Guides

Wired internet at home, answered

The questions people ask before they get a cable put in, answered properly. Written by Jon, from his own house in Levenshulme.

• Can you run ethernet cable outside a house?

  Yes. What an outside cable run looks like, how it copes with the weather, what can stop it, and when it beats running cable indoors.

• How do I get wired internet upstairs when the router is downstairs?

  Four ways to get a proper connection to an upstairs room, what each costs and where each falls down, from someone who tried most of them.

• How much does it cost to get ethernet installed?

  What a wired connection to one room costs in South Manchester, what's included, what makes a job cost more, and why some prices online look lower.

• How do I get good internet in a loft conversion?

  Why wifi is so often bad in a converted loft, what to do while the build is still open, and how to wire a loft room that's already finished.