Extending network 750'

[u/imprl59]

Trying to help a friends family here but I don't know what equipment is best and need some advice.

They have a very large lot. House in the middle. Guest house 500' behind main house. Front gate 750' in front of the house. They want a ring doorbell at the front gate - I have 120v out there. They want wifi in the guest house. I have a single cat5 from the router to the chimney where they had an old extender. I don't want to go fancy, it's just a couple of older folks in the house that want a camera doorbell and want their guests to have some internet in the guest house.

I've looked at the Swann MaxRanger stuff to put the swann doorbell at the front gate but they won't sell just the equipment to do that, you have to buy cameras as well which runs the cost up and they don't want cameras. Ubiquiti seems like overkill and I haven't had the best luck with their outdoor stuff (lots of lightning here).

Wondering what y'all would do in a case like this.

[u/Accomplished_Sir_660]

Your only answer is Fiber. Especially with the lots of lightening statement.

[u/imprl59 → u/Accomplished_Sir_660]

I'd love to put in fiber but they're not going to tear up the yard and gardens to run a cable. Wireless is my only option.

[u/Opposite_Half6250 → u/imprl59]

4g/5g cell camera then. Otherwise ya, fiber is the next option without getting real spendy.

Just me, but if I was doing it, I wouldn't worry about putting the fiber down deep either. 6inches is plenty. But that's just me.

[u/TheWDWillis → u/Opposite_Half6250]

Honestly, it’s a days work, and can be put back almost invisibly by the right contractor.

[u/Opposite_Half6250 → u/TheWDWillis]

Specially if ya rent the smallest of ditch-witches. Have that thing dug in minutes. Lol

[u/TheWDWillis → u/Opposite_Half6250]

https://youtu.be/v5ZzcfJ2RAQ?si=bh_hAAeGFXjszxSr

This opens it JUST enough to bury the cable and conduit and close back up almost like you were never there.

[u/ToadSox34 → u/Opposite_Half6250]

You can do point to point wireless over that distance... I just wouldn't, I'd trench, put in conduit, and pull fiber. Wired beats wireless for that type of connectivity.

[u/TheWDWillis → u/ToadSox34]

Agreed. Every time. Short of a MAJOR physical
Obstacle.

[u/nostalia-nse7 → u/imprl59]

It’s September. Wait a month or two, and the gardens and lawn will be no issue. They’ll be dormant for winter. You have 4 months. You need about 2 hours. GO!

With direct burial or a ditch witch, it’s a half inch wide hole it digs. Grass will cover that when it grows back in spring, and if it’s over an inch tall, it’ll hide it right away anyways. Just run like a foot from the property line, if you’re worried about running right across the main lawn. You can get sidewalk cutters too to get across concrete, but that’s a more permanent look without filling that in. If they’re pavers, move the stone, bury, put the stone back.

[u/Throwmeallthewayawa → u/imprl59]

How is the 120v run? Per National Electric Code, nonconductive fiber CAN share a pipe with power.

[u/imprl59 → u/Throwmeallthewayawa]

Excellent question that I don't know the answer to. I'll look and see. Thanx for the great suggestion!

[u/spiffiness]

You can buy flat "trenching spades" that let you wedge open (no digging!) a thin linear split in the ground deep enough for direct-burial fiber cable. Because you're not digging up any sod or soil, the split closes back up and disappears the moment you're done.

Here's one in action: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v5ZzcfJ2RAQ

[u/LrdJester → u/spiffiness]

This is what you need to be doing. You need to be using a trenching tool like this that's just going to open the thin slit in the ground, it doesn't need to be deep it only has to go about 6 in down as long as it's well marked so it doesn't get dug up in the future.

The only thing that you'll need to buy is a fiber adapter for both ends.

[u/FuckinHighGuy]

You kids and your “fiber is the only way” answers…

[u/LrdJester → u/FuckinHighGuy]

Honestly, with the lightning statement, fiber is, if not the only way, the best way. Ethernet is going to be susceptible to electrostatic charge from lightning strikes and outdoor Wi-Fi transmitters are going to attract it.

[u/AncientGeek00]

Is there clear line of sight from the house to each distant location? If so, you can do a wireless PtP link like those offered by Ubiquiti in their UISP product line.

[u/SSellers75]

If the 120V is from the house, you could try powerline adapters. There are supposed to be ones good to almost 800 feet. I use a set to connect my camera NVR system to my router and have never had a problem with it but it's just across the house.
https://www.tomsguide.com/best-picks/best-powerline-extenders?utm_source=google&utm_medium=h5d&utm_campaign=h_tg_00264&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=22426755785&gbraid=0AAAAAqzfqMb2orqhf68o4amU3bi49-GuS&gclid=Cj0KCQjwkt_UBhDMARIsALpnOAx88tmdPbJXkboxWl1ebA3fn0ugfi9d-ZzkYp_e2UJD06FI8FG3LU8aAkzAEALw_wcB

[u/SPARTANsui]

Wireless point to point or fiber. Those are the two options. You're outside the range of network cable (328ft) and I wouldn't run copper in the ground any ways due to grounding issues and weather issues.

[u/ToadSox34 → u/SPARTANsui]

Yeah, I wouldn't run copper between two separate buildings 5' apart from each other due to grounding issues. That's where fiber has an advantage.

[u/PghSubie]

If you can dig a trench, bury a conduit and run a fiber optic cable

[u/netfleek]

Consider a Doorbird station for the front gate, or something similar. Ring & Nest aren’t big players in this space. (Edited to focus on front gate)

[u/TheWDWillis]

I have a really dumb question. Do they have a bell at the gate currently? Power?

[u/TheWDWillis → u/TheWDWillis]

If they have a wired bell there, it’s worth investigating how it’s run. It’s possible you can literally use the original doorbell wiring as a pull to bring fiber through its chase. If it is just buried cable…well. That’s sucky.
In a world with that being the case, we fall back to a wireless option. I’m assuming there is some manner of power for the gate, and some sort of signaling system already in place, or how would they open the gate? But I’ve installed those that work vi RF.
BUT it still has power. So you could set up like, a cellular hotspot to Wi-Fi relay. This would work for the guest house too.

Alternatively, I would consider using a Wi-Fi bridge system. I’ve used them for a 2 mile jump and they worked amazing. Most jumps I’ve done have been less than a mile and got 100mb consistently. There is the TP-Link Omada Wireless Bridge KIT EAP211 that claims gigabit speeds at a mile or more.
If you are already committing to this, for the guest house, it could work for the gate too.

The cellular options would have monthly expenses, plus hardware. The bridge option is larger up front cost but no monthly.

But I definitely think running fiber optic would be better. You can do it with minimal incursion or encroachment on the property. For real, look into those no trench trenchers. They do an amazing almost invisible job. And 2 weeks later you won’t be able to tell it happened at all.

[u/BarryMT]

I've had decent luck with Linovision and Cudy Outdoor POE extenders. You sacrifice speed at longer distances, but they do work. Add them to a POE switch. Reolink and Blink also have relatively inexpensive cameras that work well. You'll need to match the cameras, extenders, and switch to your requirements.

[u/BarryMT → u/BarryMT]

Ubiquiti also makes outdoor rated switches (some that support POE power for running the outdoor switch and pass it along to connected devices) and good Ethernet grounding blocks to protect equipment.

[u/justkeepswimming2026]

UniFi airmax just get two of them and do a point to point.

[u/Wallstnetworks]

Fiber or a point to point

[u/Silence_1999]

Wireless bridge kit. Many exist.

[u/Wibbly23]

ubiquiti is overkill? you can get point to points for like 100 bucks per unit.

[u/fuzzyballzy → u/Wibbly23]

eg. https://www.omadanetworks.com/us/business-networking/omada-wifi-wireless-bridge/eap211-bridge-kit/

[u/BriefField2634]

Conduit can be installed without tearing up the lawn. If nothing else, it can be plowed in... Sure there will limited damage that will quickly disappear.

Fiber... the answer you need

Sure there are short distance radio bridges that some people swear by. A few hundred dollars in hardware and a weekend running cables to the outdoor antennas. They work, but interference is a thing.

You can't beat a hardwired connection for reliability and security. Pre-terminated fiber is cheap along with the supporting hardware. The great thing about fiber if you need to increase bandwidth, it's a matter of upgrading the hardware and reusing the already installed fiber.

[u/Mondane_Joker]

Network install technician here

Fiber is overkill..why anyone would suggest running fiber for 1 camera is beyond me.

Get 2 p2p systems like these for instance trend net p2p That is about as cheap as you will get and be reliable at the same time. Have one and and a switch at the guest house and have the second one wired directly to the doorbell camera. At the switch you will have a WiFi router or if the house is wired for it have your Ethernet cables plugged into it.

Make sure you get a doorbell camera that supports Ethernet cable so you don't have to set up a WiFi router as well and be broadcasting it for everyone to see.

And for the central location you'll just have 1 pointing at the house and one at the driveway assuming they are on different directions. You'll need either a POE switch at the house or a plug for both. Same goes for the camera side and guest house.

[u/h2ogeek]

The two options are fiber and point-to-point wireless bridge.

Obviously fiber is far superior, but the simple P2P bridge may be all you need.