Skip to content
OneTouchSwitch

Work

The spare-room office

A spare room is a room. An office is a cable, a quiet radio, and an upload. Only one of those came with the house.

11 min read · Work

OneTouchSwitch editorialIssue 01 · Autumn 2026 · Double3 min read658 wordsReviewed 10 September 2026

Britain converted spare rooms into livelihoods without converting the wiring. The hub stayed in the hallway because that is where the engineer could stand. The worker then sat twelve metres and two plaster walls away and developed a theory about the ISP. Sometimes the theory is right. Often the spare room was never given a cable, and the career is sitting on a landing hop.

A fit-out, not a vibe

One ethernet to the desk, or one AP in the room fed by ethernet, or — last — a measured radio from a nearby AP. That is the whole fit-out as far as packets go.

Do it once. Temporary is how people live for four years on a compromise they meant to fix after probation.

The downstairs hub is allowed

You do not need the ONT in the spare room. You need a path. Houses have skirting and cupboards. Use them.

If you cannot, put the AP as close to the office as the cable will let you, not as close to the ONT as habit would.

What the company owes, what physics owes

Some employers will contribute. That is a money article. Physics still wants the cable even if they do not pay.

A company laptop on 2.4 GHz next to a metal filing cabinet is not a ‘broadband issue’ they can escalate to Ofcom.

Spare-room packet fit-out
PathCostWhen
Ethernet to deskLowWhenever a human can run it
Ethernet to AP in roomLow–midWhen the desk moves a lot
Mesh hopLooks cheapWhen you have already lost the cable argument
A spare room becomes an office when a cable arrives, not when a job title does.

The spare-room office is a small civil engineering project. Do the small project. The ISP cannot run a cable up your stairs for you.

Questions

Landlord / listed walls?
Flat cable, a temporary run, or an AP in the room on the best radio you can feed. See the renter ethernet piece.
Is Wi‑Fi 6E in the office enough?
If the AP is in the office. If the AP is two floors down, the standard is a slogan.
Can I put a second hub in the spare room?
As an access point, yes. As a second NAT router, you will create a puzzle. Bridge or AP mode.
The room is next to the meter cupboard.
Lucky for the ONT, unlucky for radio if you leave the hub in the metal. Cable into the room, radio in the room.
Company will not pay for a cable?
A cable is cheaper than a day of dropped stand-ups. Buy it and invoice if you can. If not, buy it anyway.

Sources

  • HSE / ACAS home-working setup notes (environment, not ISPs)
  • Ofcom in-home connectivity
  • Structured cabling common practice in UK houses

Figures move. Prices, coverage and eligibility must be confirmed with the provider. OneTouchSwitch is not Ofcom, TOTSCo or a broadband network. Last fact-checked 10 September 2026.

Continue in this issue

Practical guides