How Do I Get WIFI In My Pub Shed

How do I get WIFI in my pub shed is the exact question I have asked myself. So I set about finding out, and got it sorted which was simple. Well I thought I had sorted it, however it didn’t work. But now I have the best solution.

To get WIFI in my pub shed I invested in a WIFI Extender, a simple plug and go device which didn’t work. However with more in depth research the only reliable solution is to run a Cat 6 ethernet cable to a wireless dual band WIFI router in my pub shed.

It may be a little more involved than the plug and go option, but it works. Read on for the full story.

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How Do I Get WIFI In My Pub Shed?

If you want a TV or music in your bar, or just want to surf the net then you will need a good internet connection.

This applies to any outbuilding in a garden, whether it be a shed, summerhouse, workshop or office. The solution is the same no matter what the building or use.

I have a simple music set up in my pub shed which makes use of a tablet on the wall connected to speakers. I use a radio app and Spotify and it works well. While my house WIFI works in the bar it only has one signal bar.

This is fine most of the time, but the signal does fall out sometimes, which is a little annoying.

So here is my solution to the signal problem.

WIFI Extender For My Pub Shed

After a little research on the internet and pub shed Facebook groups there seemed to be two main options. The two options fit to what most people do for their internet needs in garden buildings.

Option one is a simple WIFI extender which basically means it extends the signal by forwarding it on. A simple plug and go solution that sounds perfect.

So I went ahead and purchased one which said it could extend the signal by around 30 metres. My pub shed is within that range so all is good.

The instructions were simple, plug it in to the nearest electrical socket to the garden building. Connect with existing router and your good to go.

That all works, however it did not boost the signal at all, I still had only one bar.

Another set of instructions tells you to set up a separate SSID or network name. You do this online and basically it extends your internet service providers signal.

Then in the pub shed instead of connecting to the house router network name you connect to the new network name from the WIFI booster.

Ahh, all set.

It didn’t make any difference at all, still just one signal bar, so it was back to the drawing board.

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How To Get WIFI In My Pub Shed Using Ethernet Cable + Router

Option two is to run an ethernet cable from the house router to the pub shed and connect to a separate router.

This is what a lot of pub shedders do, and it works perfectly.

However all though it sounds simple enough, it does require a lot more work. Most peoples router (including mine) are at the front of the house, while the garden building is at the back of the house. And a lot of the time right at the end of the garden.

So running a cable all that way is a bit of a faff, although it is not the first time, we did it with the electric cable.

So this is my solution for my pub shed internet needs. I will run an outdoor Cat 6 ethernet cable (Amazon Associate Link) from my house router to my pub shed.

This will plug into the back of the house router. The other end will plug into a TP-Link AC1200 WIFI Router (Amazon Associate Link). This will give me a stable WIFI connection without the signal dropping out.

Two More WIFI Extending Options

While I have tried the simple plug and go WIFI extender that did not work for me. And I have included the Ethernet + router option as a solution because that is my method of choice.

There are two other options; One being Powerline Network Adapters which basically means getting a WIFI signal by plugging two adapters, one in the house and one in the garden building which connect to each other.

Two being WIFI point to point which is two small units mounted on the external property and the garden building. Again they connect to each other.

For more information about these two options Crown Pavilions have a good explanation in their WIFI article.

Although these two options seem viable, I am still opting for the Ethernet + router. It might be a little more work, but I think it is the best solution for an uninterrupted WIFI signal in my pub shed.

The reason I decided on the particular TP-Link router was after watching the video. John has gone for the same router and it works well.

By the way his channel Life of John is worth checking out as he has a lot of good Pub Shed material. Also he is entertaining, I love his video’s.

How Much Will It Cost To Get WIFI In My Pub Shed?

The original WIFI extender I bought is a Joowin WR302s, I won’t link to the page as it says it is not secure. However, I can confirm it is not worth looking at, but cost £30.00.

Other pub shedders using a simple WIFI extender seem to all pick a TP-Link extender (Amazon Associate Link), there are plenty of models. May be that is what I should have bought in the first place. They range in price from around £20.00 to £70.00.

The ethernet + router set up I am using is around £60.00.

The ethernet cable cost depends on the length you choose, I am choosing a 50M Mr Tronic Cat 6 ethernet cable (Amazon Associate Link) which is £35.00. The router is a TP-Link AC1200 Wireless Router (Amazon Associate Link) is £27.99.

I will need some fixing cleats for fixing the cable on its route to the pub shed, this will take the cost up to around sixty quid.

Conclusion

My first attempt at getting a stable WIFI connection in my pub shed turned out to be a cock up. I think this is solely down to a sub standard product.

However although I think using a TP-Link extender will suffice because they seem to work for a lot of people with pub sheds, garden rooms or office.

Having said that I decided on the Ethernet cable + router set up. I know it involves a little work, but I think it will be worth it in the long run.

I will document and report on the installation and the end result when I fit this set up to my pub shed.

In the meantime, which set up do you think is the best?

Share your thoughts below.