Wi-Fi Coverage at My House
Written on Apr 9, 2026
I know I just wrote about broadband Internet, but I need to emphasize some details about the current Internet connection at my house in the Philippines. I find it amazing that I worked this all out without relying on anyone else to help me.
Wi-Fi is something I didn't have at my house in the Philippines until after the end of 2014. The router was in my bedroom at the time, so I never suffered from a lack of coverage.
I terminated the Internet service in 2018 when my wife, Josie, and I left for the United States. The pandemic was the primary reason we didn't return to the Philippines until 2022.
While we were gone, a relative turned on the Internet service at the house. He placed the router in another bedroom so that our relatives in the houses next to us could get Wi-Fi coverage.
When we returned in 2022, I discovered the coverage was lacking in our bedroom as well as other places inside and outside. It took me a few years to realize the solution to the problem.
The Problem
The house was built with more cement than anything else in 2006. Other than electrical wiring, the only other connectivity was cable. There were cable jacks in multiple rooms, and we used all of them except for one until we no longer used cable services for anything.
Having it built with cement was a good idea. The house has survived more typhoons and earthquakes than I can remember, with minor structural damage. Unfortunately, Wi-Fi signals don't penetrate cement walls very well.
While I was in the United States in 2025, I researched ways to increase connectivity in the house. Wi-Fi extenders, including power line adapters, would not work. I had to do something radically different.
The Solution
I don't remember what month I started ordering things, but it had to be at least two months before I returned to the Philippines. Cargo boxes shipped from the United States take at least 45 days to get to the Philippines, but I think it took more than three months this time.
I shipped three TRENDnet MoCA (Multimedia over Coax) adapters to connect to three cable jacks, and I ordered two Xiaomi routers from Lazada.com and had them delivered long before I returned to the Philippines
It took some time to get all of the devices set up. I connected one MoCA adapter to the main router and the cable jack in that room. I connected another device to a new router in my bedroom. I connected my mini PC to that router using an Ethernet cable.
I connected the last MoCA adapter to a new router in the downstairs living room. I connected the new 55-inch smart TV to the network by Ethernet. The only things connecting to routers by Wi-Fi now are mobile phones, our "karaoke" TV outside, and other people's devices.
The only time I don't have Internet coverage at all is when there's a power outage. I can sometimes use the data on my phone, but I usually find something else to do until the power returns.
Image from Google Street View via Google Maps