It depends on the conditions Cables are always the winner, but I have an off grid cabin that has very poor cell reception. I usually end up getting less than 2 Mbps.
But my parents live about 400 meters away and have FTTH, in the countryside, because of a local cooperative.
I looked for using a fibre but it would cost several hundred dollars to have one that resists outdoor conditions in Quebec for a few years. So I settled for Wi-Fi. I get 10 Mbps with the two repeaters and very basic antenna alignment, which is better than 2.
I’d really like to use a cable but I’m only there a few weeks a year, so this works ok.
One setup is like this for me… And the answer is stupid but it works. Apart from using Unifi dish antennas, it was using outdoor self-bury cable and a series of self-powering outdoor PoE repeaters. Bury the whole thing and you can get Ethernet out there no problem. All you need is enough power via a PoE switch or injector to power the chain.
I thought about Ethernet but apparently the run is too long, even with repeaters. It will probably not have enough power. It’s also a few hundred dollars for 400 meters of direct burial Ethernet cable, without counting the injectors and repeaters.
And most importantly, I wonder how the equipment would fare during winter when the ground is frozen solid for several months.
But maybe my fear of a few -25°C days is not justified, as I already left a Raspberry Pi in a barn with those temperatures, and it did fine. I’d have to check the temperature operating range for the equipment I use.
That’s why in the end, if I have to use a cable, I was leaning towards direct burial fibre, as it can easily cover that distance without messing with PoE on long runs, would “only” cost a few hundred dollars more, and avoid the need to try to protect the repeaters/switches.
I’m still curious though, so I guess I could just try it for fun with a cheap Ethernet cable run for a summer, then see if it’s really worth investing a bit more for the future.
I’m not a cable tech, but if I were laying my own I’d think running it through some pvc could not only make the cables more resistant but make the whole build way more expensive
It depends on the conditions Cables are always the winner, but I have an off grid cabin that has very poor cell reception. I usually end up getting less than 2 Mbps.
But my parents live about 400 meters away and have FTTH, in the countryside, because of a local cooperative.
I looked for using a fibre but it would cost several hundred dollars to have one that resists outdoor conditions in Quebec for a few years. So I settled for Wi-Fi. I get 10 Mbps with the two repeaters and very basic antenna alignment, which is better than 2.
I’d really like to use a cable but I’m only there a few weeks a year, so this works ok.
One setup is like this for me… And the answer is stupid but it works. Apart from using Unifi dish antennas, it was using outdoor self-bury cable and a series of self-powering outdoor PoE repeaters. Bury the whole thing and you can get Ethernet out there no problem. All you need is enough power via a PoE switch or injector to power the chain.
I thought about Ethernet but apparently the run is too long, even with repeaters. It will probably not have enough power. It’s also a few hundred dollars for 400 meters of direct burial Ethernet cable, without counting the injectors and repeaters.
And most importantly, I wonder how the equipment would fare during winter when the ground is frozen solid for several months.
But maybe my fear of a few -25°C days is not justified, as I already left a Raspberry Pi in a barn with those temperatures, and it did fine. I’d have to check the temperature operating range for the equipment I use.
That’s why in the end, if I have to use a cable, I was leaning towards direct burial fibre, as it can easily cover that distance without messing with PoE on long runs, would “only” cost a few hundred dollars more, and avoid the need to try to protect the repeaters/switches.
I’m still curious though, so I guess I could just try it for fun with a cheap Ethernet cable run for a summer, then see if it’s really worth investing a bit more for the future.
I’m not a cable tech, but if I were laying my own I’d think running it through some pvc could not only make the cables more resistant but make the whole build way more expensive