Ethernet extending

There is a house with internet access, and there is a workshop/guesthouse which has a phone line connecting to the house. The phone line is a copper wire pair, nothing fancy. The challange is to provide internet access through this wire. No rewiring, no wifi, just this line.

There are extenders that can do this, but they cost several hundred $. These are based on dsl technology, so my idea is, that I put two dsl modems (I have two d-link dsl-360r) on both ends of the wire. Connect one to the router in the house, and the other to another router in the guest house. The distance is a below 100 meters. Both routers run dd-wrt. Will this setup work? If so, what additional step I need to take, other than described above? If not working, why?

user350664

Posted 2014-07-28T05:58:34.610

Reputation: 11

I don't think your concept of "router to router" DSL will work because it's the modem that does the dialling to a service provider and has to verify username, password, negotiate speed etc. You're attempting to connect two endpoint devices together and they won't communicate together as "dial-up"... You could look at slower Ethernet technology as the twisted pairs you have might not get 100Mbps. You could possibly look at 10Mbps and use the second of your routers in "bridged" mode to act as an access point from your main modem/router – Kinnectus – 2014-07-28T07:48:39.717

If this can't be done then you can simply run a [no longer than] 100m Cat5 cable between the two locations (you'll need to protect it, of course). Then, as above, use the other router as a simply an access point. – Kinnectus – 2014-07-28T07:52:01.243

Is it a single wire pair or do you have two pairs? If you have at least 3 lines you could use a serial connection (using TX, RX and signal group). Run PPP over the serial connection and you are done. – Hennes – 2014-07-28T11:50:54.307

The authentication, dialup etc. is the computers responsibility, not the modem. The modem modulates the ethernet signal to be able to carried throught the phone line, only to work with the physical layer. – user350664 – 2014-07-29T05:16:56.117

Answers

This setup would not work as DSL networks are designed to allow only one device to be connected over a single line at time to the ISP and two routers would simply "confuse" the system.

You could 1)as previously suggested, run a cat5 ethernet cable between the 2 locations, granted that the cable length is less than 100m

2)Use inexpensive powerline adapters so as to create an ethernet network over the power lines (Range varies depending on model, but i believe max 300m or so)

3)Use a wireless ADSL router (which is rather inexpensive) along with a wireless adapter, whose range might be sufficient to cover the distance in you scenario

Bash

Posted 2014-07-28T05:58:34.610

Reputation: 1

I don't want to attempt to connect to the isp with to modems. I simply want to modulate the ethernet signal with one modem, send through the wire, and modulate on the other end. – user350664 – 2014-07-29T05:13:31.603

You wont be able to extend the network without spending some money.

You'll need to get the signal to the workshop using either wired or wireless tech. I know you said no wifi, but a point to point bridge can be quite reliable (and fast) when set up correctly if they are your concerns. If you do want a wireless system, a good place to start looking is at Ubiquiti.

To use the existing wire, you'll need a device or two specifically set up to use the single pair. The DSL extenders do different 'stuff' to a home router (as Big Chris said), so two home routers wont work; you'd need the extender.

Running your own cat5e/6 cable would work, but if the two buildings have different earths (at 100m they may), problems may arise with voltage differentials, which can damage equipment (an entirely different question, ask a new one if you go this route).

As Bash said, powerline adapters may be used, but i have no experience with them and their capabilities.

zMaile

Posted 2014-07-28T05:58:34.610

Reputation: 21