter? If you were on the same level as the wireless router, how far away woud you be from it? You could possibly run an ethernet cable from first router to second router directly above/below you depending on how its setup and get better wireless signal. But if your adapter is old and the driver isn't updated then that might be the issue.
 
Agent Smith

Agent Smith

Well-Known Member
Knut said:
Ok so I ran a test and with Ethernet my brothers laptop got around 60 Mbps, which is quite nice. However, looking at my options there is no way that I will be able to run ethernet. The router is on a different floor and running the cable would really be a hastle. So I need to find a wireless solution. You guys mentioned Powerline Internet Adapters, if I were to install one of them, and run ethernet from the the adapter, would I see a speed increase? I am thinking that the slower speeds that I am getting have something to do with the wireless adapter I am using with my computer. It runs via USB but it is very old. Do you thinking installing a better USB dongle might increase the speed a little bit?`Something like this maybe? Is USB a bad way to go? I was thinking that I could use a USB extension cable aned move the adaptor closer to the router?
Click to expand...


If you have a bad WIFI connection now more than likely no USB WIFI adapter will fix that. They do sell some PCI-e WIFI cards with directional antennas though, but since the source of the signal is below you it most likely won't work either.

Depending on the quality of your electrical wiring Internet over power line adapters may work better. You should get a better speed than what you get now with WIFI. Just make sure that you use a good brand with good reviews if you go that route.
 
Knut

Knut

New Member
johnb35 said:
What is the model of your current usb wireless adapter? If you were on the same level as the wireless router, how far away woud you be from it? You could possibly run an ethernet cable from first router to second router directly above/below you depending on how its setup and get better wireless signal. But if your adapter is old and the driver isn't updated then that might be the issue.
Click to expand...

If I were to be in the same place on the bottom floor I would only be a couple of meters away from the router, maybe 8-10.
 
Knut

Knut

New Member
Agent Smith said:
If you have a bad WIFI connection now more than likely no USB WIFI adapter will fix that. They do sell some PCI-e WIFI cards with directional antennas though, but since the source of the signal is below you it most likely won't work either.

Depending on the quality of your electrical wiring Internet over power line adapters may work better. You should get a better speed than what you get now with WIFI. Just make sure that you use a good brand with good reviews if you go that route.
Click to expand...

The thing is I have a feeling that I might have had a better internet connection when I first starting using the adapter. I'll have a look at some powerline options and then see what I find! Thanks!
 
NikonGuy

NikonGuy

banned
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00AWRUIY4/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

This is through out my house, works perfectly. This should solve your problem completely. You plug the Ethernet into the router and into one of these, then you plug on in the wall, then take the other plug it into a socket somewhere near your computer and run a short Ethernet cable from it to your computer and done.

( I get the same speeds on this on the other side of house as with the other computer hooted directly up to the router. )
 
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Knut

Knut

New Member
Great, thanks for all of the responses! I will have a look at my options. I will most probably go with the powerline option! Thanks again
 
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