Farm networking terms, in plain English

The free national call-before-you-dig service. Utilities mark their buried lines before you dig.

Contact it a few business days before any digging.

Where this matters

The box that makes Wi-Fi in a building. Plug it into the link at the far end.

Outdoor-rated ones cope better with barns and shops. Many run on PoE.

Where this matters

The link that carries a mesh node's or access point's traffic back to the main router. Wired backhaul is far more reliable between buildings.

Where this matters

Connecting metal parts and grounds together so they stay at the same voltage during a surge.

A separate, unbonded ground rod can make surge damage worse. Electrician work if you're unsure.

Where this matters

A Starlink router setting that turns off its Wi-Fi so your own router or mesh system takes over.

Starlink's own mesh nodes stop working in bypass mode.

Where this matters

Carrier-grade NAT: your provider shares one public IPv4 address among many customers, so nothing outside can connect in to your devices.

Cameras that connect out to their maker's cloud work fine. Cameras that need port forwarding or DDNS don't, until you add a fix like Tailscale.

Where this matters

Pipe buried in the trench that the cable runs through, so you can pull a new cable later without digging.

Use sweeping bends where it turns up into a building and leave a pull string inside.

Where this matters

Ethernet cable made to be buried without a pipe: a tough polyethylene jacket plus water-blocking gel or tape.

Indoor cable and plain outdoor (UV-rated) cable aren't made to sit in wet soil and fail underground. Direct-burial cable can also go in conduit.

Where this matters

A small device on a data cable that sends a surge to ground instead of into your gear. Only works when grounded.

Use one where a copper cable enters each building, bonded to that building's grounding electrode.

Where this matters

The football-shaped space around the straight line between two radios. Keep at least 60% of it clear.

It's widest in the middle of the link and wider at lower frequencies and longer distances.

Where this matters

A clear, straight view between two radios: no trees, hills, roofs or leaves in the way.

Radio needs a little more than a thin line: keep most of the Fresnel zone clear too.

Where this matters

A camera with its own cellular modem and SIM. It doesn't need your home internet at all.

Needs phone signal at the spot and a data plan per camera. Often paired with a small solar panel.

Where this matters

A small box that turns Ethernet into light for fiber and back again. You need one at each end.

Some take an SFP module that sets the fiber type and distance. Each converter needs power.

Where this matters

Power sent down the same Ethernet cable as the data, so a camera, radio or access point needs no outlet of its own.

802.3af gives up to 12.95 W at the device; 802.3at (PoE+) gives 25.5 W. It shares Ethernet's 328 ft limit.

Where this matters

Two radios aimed at each other that carry your network between two buildings, like an invisible Ethernet cable.

One radio connects to the house network, the other to a switch or access point at the far building. They need a clear line of sight and power at both ends, usually over the Ethernet cable (PoE).

Where this matters

A router setting that lets connections from the internet reach one device at home. Not possible behind CGNAT.

Many older camera recorders rely on it for remote viewing.

Where this matters

A middle spot that can see both ends, with two bridge pairs going around an obstacle.

Needs power at the relay for both radios.

Where this matters

A mesh VPN app that links your own devices privately, even behind CGNAT, without opening ports.

Useful for reaching local-only cameras or a parent's network from far away.

Where this matters