Internet access point in the attic

[JoeJoe]

I've been using one of these:

positioned on the landing upstairs, and plugged into a power socket and a cat5e socket connected to a switch for the last couple of years, and it has worked very well.

The router is downstairs, where the walls are very thick, and with limitation on where to position it, the signal is just about OK downstairs, but very poor upstairs.

With the WR710N in place all is working well: portable devices (Android-based) automatically switch between the networks using an app, and fixed-position devices use the strongest signal available.

Problem I have is that there is no obvious place to put the WR710N (it has accidentally been kicked several times, and look pretty ugly where it is now...), so I am looking to move it to the attic. Running power and Cat5 cables there is not a problem.

I did some experiments with signal strength when placing it in the attic using extension cables. I had to leave the hatch door open as a result (almost immediately below where I intend to place it). The results were very similar to the signal strength received from its current position.

The attic is dry, floored (for storage only) with chipboard, and has several ventilation opening to the outside.

My questions are:

1. It is stated in the manual that operating temperature is between

0-40c. It regularly drops below 0c here in the winter, but unlikely to drop below 5c. Would that be a problem?

1. Would having the attic hatch closed likely to greatly affect the signal strength? Just trying to save me running the cables if not going to work...

2. I intend to provide the power by adding a spur socket connected to one of the sockets on the ring main upstairs. Would it be a good idea/necessary to connect the spur socket using a fused switch (placed next to it)? i.e. because it is in an inhabitable attic space that is somewhat open to the the elements and although dry, humidity can be pretty high there?

[bblaukopf]

Probably not. High temperatures (which I would have though is likely to happen in your loft in summer) is more likely to be a problem. Put a couple of icepacks in the freezer. Remove icepacks, wrap up router with icepacks and see what happens.

Why not try it on an extension lead? But it won't make much difference. Comparable to the interference caused by your own body, I'd guess.

ITYM uninhabitable?

Unless you mean an RCD rather than a fused switch, I don't understand the relevance of humidity. Your lighting circuit runs through the same space - does that have any problems?

Assuming you don't have a hole in your roof, it will be fine. Any problems will kill your router first.

[dennis]

8<

No. As its on all the time the device is unlikely to get condensation on it and that is the problem with cold areas.

Only if the door is metal.

If its being done correctly with T&E there would be no advantage other than being able to reset it from below. That would require the fused switch to be below and not next to it.

[JoeJoe]

Good point, forgot about it being slightly warm when turned on.

10mm ply.

I thought about this point too, but there is no easy way to have the switch downstairs.

It was only the safety aspect that I was concerned about - i.e. terminating at a pretty humid space (up to 90% in the winter)

[JoeJoe]

I've lived in this house for ~10 years, and the outside temperature has only once, briefly, been >25c. Typically in the summer it is in the low

20c's.

...because the extension cables have to go through the hatch, forcing me to leave it open... ;-)

It was terminating at the (sometimes very) humid environment that I was concerned about.

[charles]

There is a tendencey for capactors to refuse to hold charge when they get to cold.

[The Natural Philosopher]

Bollocks.

[charles]

I've met the problem - it isn't bollocks

[Chris Hogg]

That's no guide to the temperature in the loft. Our loft, with no insulation directly under the tiles, only on the joists, gets very hot on a sunny summer's day. Yours may be insulated differently.

[Clive George]

Temperatures inside roof spaces can exceed the outside air temperature if the sun is shining on the tiles/slates.

[Martin Brown]

Indeed it is condensation on cold metallic parts that will cause problems. The metals thermal inertia lags ambient air temperature.

Have to ask why is your loft space quite so humid? Insufficient ventilation invites rot.

BTW I suspect in summertime it may hit above 40C in the loft space.

Even for basic ethylene glycol capacitor electrolyte the temperature range is down to -20C. Most capacitors are good to around -50C.

Nominal capacitance decreases by about 20% as they get colder with most of that being lost between -20C and -40C - but these are not normal UK weather temperatures. -15C is the coldest I have personally seen in the UK but ISTR the mainland UK record coldest temperature is around -25C.

[JoeJoe]

The case itself is plastic.

I am not sure that it is so humid. With the attic being very well ventilated I assumed that the humidity level inside the attic will is the same as outside?

[charles]

I think, in my case, wind chill came into it.

[Brian Gaff]

I'd be tempted to try it just using long leads any old way first to see if there are any issues of coverage. If not then you only need to worry about the climate. I would say that as long as its well away from places where the rain might come in, it will last OK as as its always on its internal heat will probably keep it warm. I'm surprised though if it can get a signal to boost on another channel then why won't devices pick up the signal. I suspect the answer is probably the naff output power and small aerials in portable devices compared to something that can be mains powered.

Brian

[The Natural Philosopher]

Whatever you met, it wasn't that.

[The Natural Philosopher]

The point is he was talking about LEAKAGE. Serious leakage. That is not normally temperature dependent even on electrolytics.

[The Natural Philosopher]

More bollocks

wind chill only affects damp components, or components that generate their own heat.

Otherwise the component will be at ambient irrespective of thee wind.

[Dave Liquorice]

And I guess you have never ventured into the loft mid-afternoon on a bright sunny summers day. With just sarking under the outer roof covering temperature in the loft will be pushing 50 C, over 40 C with ease.

This is far more likely to be a problem than cold (it'll keep itself warm) or humidity. The latter might be a problem if ventilation is poor.

And why bother with mains power to it? Use PoE either passive (yuk but works) or proper 802.3af or 802.3at. The TP-Link TL-POE10R

802.3af spliter is commonly available for £9.99. The expensive bit maybe the PoE injector, I quite like the plugtop type as it's a single box solution. The ethernet cable just loops through it.

[Bill Wright]

Why not mount it in the upstairs hall just below the ceiling?

Bill

[JoeJoe]

That was my original plan, but with relatively low ceiling, it would look awful (trust me, and we are not house proud at all...)