Zeni Mini Mk 3 how best to link to distant router

[silverfox]

I have just had ultrafast fibre put in. Unfortunately, I forgot that the Zenmini Mk3 was not wireless: now my router is in the front of the house and the mini is in the back! I am trying to investigate the best way to link it up with the router. The options so far are:
- Ethernet cable -about 25m would be need, according to the engineer who fitted the fibre-
- Mesh system
Any advice would be greatly appreciated. I am really missing the sound of the mini: so spacious.

 

[Toneranger]

I use the TP Link ax3000 range expander, my router is in the basement and my Zen MK 3 is up 2 floors in a loft. This has worked great and no issues with sound quality. An easy hookup too. Good luck. Cost was around $100 at Best Buy.

 

[silverfox]

Thank you Toneranger I will take a look at that.

 

[Digger]

I had a similar problem a couple years back with the router two rooms away. I initially usedpower line adapters (I didn't have mesh at the time but do now) and whilst this worked the powerline was a nuisance with it disconnecting. I eventually made the decision to put in a lengthy ethernet cable. It involved drilling through two walls and dressing the cable neatly. I used a white flat cable that is just narrower than the top of my skirting boards which are also white and using a thin super sticky 3M double sided sticky tape stuck the cable to to the skirting boards, up & around two frames and through the drilled holes. I also added covers that are the same size as a single electrical socket with a brushed opening to neaten things up around the holes.
My wife was really apprehensive of all this cabling looking untidy but when finished she agreed it is virtually unnoticeable. Another solution is to run the cable through very small angled trucking that if fitted to skirting boards/bottom of a wall is also unnoticeable but does cost more. My sticking cable to skirting boards cost about £40 and 3 hours work.
Sound quality wise, despite using a generic cat 7 cable, was better than the powerlines, not unexpected really given the downsides of using powerlines.
What really improved things was when I added an English Electric 8way network switch (apologies to Innuos but I can't afford your network switch) to the end of cable prior to entry to my Zen. Slightly off topic but another SQ improvement was made when I put an iFi power supply to my TalkTalk router.
If I may suggest I would first try linking to a node on your mesh if you already have a mesh system. Nothing to do with audio but I added a Mercusys H70X mesh to my router about a year ago due to poor wifi signals in parts of the house and it has been totally stable with download speeds the same as at the router throughout the house. If you don't yet have a mesh system a purchase from Amazon can always be returned if it doesn't work for you.

 

[silverfox]

Digger

Thank you very much for your detailed reply
The double side sticky tape is a stroke of genius.
I have looked at the flat cable but i think it will be too wide for some of my door edges.How wide is your tape? The skirting in one of our room is varnished bear wood so running along the tops is out but the walls as while.
What are angled tucks and where do you get them?
The Ifi power supply, is it a specific name, voltage?
I have heard of net work switches but what do they do?
Again thanks for your extensive reply

keith

 

[london_r]

Might sound a bit of an odd question, however is there an aerial connection for a television in both rooms?

I have had some good experience with MoCA adapters (basically these are ethernet <> coax adapters). They provide very high bandwidth and a stable connection over existing coax that you might already have in both rooms.

I have also used powerline adapters too, however with mixed results - generally they have worked ok but if you look at the performance they tend to introduce much more jitter and occasional packet loss than MoCA adapters. I found they work well enough for streaming audio as the buffers in modern streamers can handle this fine, but there are better options mentioned elsewhere in this thread. The benefit of course of powerline is that is uses your mains cabling.

 

[Digger]

Hi Keith,
No problem with detailed advice. It was an issue I pondered for a couple years. I will try to answer your questions in order.
The flat cable I used was

Veetop 25m Flat Cat8 Ethernet Cable, 26AWG Cat 8 Network Internet Lan Cable High Speed 40Gbps​

Available from Amazon. It is 8.8mm wide.
I would mention that I now believe that Cat8 Cable is possibly not the best choice having read somewhere that it introduces interference more than Cat 6 or 7. I won't be changing mine to find out as I'm more than happy but perhaps worth considering for you.

The double sided tape was, again from Amazon

CANOPUS 3M Double Sided Tape Heavy Duty, VHB Tape

This stuff is super sticky and will stick to just about anything. If you do use it I would advise sticking it to the surface you intend to run the ethernet along and leave it for at least 24hours before removing the top paper and sticking the cable to it otherwise as you manipulate the cable into place likely it will pull the tape away. Once stuck it is solid and to remove it you will need to heat it up with a hairdryer or heat gun.

There are no angles or tucks to buy as the cable is laid bare. It is reasonably flexible but on 45 degree turns you will have a slight curving gap. I have attached photos of my installation. I also had to nip away at the skirting and door frames with a Stanley knife to allow a smooth flow as well as buy a 25mm masonry drill bit to allow the ethernet plug to go through. Just cover the plug with cling film or similar before pushing it through. The final photo shows the cable entering with cover at the rear of the system.

The iFi power supply was the iFi Power X. They do a slightly cheaper option and much more expensive option but through research on the Web I found numerous reviews of the Power X being used for routers. The voltage will depend on your router. It should be printed on the plug. If not an Internet search of your device with reveal it. Mine is a 12v for example. Order the power supply with the same voltage. The specifications will also talk about Amps. So long as the Amp capacity of the new supply is equal or above your current device there's no issue. If you current unit is say 2 Amps anything equal or above that is fine.

Network switches. That's a real can of worms. I have no knowledge of Internet protocols or what a packet is when referred to in Internet terms other than through basic research on the Internet. What I can say is that a good switch makes, some may say no difference or at best subtle, I say a very worthwhile improvement that's difficult to describe. The music just sounds more relaxed, coherent and dare I say musical. From my basic understanding ethernet cables carry voltage and therefore noise. The switch goes some way in breaking this chain. I was wary of this as it flies in face of 50 or more years being told adding switches in a hifi chain degrades sound quality. I was wrong.

Innuos do their own Switch. Have read up on the website and seek out reviews of it for a better understanding. Unfortunately I really can't afford it so took another route and purchased an English Electric 8 switch. Not exactly cheap at £500 but they do appear on Internet auction sites at getting on for half that.

Hopefully this helps.

Keith.

 

[silverfox]

Dear London,
Thank you for your reply

 

[silverfox]

Dear Digger,

Thank you for all the details very helpful thank you.

Keith

 

[luca.pelliccioli]

Have you considered going fiber optic from point A (router) to point B (system)?

Using Fiber Media Converters for instance, lot of them on amazon or on audiophile websites. Easy cabling on the run (even if delicate to be managed) and a cost effective solution.

That could also bring improvements in SQ and enough room to further implementations in future (switches).