Getting internet to a detached garage or workshop
Run a cable to the building. Under roughly 300 feet, buried Cat6 in conduit works; beyond that, or between separate electrical services, fiber is the correct choice. Once the building has a link, an access point inside gives it full Wi-Fi.
Likely causes
Distance and surge
Copper between buildings on different electrical services creates a path for surges. Fiber carries no current and removes that risk entirely.
Wireless bridges depend on weather and line of sight
They work, until a tree fills in or the mount shifts. For a space you work in daily, cable is the one you stop thinking about.
Your options
Buried conduit with fiber or Cat6
One trench, conduit, and a pull string for later. The trench is the expensive part — size the conduit generously while it is open.
Media converters and a small switch
Fiber lands on a converter, then a small switch and an access point serve the building.
A wireless bridge as a fallback
Where trenching genuinely is not possible, a clear line of sight between two dishes is the compromise.
From the field
Pull two conduits or one oversized one. The second run — cameras, a gate, a future ADU — always comes, and re-trenching costs more than the conduit ever would.
Need to connect another building?
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Frequently asked questions
- How far can Ethernet run to an outbuilding?
- 328 feet is the standard limit, and long outdoor runs should be direct-burial rated and in conduit.
- Is fiber overkill for a garage?
- Not when the buildings have separate electrical services — it is the safer install as well as the longer-lived one.
One pro at a time
Your project goes to a single qualified local professional, not a call list.
Private by default
Your contact details are only shared with the professional who takes the project.
No technical detail needed
Describe the result you want. The pro works out the equipment.