> Here is a layout with the modem/router included: https://prnt.sc/nvevd4

It's a good thing you pointed out that your house has brick walls. Wi-Fi signals have a tough time getting through brick, so you should rule out mesh.

> Currently I am using an old router (Asus RT-N12+B1) and a powerline extender (TP-LINK Powerline TL-WPA2020) in the "Office" room - both marked on the layout. This way I am getting around ~55Mbps on wifi from router and ~30Mbps from the powerline extender.

For the benefit of other readers, both the Asus and the TP-Link only support 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi. They also have 100 Mbps Ethernet ports. Yikes! This equipment is holding you back.

> Suffice to say both equipment has a cap of 300Mbps (wired I assume).

No, that's wireless. Due to the way Wi-Fi works, actual wireless speeds will be at least 50% slower. Worse, cut speeds in half again because 2.4 GHz is generally limited to using 20 MHz wide channels, whereas TP-Link's number assumes 40 MHz channels. IOW, you're looking at nominal Wi-Fi speeds of around 75 Mbps.

>I am looking to exchange these to use the bandwidth from our provider a bit more. I should note that I am not a networking enthusiast (yet).
>
> I don't want to spend a lot here (aiming at around $100) but for example I'd like to have the option to perhaps create a mesh network at some point.
>
> Here are the options I have considered. (feel free to suggest additional ones also):

> #1 TP-Link AC1900 ( https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00PDLRHFW/ )

> Just a better router which I think has a bit better coverage also.

I don't have any personal experience with this model but it looks like an average, run of the mill, consumer grade router. That's not to say it's bad. For a long time, an AC1900 class router represented the sweet spot in terms of Wi-Fi bandwidth and cost. BTW, AC1900 stands for up to 600 Mbps at 2.4 GHz and up to 1300 Mbps at 5 GHz. Again, these are inflated by at least 100%.

Moreover, the Wi-Fi capabilities of devices must also be taken into account. The average smartphone with 802.11ac Wi-Fi, for example, will at best leverage only 2/3rds of what this router is capable of. You're still looking at 200-400 Mbps, which is quite an improvement.

It's always hard to say anything about range. The TP-Link may have better range, but the brick walls in your house are going to put a damper on that.

> I probably would still have to use the powerline extender in the Office. (would that have a better performance also with a better router?)

A router with Gigabit Ethernet ports will certainly open up access to the full bandwidth provided by your Internet connection. But it looks like your Powerline extender only has a 100 Mbps Ethernet port, so that's going to be a bottleneck. Honestly, I would not expect much, if any, improvement.

I would be careful about upgrading to a faster Powerline adapter with a Gigabit Ethernet port. You may not see very much improvement. Powerline is a notoriously finicky and, frequently, disappointing technology. Real world and published speeds are nowhere close to each other. That's not to say that it doesn't work for some people, but you can forget about seeing anywhere close to Gigabit speeds.

> #2 Netgear Orbi RBK30 ( https://www.cclonline.com/product/243512/RBK30-100UKS/Cable-Routers/Netgear-Orbi-RBK30-Wireless-AC2200-Tri-Band-Network-Router-with-Satellite/NET2800/ )
>
> With AC2200 it should of course give much better speeds than the current router (I hope), and there would be the option to exchange the powerline extender with an other Orbi unit to create a mesh network? Would that work?

While the Orbi is one of the better mesh products, you should not consider it with a brick-walled house.

> #3 Unifi AP AC LR
>
> I've seen this being suggested numerous times but I am a bit hesitant about it. Mainly because I don't quite understand how it would work and it seems to me that it would be more expensive that I'd want to pay.
>
> Since I am not well versed in networking I am unsure how access points actually work.

Think of an Access Point as a device that provides a Wi-Fi connection to a network. A Wi-Fi router has a built-in Access Point, along with an Ethernet switch, firewall and NAT. If you were to disable Wi-Fi on the router and connect an external Access Point, like the Unifi, into one of the router's Ethernet ports, you would functionally have the same thing.

The beauty of Wi-Fi is that you can distribute multiple Access Points throughout your residence to provide strong Wi-Fi coverage. You can even use the Access Point built into the router to complement the external Access Points. The catch is that external Access Points must be wired to the router. BTW, your TP-Link Powerline extender is technically an Access Point. It just happens to be wired to the router using A/C wires.

> 1. I would need a router obviously and I had the idea that this AP can work as one. Is that so? Or would I actually need to purchase a router and this would only serve as an access point somewhere else?

As I explained above, the Unifi would only serve as an Access Point. You would still need a router. You might consider a Ubiquiti USG. It's limited to a total throughput of 1000 Mbps (up and down combined), so it falls a bit short of what your Internet connection is capable of. In practical terms, you are unlikely to ever notice unless you intend to frequently hammer your Internet connection. Unfortunately, a USG + Unfi AP would significantly exceed your budget of $100.

> 2. Now my question here: if I wanted to have a second AP would I need to get the ethernet wiring over there also (meaning it wouldn't work wirelessly as mesh networks do)? Powerline would work for me as well I just don't want to install another 50meter cable into the walls (although I might consider it through the attic if it's that good of an idea).

An Access Point does need to be wired to the router. Ethernet is the fastest and most reliable medium. If you have coax in your house, I would seriously consider MoCA. Think of MoCA as Ethernet over coax. It's much more reliable than Powerline. You need a MoCA adapter at each end of the coax segment. The fastest adapters (Bonded MoCA 2.0/2.5) are pricy but they can achieve near Gigabit speeds. Powerline should only be used as a last resort.

> 3. well this is worrying as I wouldn't want to keep a separate machine running just to keep the internet up

It's true that Unifi Access Points are managed by controller software running on a separate machine. But it's only necessary if you want to have a guest network with a login portal or if you want to monitor Wi-Fi traffic statistics. A guest network without a login portal does not require the controller to run continuously. There is also a smartphone app that can be used in lieu of the controller. It provides only very basic setup functions, which might suffice for you. Note: The controller can run on something as a small as a Raspberry Pi. Ubiquiti also sells something called a Cloud Key, which is basically a small computer dedicated to running the controller software.

If this all sounds like too much trouble, then you may want to consider TP-Link EAP Access Points. They have a built-in web portal for management.

> 4. on paper the Orbi gives a 2200Mbps performance compared to the Unifi one which if I calculate correctly is 1300+Mbps. So why opt for this?

2200 Mbps includes a 866 Mbps connection that's dedicated to the mesh function used by the nodes for communicating with each other. The bandwidth available to devices is 1300 Mbps, so it's basically the same.

Absolutely.

For your controller needs, if you want to use a DualShock4, DS3, Wii U Pro Controller or WiiMote, all you need is a mini Bluetooth dongle and a driver such as DS4Windows (google "[controller] driver windows"). With the proper driver they should be supported under most games, but they might require a button mapping tool to work with some stuff (we can help you with that).

If you want to go the easy route and have a controller supported by most games with no driver configuration as soon as you plug it in, an Xbone controller is your choice. However, it will require a special M$ dongle to work wirelessly, and be warned that this dongle only works under Windows 10. Alternately, if you can live with some inferior design features, you can get a 360 controller (which still works with nearly all controller games) and its corresponding dongle, which has the added benefit of working with all Windows's back to XP. However, be aware that both of these controllers require AA batteries rather than the rechargeable packs found in DualShock/Nintendo. You can buy a rechargeable pack for Xbox controllers but it obviously costs extra.

All of the aforementioned controllers will also work over USB with any operating system.

Now to the second part of your question. I assume that you mean you want to play on your TV–this can be accomplished one of two ways and is easy to setup. The first and most obvious way is to simply keep your PC in your entertainment center and hook it to your TV over HDMI, in much the same way that you would your PS4. Steam's Big Picture mode tries to emulate the homescreen of a console to make controller navigation easier, and does a pretty good job of it. Coming from the PS4 interface I'm sure you'll feel right at home–but you do still need a KB+mouse to get in Big Picture from a cold PC startup. This shouldn't be an issue as there are many cheap wireless keyboards with inbuilt trackpads on offer.

The second way is to use a Steam Link. This is a very handy little set-top box that will stream video input over the internet from a PC in the house–if you've ever heard of the PlayStation TV, this is similar. In order to use the Link you must have fast (at least 10mbps; check using speedtest.net) Ethernet on both ends (your PC and the Link) and a controller that connects over USB (either thru a USB cable or a USB wireless receiver. The Xbox receivers mentioned in a previous paragraph currently don't work with the Link but Valve says they are looking into it). It's very simple to setup–hook the Link to internet, plug in your controller and HDMI cable for TV connection, and pair it with your PC. Then you'll have total access to all your controller-supported PC games from the couch, with no loss of graphics.

Also, as a PC gamer, I have a word for you–there are some games that do play better with KB+M, especially shooters. Trust me, once you try something like Call of Duty with a mouse, you will never be able to go back to aiming with controller sticks. If you want this benefit but still find KB+M uncomfortable, there is the Steam Controller which features a more accurate trackpad in place of the right stick, and will work with most of the games that an Xbox controller works with.

One final word. If you are actually, legitimately serious about getting into PC gaming–please for the LOVE OF GOD do not buy a pre-built one. BUILD. YOUR. OWN. Seriously, if you are looking to surpass consoles and get value for money, I CANNOT stress this enough. Although it may seem daunting at first it's really little more than high-tech LEGOs–/r/BuildaPCforMe will furnish you with a parts list so you don't have to bother with that, and then the build will take two hours tops (even if you're inexperienced). There are tons of great videos on YouTube that will show you how–this is my personal fave, although I do advise you not to use any of those parts since that vid is considerably old.

If you have any questions feel free to reply to this and I can help you out.

First things first - the cable modem and the wifi router are two completely separate things. In your specific case, the two things are integrated in one device - but I highly recommend not doing so.

Comcast charges a ridiculous amount of money for the "modem rental". Are you renting your modem/router from Comcast? If so, I highly recommend buying your own cable modem and wifi router. You will recoup the cost in just a few months from the rental savings. I'm saying this from personal experience - after spending 3 times the cost of the modem for just the rental fees.

The cable modem is a device which connects to your Comcast cable and lets you connect your other home devices to the modem. Even the cheapest most basic DOCSIS3 modem will support speeds that far surpass the actual internet speed you will buy from Comcast - and these are super reliable devices - so just buy the cheapest.

For example, this Arris refurbished model is available for $30. Non refurbished is $50 - although refurbished is honestly just fine. Consider that I was paying 8 bucks a month for the modem rental while I could have bought my modem outright for 30 bucks.

Now for the wifi router. This is mostly the real reason why people complain of poor internet speeds. And often this is because of poor wifi coverage to begin with - i.e. the wifi signal is simply not strong enough in all your rooms. As someone else said, the best thing you can do is to place your wifi router high up and in a central location that has the best "line of sight" to most rooms. Typically a central passageway, mounted high up on the wall. You would connect to your cable modem with an ethernet cable, by the way.

In my case, upgrading to a better more powerful wifi router with 4 antennas (from 2) made a huge difference. From my experience, I can recommend this Asus model which has 4 antennas and costs $67. There are many other models you can research and buy. It has run non-stop for over a year without requiring a reboot or without any of the flakiness I had with my other router that would randomly shut down or reboot itself. Wirecutter recommends TPLink Archer C7 which also costs $70 and they say it has really good coverage. Avoid the more expensive "802.11 AC" routers. This AC technology is great but is honestly overkill for your needs, just as you don't need to buy some expensive cable modem.

By the way, you can also download an app on your phone that will tell you how good your wifi coverage is in different parts of your house or establishment. Just search for "wifi coverage" or "wifi analyzer" in your app store. As someone also said, there are some advanced tweaks you can do. See this article, if you are so inclined.

Lastly, besides your wifi signal coverage and strength and quality of wifi router, your internet connection itself needs to be reasonably fast to support multiple users. Nowadays, everyone is streaming videos and such on their smartphones so everyone "needs" high bandwidth or fast internet. And all these multiple videos streaming quickly eat up your internet connection's bandwidth. What is interesting is that there isn't that much of a price difference between the different Comcast options. Or to put it another way, there is no $40 or $50 option at all. 25mbps is quite low to be honest - at least when multiple people hammering away at your internet. It is not horrible or anything - in fact it is perfectly decent for average home use - it is just not blazingly fast. There is a $10 difference between 25mbps and 100mbps, and a $3 jump to 200mbps. So if you don't mind the extra $13, you are in serious blazing fast territory. Consider that Netflix takes about 3-10mbps, so you can imagine that 200mbps will give you a lot of room and speed even with multiple users logged in and streaming high quality video. Else, you can start with 25mbps after you make all the other improvements to your setup, see how it goes. Then you can easily upgrade to 200mbps if needed.

Alright, here we go:

PLANNING

You mainly need to figure out how many cables you need and where you'll run them to. Obviously you'll need one to each location of an AP or camera, so you need to figure out how many you'll run to jacks for connecting Ethernet devices. The bare minimum is one to each TV location and desk location, in this case you'll connect a switch to the jack if you need to connect more than one device. The ideal number is five to your main entertainment center, and two to every other TV location and desk location. This hopefully eliminates the need for secondary switches. In addition, you should run one Coaxial cable to each TV location including your main entertainment center. Add up all the Ethernet cables you'll be running, and keep this number in mind.

As for the network hub location, the best place for it is the basement, preferably an unfinished part of it near the entry point of your internet service. If you don't have a basement, use a utility room. Just make sure it has some sort of ventilation, you don't want stuff getting too hot.

EQUIPMENT

For the actual Ethernet cable, you'll want to get a 1000 foot bulk spool. Get pure copper rather than copper clad aluminum (CCA) and solid conductors rather than stranded. It needs to be riser rated (pretty much any will be) but plenum rating is pointless unless you'll be running it through air ducts. Your big choice here is the category rating: Cat5e or Cat6. Cat5e is good for gigabit, Cat6 will future-proof you for 10 gigabit. Cat6 is more expensive, thicker, and trickier to terminate as the spec only allows a quarter inch of untwisting rather than Cat5e's half an inch.

Keeping in mind the number of wires you plan on running, you'll need a punch-down patch panel with at least that many ports that matches the category rating of your cable. You'll also need punch-down keystone jacks, these also need to match the category rating of your cable. You won't need them for cables going to cameras or APs, you'll just need one for each other cable. For each location where you'll be installing jacks, you'll need a single gang old work low voltage bracket (or a surface-mount box), and a keystone wallplate. Six ports for the main entertainment center, three for each other TV location, two for each desk location. You'll also want a keystone coaxial coupler for each TV location including the main entertainment center.

You have another big choice to make for the main switch, a managed PoE switch or a dumb unmanaged switch. The managed PoE switch will simplify things a lot as it'll power your cameras and APs, while with an unmanaged switch you'll need to use PoE injectors. A managed PoE switch will, predictably, be much more expensive. Either way, you'll ideally want one with at least as many ports as the total number of Ethernet cables you'll planning to install, plus one for the router. You can get one with fewer ports, but then you won't be able to connect all your cables to it at once, you'll need to just connect the ones you're currently using. If you'll be going with a managed PoE switch, get one of these UniFi switches: 8-port with 4 PoE, 8-port with all PoE, 16-port, 24-port, or 48-port. If you'll be getting an unmanaged switch, any is fine. Just make sure it's gigabit. I used this one in my previous house, for example.

For the router, you'll want the UniFi Security Gateway.

You've got another big choice to make for the APs: Lite or Pro. The main difference is that the Lite has two 5 GHz streams, while the Pro has three. Only high-end devices like Macbook Pros have 3-stream Wi-Fi hardware, so if you don't have any devices with this, the Pro won't give you any benefit. Also, since the Lite is cheaper you can get more of them for the money, as more APs rather than better ones is the best thing you can do to improve your Wi-Fi. Both of these are available in single-packs and 5-packs, the single packs include PoE injectors but the 5-packs don't. If you're getting a PoE switch, consider getting a 5-pack of Lites.

You'll need something to run the UniFi controller. This is the software that you use to manage all the UniFi gear in one place. The easiest thing to do is install it on an Ethernet-connected PC and just run it when you need to make changes or update firmware. If you want a dedicated device for running it all the time, you can use a Raspberry Pi or Cloud Key. The Cloud Key is PoE-powered, so it's particularly convenient if you have a PoE switch.

You'll also need a few RJ45 plugs for the AP and camera cables, a crimping tool for them, a 110 impact punch down tool for doing your jack and patch panel terminations, and something to strip the cable jacket. Normally this will be built into the crimper.

Lastly, you'll need a lot of pre-made Ethernet patch cables to connect everything in your network hub. Get ones that are as short as possible, 1-3 feet. You'll need one to connect each cable you've installed from the patch panel to the switch, one for connecting the switch to the router, and another for connecting the router to the modem/ONT (this one may need to be longer). If you'll be using any PoE injectors, you'll need an additional cable for each one. You could make all these yourself, but this is very tedious and time-consuming, and hard to get right. The wires need to be in the right order and all 8 need to be connected for gigabit to work. Lastly, you'll need one for each actual Ethernet device you currently have, these should be 6 feet or longer if necessary.

INSTALLATION AND SETUP

The first thing to do is run all the cables. Camera and AP lines go to the device's location and get an RJ45 plug, all the others go to a keystone jack box/bracket/faceplate. Whenever possible, leave a foot of slack at both ends in case you need to re-do terminations. I like to terminate each cable after I run it, as it makes things easier to keep track of. For all the jacks, note the port number of the cable at the patch panel, and write that same number on the faceplate next to the jack. When you do the terminations, make sure to untwist the wire as little as possible, particularly if you're using Cat6.

For the APs, install the ceiling mount bracket using the included hardware, connect the cable to the AP, and then just put the AP on the bracket and twist it to lock it in place.

At the network hub, first hook up any PoE injectors you'll be using. Connect the patch panel port for the AP/camera cable to the injector's PoE port, and connect the injector's LAN port to the switch. Plug the injector into an outlet. Now connect the rest of the patch panel's ports to the switch, or if you have a smaller switch just connect the ones you're currently using. Connect the USG's LAN port to the switch, and its WAN port to your modem/ONT. Make sure your APs are getting power, their ring light will be white if they are.

Now, open the UniFi Controller (wherever you have it set up) and go to the Devices page. Adopt everything, and update everything's firmware. Go through it and set up everything the way you like. All the UniFi devices will light up blue once adopted and configured.

Your best case scenario would be to wire it into the same Google WiFi puck that is plugged into the modem. The second best scenario is if any of your two remote Wifi nodes were wired to the first, main node, then plugging your Xbox into one of those would mean your Xbox is basically wired directly to your modem.

As for anything else, it will depend on how good the wireless antennas are. However in my experience, I've found the wireless antennas on the Google WiFi pucks to be much better than any other common devices (phones, computer, consoles) for pretty obvious reasons.

So unless your Xbox One has amazing antennas that can beat a router, your second best option would be to plug you Xbox directly into one of the two remote nodes, which will basically be acting like a super WiFi antenna for your Xbox.

But, I'm a gamer too, and I feel your pain and also share you enthusiasm for trying to improve it. Here are some more general tips that can improve your internet even more 😁

1. Let's start FREE. When playing on your Xbox, open up the Google Wifi app and make your Xbox the "priority device" for an hour or two. Other people browsing the web or watching Netflix won't notice, as if their connection is a little spottier, nothing really changes. Netflix still has few minutes of buffering ahead, so if it drops for a split second or two, nothing happens. For gaming, you'll feel every one of those same drops as lag.
   
2. In the Google Wifi app settings, enable IPV6! Your ISP might not support it yet, but if not, nothing changes. If they do support it, awesome! Goodbye DNS issues, and hello speed improvements! I believe the Xbox One also supports IPV6, just check to see if it's also an optional setting or on by default. Sorry PS4 users, still IPV4 only :(
   
3. Another obvious one, but turn off every device you aren't using while gaming. Set any PC's in your house to download their automatic updates at a time you aren't gaming. Cut down on the number of cordless phones and other 2.4GHz devices in your house. Keep other device's cables away from the pucks and Ethernet cables. Just do other similar things in that same line of thought.
   
4. Move your pucks around. See if you can make improvements, the app can rate how strong the connection is. See if different places can achieve "Great" vs "Good" for strength. Try to avoid having a microwave between them. Try having them out in the open as possible, instead of behind a TV or inside a desk.
   
5. For every part of your setup that IS wired, such as from the modem to the first puck and your Xbox to any puck, upgrade to CAT7 Ethernet cable at the shortest length actually needed. (Before I go forward and people throw shade, yes CAT7 is probably overkill for most people, but we're talking about gaming, overkill is in). Here's a link my recommendation of a proven, low price CAT7.
   
6. OP has DSL, but for anyone that has Cable, same logic as last point, but for your Coax cables. Here is a quad shielded Coax cable. OP maybe see if there is such a thing as shielded phone line?
   
7. Another thing for cable users: BUY YOUR OWN MODEM! First off, it pretty much pays for itself as a lot of cable companies are charging you every month for renting your modem. For Comcast/Xfinity, buying your own modem instantly cuts $10 off your monthly bill, forever. Your modem pays for itself in less than a year. But besides the savings, how can it help gaming? Well, you can buy yourself a modem with a lot of "channels". Think of channels as number of water pipes coming into your house, but for internet signal. Right now your modem might have 4-8. If your neighbors are all using the internet too, they might get congested. If your modem supported 32 channels, your pull would be much more distributed and you might see a more consistent, less congested internet. Here is my personal recommended modem of choice but if that's too pricey, downgrade to the model that only has 16 channels, SB6183. OP, again I don't have DSL, but do some research to see if buying your own modem device can improve your connection, or at the least save you money if you are "renting" from your ISP.
   
   Hopefully that all helps you, and you can enjoy some lag-free gaming!

CPU: Great choice.

CPU Cooler: You don't need it unless you OC.

Motherboard: perfect. If you want cheaper option, /u/m0ronsoldier recommended a motherobaord for cheaper price:

>AsRock B350 Pro4 @ Rs.7180 vs. ASUS Rog Strix B350 @ Rs.9900. No major difference other than very slightly less OC'ing capability

RAM: If this model is on QVL. It is fine.

VC: Great choice. 1050 TI is very good budget card. You can play many titles on this little beast. I would sugest to think carefully before buying this card. Since you said you might upgrade, but you are not sure if you will, it is better to buy 1060. think this: you spend 12K for 1050 TI. You sell it for 8K. You buy 1060 6GB for 24K. Total money spent: 12,000 + 24,000 - 8,000 = 28K. If you just buy 1060 6GB for now, you save those extra 4K. Are you getting my point? However, it is also a good decision to buy 1050 TI and see if you will really be needing 1060 or higher-end GC.

SSD: Hmmm...Any particular reason? Besides faster loading times, faster boot, faster installation, responsiveness, there is really no need for an SSD. That said, hard disk are not that bad. I say, drop this SSD because they are costly right now and you can upgrade it anytime later. With win 10 fast startup, your PC will boot up and shut down in seconds even on HDD. If you really need an SSD, go for SATA. M.2 also gets hot faster and needs proper cooling. I would highly recommend you either drop this SSD or go for an 250GB SSD. I am learning blender, a 3D graphics software, and even I don't need a 500GB SSD. I suggest you re-invest this money on 1060 6GB. 1060 is almost 50-60% faster than 1050 Ti. You will really benefit from this VC than an SSD.

UPS: Circle UPS...Hmmm...I know they make crappy PSUs, but UPS? I am not sure. Go for APC or something better. UPS is also something I highly recommend going for.

PSU: Let us come to the main topic. 450W will do the job fine. It is not a wise decision to go for 450W if you will upgrade your components in the future. The bare minimum I recommend is 550W. This lasts longer, and have enough headroom. I say this because a PSU is something you don't really replace in a year or two. PSU is something that should last longer than your CPU and other components. Cheaping out is never a good option. Sometimes they last for longer than 7-10 years. Haha!

Go for TX650M

or

S12G


These two are very good units and better than the CX450M. Now let us again do the basic math. You buy 430W PSU for 3.6K. two years later you find that 430W is not enough for you 1070, you buy a 6.5K unit. Total money spent: 10.1K Now if you had gone for the 6.5K PSU initially, you would have saved yourself 3.5K.

Now I am not saying 430W is not enough for 1060. It is enough. But you are better off with a 550W unit. You can upgrade till 1070 on a 550W model. It will also be more efficient and will stay rather cool and there is also the ease of mind.

Wifi: there is a USB adapter that goes on selling for about 350 or 500. You can check reviews :) Completely your choice.

TL/DR: a bit of background and personal experience ultimately suggesting that you run some network cable, and look into a full Ubiquiti setup with USG router, PoE switch & NanoHD Wi-Fi AP’s for around $400 including cabling, provided you’re not planning on upgrading your internet to faster than 1Gbps soon.


I’m not familiar with coax cable internet, but assume you can get some sort of Ethernet handoff from your modem?


Either way, make the effort and run some CAT6 cabling for Wi-Fi AP’s, and key devices too if possible.


My network setup in my 1150 square foot apartment, works perfectly on my 200Mbps fibre connection and would cost you around $483 for the following:

• Router: MikroTik RB3011 ($150) - https://www.amazon.com/Mikrotik-RB3011UIAS-RM-RouterBOARD-10xGigabit-Ethernet/dp/B01EL7TF9E
  
  
  
• Wi-Fi: 2x Ubiquiti NanoHD’s ($149 each)- https://www.amazon.com/Ubiquiti-Compact-802-11ac-Enterprise-UAP-NanoHD-US/dp/B07DWW3P6K
  
  
  
• Switch: Netgear 5-Port gigabit unmanaged Switch ($35) - https://www.amazon.com/NETGEAR-Ethernet-Unmanaged-Protection-GS105NA/dp/B0000BVYT3
  
  
  I host the Ubiquiti Controller on a Windows PC acting as my home storage & media server and keep this running as a service (not necessary I know, but I like the stats).
  
  
  My network serves a mixture of around 30 devices, consisting of phones, tablets, computers, my home storage & media server, IoT devices, home theatre & TV’s all whilst doing some online gaming myself in the mix without hiccup. Hiccups are generally self-induced by my fiddling on the network. But from a stability and capability aspect, it’s perfect for me.
  
  
  I’ve previously used the “cheaper” MikroTik RB2011 ($102), which could also work for you - https://www.amazon.com/MikroTik-RB2011UiAS-RM-Routerboard-Rackmount-5xGbit/dp/B00DYWE2Z0
  
  
  However, if you you were already considering Ubiquiti Wi-Fi AP’s, then possibly consider going with a full Ubiquiti setup, by getting one of their routers & Wi-Fi AP’s? Ubiquiti’s UniFi range is quite impressive and I too like the commercial appeal of their products, so I’m slowly shifting my network over to a full Ubiquiti one (don’t tell my wife). A Ubiquiti setup could cost you between $384 with 1 AP and $533 with 2 AP’s... (although I feel you may need at least 2 AP’s)... excluding the cost of the cabling needed.
  
  
  But if I were you, I’d look into a setup like:
  
  
  
• Router: UniFi Security Gateway USG (+/- $128) - https://www.amazon.com/Ubiquiti-Unifi-Security-Gateway-USG/dp/B00LV8YZLK
  
  
  
• Switch: UniFi 8-Port PoE Switch (+/- $107) -
  https://www.amazon.com/Ubiquiti-UniFi-Switch-60W-US-8-60W/dp/B01MU3WUX1
  
  
  
• And at least 1 Wi-Fi AP: UniFi NanoHD ($149) - https://www.amazon.com/Ubiquiti-Compact-802-11ac-Enterprise-UAP-NanoHD-US/dp/B07DWW3P6K
  
  
  If you could, the more robust UniFi USG-Pro 4 (tad bit expensive) would be a great router as I’ve read that the standard USG can cause speed issues with speeds above 500Mbps, when enabling nice-to-have features like its Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) and Intrusion Prevention System (IPS). These features are not necessary, but nice if you’re like me and like the stats and functionality they bring.
  
  
  
• USG-Pro 4 ($379) - https://www.amazon.com/Ubiquiti-Unifi-Security-Gateway-USG-PRO-4/dp/B019PBEI5W
  
  
  Good luck and enjoy the setup once you decide and get the kit. Always fun setting up a new network gear.
  
  
  edit:
  
  
• fixed typos and sentence structure.
  
  
• forgot I had a 5-port Netgear switch. Added that info & updated prices.
  
  
• fixed link for RB3011.

Don't get a combo router/modem; it unnecessarily limits your options and it's annoying when your device ends up half-broken or half-obsolete, but the whole thing has to be replaced at once.

modem:

Check the approved device list for your tier of service and buy whatever's cheapest (except that if the list still contains DOCSIS 2.0 devices for some reason, ignore those and get a modem that is at least DOCSIS 3.0). If you shop around for cable modems you'll notice that they're labeled as "MxN": M is the number of downstream channels and N is the number of upstream channels, which determines the maximum connection speed the modem supports. IMO 8x4 (which corresponds to 343 Mbps download) is the current value-for-money sweet spot; unless you plan to switch to a faster service than that within the next couple of years it's not worth paying extra for future-proofing.

The Arris/Motorola SB6141 ($40 on Amazon) is a popular choice.

router:

If all you care about is Internet access speed (i.e., the thing that's limited by your 70 Mbps connection) then even an old 802.11N router would be good enough, let alone an AC one. If you care about transferring files and/or streaming between computers within the house, then having gigabit ethernet and 802.11 AC (and dual-band/MIMO/other buzzwords/etc.) starts to become more important.

Don't pay extra for fancy software features (security, antivirus, parental controls, etc). Instead, pick a router that is supported by open-source third-party firmware such as LEDE, which can turn even a basic router into a pseudo-"enterprise"-level device with every fancy feature you could possibly imagine. (Subject to hardware limitations, of course!) (If you decide to care about third-party firmware support, pay close attention to exactly what hardware you're getting, including the revision number. Sometimes hardware changes in ways that break compatibility without any way to tell just from reading the outside of the package.)

Also pay attention to the physical form-factor of the device (this goes for the cable modem too, by the way). If you want it to lay flat on a surface instead of standing up on its edge (or vice-versa), make sure it actually supports being used that way. For example, this piece of shit would have been a great device, except that some dipshit designed it such that it can't sit flat or hang on a wall. It's asinine!

I concur with /u/JustBeefTaco in recommending the TP-Link Archer C7. In addition to the reasons he said, it's also good because it's supported by LEDE. My own home network runs on an Archer C7 (running LEDE 17.01)

That said, if you wanted to "do it right" using one access point per floor, then you'd put a non-wi-fi router such as this Mikrotik in the basement next to the cable modem, and then connect it using gigabit ethernet to ceiling-mounted access points on each floor. (Disclaimer: I haven't researched this kind of setup, so I don't know if these are the best devices to choose.) Note that the devices I listed support PoE (Power over Ethernet), which IMO would be important for that kind of more permanently-installed setup.

Oh heeyyy. I'm a Virginian as well! :D Didn't attend VT but being here in the Hampton Roads area, they're all about them Hokies! haha.

Hmm...little about me, I'm Christine. I'm a makeup artist. I do all kinds of things from prosthetics to beauty stuff. My favorite would have to be anything that involves any kind of blood and gore. I'm a bit of a weirdo, I know. :P I am recently engaged and very excited about it! So if I win, please pick something off of my wedding wishlist. :D

As for my suggestions, here is a little list I've put together for you:

http://www.amazon.com/Trademark-Poker-Maverick-Dice-Style/dp/B000WZPU9Y/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1408513313&sr=8-7&keywords=poker+set

• Because you know, loving poker you should probably have a set of chips yourself.
  
  http://www.amazon.com/Breaking-Bad-Better-Light-Large/dp/B00DQW52D4/ref=sr_1_18?ie=UTF8&qid=undefined&sr=8-18&keywords=breaking+bad
  
  
• Better Call Saul Breaking Bad TSHIRT, cheap and awesome.
  
  http://www.amazon.com/TP-LINK-TL-WA850RE-Universal-One-button-Indicator/dp/B00E98O7GC/ref=sr_1_52?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=undefined&sr=1-52
  
  
• Ever have issues with spotty wifi? This works so well. I love it.
  
  http://www.amazon.com/Tripp-Lite-TLP606-Protector-Outlet/dp/B0000AI0N1/ref=sr_1_260?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1408514026&sr=1-260
  
  
• Surge protectors because with as many gadgets and systems you may have, it might just be super important! haha

Note: The points system is currently broken. We're working on it.

In case you missed it, click here for yesterday's Daily Simple Questions thread.
There may be some questions still unanswered! Below are a selection of questions with no replies. See if you can help them out.

If you don't want to see this comment click the little [-] to the left of my username to collapse this comment.

----

> So I posted this http://i.imgur.com/1O4Ii4E.jpg around 2 weeks ago asking people if my OC was alright, and it is.
>
> But today going back to Precision X I noticed that "Power target" slider maximum option is 112%. Why did it change, why is that I cant put it back to 120% anymore?
>
> edit: Also, my VOLTAGE slider is still at 0% should bump it?

/r/pcmasterrace/comments/6yv015/daily_simple_questions_thread_sep_08_2017/dmqisay

----

> So I'm looking for a new router and modem to upgrade my current one and thought I'd ask for some suggestions.
>
>
> Currently I've been looking at the ASUS RT-ACRH13 Router and the NETGEAR CM400 modem.
>
>
> My current internet plan is 100/15 and looking to spend under 130$ and my isp is cox. Thanks for any help guys!

/r/pcmasterrace/comments/6yv015/daily_simple_questions_thread_sep_08_2017/dmqpbo2

----

> Been trying to find a solution to this for a while. I'm getting this error out of my energy report.
>
> >PCI Express Active-State Power Management (ASPM) has been disabled due to a known incompatibility with the hardware in this computer.
>
> Here's my build. Any ideas?

/r/pcmasterrace/comments/6yv015/daily_simple_questions_thread_sep_08_2017/dmqr60v

----

> trying to connect 6 dualshock 4's so we can play Towerfall Ascension 8 player , anyone can help us out? we tried ds4 windows but that only supports 4 max it seems...

/r/pcmasterrace/comments/6yv015/daily_simple_questions_thread_sep_08_2017/dmqstf1

----

> What does lastpass premium povide me that laspass free does not?

/r/pcmasterrace/comments/6yv015/daily_simple_questions_thread_sep_08_2017/dmr22lv

----

> My friend is offering me an Asus r9 270 for 55$. Is that a good deal? I'm basically looking to just play some pubg and rocket league. I plan on rebuilding a brand new PC around tax time so would that be able to hold me over until then? My Frankenstein PC right now has an i5-6400 and 12gb ram.
>
> Edit: I had to sell my PC that's in my flair for financial reasons but I built a PC from old parts I had

/r/pcmasterrace/comments/6yv015/daily_simple_questions_thread_sep_08_2017/dmr9fp8

----

> Does anybody know when the 8 series CPU benchmarks for gaming will be released? I want to upgrade my CPU but don't know if it's worth the wait or if I should just say fuck it and buy a 7 series CPU.

/r/pcmasterrace/comments/6yv015/daily_simple_questions_thread_sep_08_2017/dmrbwfk

----

> Hey all.
>
> I just built a new PC and I'm not getting power from USB ports or a BIOS display on start up. What could be the issue here? Faulty motherboard? Any help would be appreciated.

/r/pcmasterrace/comments/6yv015/daily_simple_questions_thread_sep_08_2017/dmrcmpt

----

> Hey guys,
>
> I'm looking for a good alternative to the modmic, I had a modmic 4.0 and its attaching mechanism literally crumbled to pieces and they want to charge me 3usd + 15 USD shipping for their own piece of shit failure, so i'd rather avoid giving them any money.
>
> I've heard some good things about the zalman clip on, but looking to spend a bit more to get higher quality.
>
> Thanks in advance! :)

/r/pcmasterrace/comments/6yv015/daily_simple_questions_thread_sep_08_2017/dmrdbm7

----

> Looking for a good new chair, always see people with those dx racer chairs. Are they good? I like that you can tilt it back up to 160ish degrees. Any other chairs with that feature anyone knows of?

/r/pcmasterrace/comments/6yv015/daily_simple_questions_thread_sep_08_2017/dmreqq3

----

> So I'm having an issue getting three displays working on a GTX670. It has 2x DVI, 1x HDMI and 1x Display Port. One of the DVI ports is most likely dead.
>
> I can have any two of the three displays working through the DVI and HDMI, but when trying to connect a DP to HDMI passive adapter for a third, that one never works. Even if it is the only display connected. I figure the 670 doesn't support DP++?
>
> Is there anything else I can try?

/r/pcmasterrace/comments/6yv015/daily_simple_questions_thread_sep_08_2017/dmreyrb

----

> Looking to buy a 2.5" SSD for my laptop (ideapad 14-isk running Ubuntu Gnome 17.04). What are things I need to know about SSDs beforehand? Like keeping it healthy, storage and partitioning, things to avoid.

/r/pcmasterrace/comments/6yv015/daily_simple_questions_thread_sep_08_2017/dmrgvuz

----

> I have two monitors plugged with dvi i and dvi d to my GTX 980. I played alot with super dynamic resolution in the control panel so both have higher than native res at this point and I was wondering if using display port over dvi d on my 24'' LG could let me overclock refreshrate more (currently 74hz on 60hz native) and possibly increase quality of image?

/r/pcmasterrace/comments/6yv015/daily_simple_questions_thread_sep_08_2017/dmrkz7p

----

> I need help with RBG :( I have a new pc (first time) and my mobo is the Asus Prime Pro x370 and my led strips are Phanteks RGB 360. The strips work and all but I can only control them with the remote and not Aura Sync. I tried syncing them and it said they should be red but they weren't. Then it said they should be hooked up to the mobo, but idk how? Someone pls help me. I'm a n00b ik.

/r/pcmasterrace/comments/6yv015/daily_simple_questions_thread_sep_08_2017/dmrni1l

----

> I can't seem to get my RAM to run at full speed. This is my current setup, and I've tried A-XMP and Memory Try-It! but I can't get the memory to run at 3200MHz. It worked once when I activated A-XMP, but then it stopped working again, I don't know why. The RAM is listed as supported by the motherboard.

/r/pcmasterrace/comments/6yv015/daily_simple_questions_thread_sep_08_2017/dmrpdjp

----

> The hurricane is heading right for me. I'm gonna wrap my rig in big trash bags. In case this isn't enough to save her, will the manufacturer warranties cover hurricane damage?

/r/pcmasterrace/comments/6yv015/daily_simple_questions_thread_sep_08_2017/dmrpzbo

----

> any good silent mouses? want to do cad work in a lecture class without being herd

/r/pcmasterrace/comments/6yv015/daily_simple_questions_thread_sep_08_2017/dmrqljn

----

----

I am a bot - This action was done automatically. Please direct any questions or concerns ( or bug reports ) to \/u\/eegras - About /u/PCMRBot

One could make a ghetto channel bonding router of sorts fairly simply, but that's probably overkill for the average lone nomad.

Or with the advent of thunderbolt/usb3.1, you could even just do it with your one computer if you aren't doing a vehicle.

Speedify will let you bond a bunch of connections together and short of thousands and thousands of dollars in equipment, it's the best thing going.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UhBeD5fRAmY

you can just keep slapping wan connections in whenever you are. take an arbitrary number of 4G, wifi, ethernet sources and combine them for bandwidth and latency improvements.

As a thought exercise lets take this picture and built out something for it.

1 person, 1 laptop, carry-on travel mode style. It's gonna be very Dongle-y, so it's practical mostly for when you camp out somewhere for a while to work. This probably isn't worth setting up at the airport unless you are trapped a good long while.

That laptop we want to have a solid peripheral bus with lots of bandwidth. Ideally Thunderbolt 3, but the 10gb USB, or honestly probably even the 5gb USB is gonna do for most people anyway.

Then we get a hub device with lots of ports on it.

This thing probably has at least USB3.1, and thus 5.0gb of bandwidth there probably.

amazon makes a perfectly serviceable hub with external power option:
https://www.amazon.com/AmazonBasics-USB-10-Port-Power-Adapter/dp/B076YRWV6Z/

Then you grab a few usb3.0 to gigabit ethernet adapters for flexibility of input:
https://www.amazon.com/AmazonBasics-1000-Gigabit-Ethernet-Adapter/dp/B00M77HMU0/

plus some USB wifi adapters (so you can get on multiple wifi networks at once)

This is apparently the amazon favorite. Having an actual antenna is nice.

https://www.amazon.com/Adapter-1200Mbps-TECHKEY-Wireless-Network-300Mbps/dp/B07J65G9DD/

plus USB 4G modem sticks you can put local sims in. This is all gonna depend on where you travel. NA is different from Asia, etc.

Verizon offers one for $250 they claim works in 200 countries. On the other end, a Huawei stick that works in most of the world is like $60 and you can just keep popping sims in and out of them as you travel around and grab local ones. You can probably even just buy modems locally too as you travel. If you aren't buying from a carrier in north america, it's generally gonna be easy and painless.

You could also use phones as well. cheap ones have modems that can max most towers anyway, and they mostly all use the same antenna design now.

Some little baby usb extensions so you aren't fighting to fit things in your hub:
https://www.amazon.com/StarTech-com-Black-Extension-Adapter-Cable/dp/B00S2N2Q4U/

All those things are tiny and can go in a little electronics roll or bag or something at the bottom of a backpack:
https://www.amazon.com/ProCase-Electronics-Organizer-Universal-Accessories/dp/B01EN4PP4E/

Faster is better. Internet is measured in megabits per second. Megabyte is the unit of measurement of data stored on your computer and phone. Megabit is the measurement of data getting transmitted over a connection. There are 8 megabits to a megabyte.

When shopping for ISP, get the fastest speed you can get at the cheapest rate you can find. Depending on your area, you can have a couple to choose from. Generally, it's one DSL and one cable. I'll try to elucidate.

DSL are companies like AT&T. They deliver their internet over old DSL (phone) lines. Generally speaking, their internet speeds are lower. AT&T, for example, cap out at 18-25mbps. This is generally okay but maintaining a 1080p stream on Netflix or having more than one stream while doing other things (downloading stuff to your Xbox, torrenting, etc) would all be bottlenecked. DSL companies use modems that connect to a phone jack. DSL companies also generally have worse performances (based on my experience).

Cable are companies like Time Warner Cable and Comcast. They used to do cables only but now have expanded to internet. They generally deliver faster speeds of 30-300mbps depending on the market. These higher speeds are better for your needs. While you may only have Netflix in mind, be aware that a lot of things you own require internet. The apps on your phone auto-update and can be quite large in size. If you have a console like an Xbox, digital games can go up to 50 gigabyte, neverminding the software updates. Your computer is constantly connected to the internet and its software updates can be quite big. Maybe you want to FaceTime your mother, a good connection would give you better quality and less issues.

Basically, don't cheap out on the speed. Now since, you're living by yourself you should go for a 100mbps package at minimum if you can get it. A price of $30-60 is reasonable. Apartment or housing shoppings now a days also depending on knowing which ISPs service your area and how fast they are. If you can't get good internet at an apartment, you should probably walk away.

Cable companies will try to rent you a modem or a modem/router combo which will add a monthly fee to your monthly bill. Don't do it. Buy something like this. If they give you a modem for free with no fees, take it. DSL companies generally force you to buy their modems upfront. In that regards, you have no choice.

Some modems provided come with wifi capability. Don't use it. Buy your own router that can provide better wifi. Something like this is good. Notice that it says gigabit and AC. Gigabit means that the ethernet port on the back is capable of 1000mbps speed. If you're thinking of buying internet speed faster than 100mbps, make sure you go for the gigabit router otherwise you're bottlenecking your speed. The AC router will guarantee better coverage, range, and performance on wifi as well as giving you speeds above 100mbps (again, not bottlenecking anything).

Okay, for cable internet at those speeds, you're looking at these:

Modems:

SB6190: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B016PE1X5K/

or

SB8200: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N6SKK1G/

The 6190 technically supports 1.4Gbps, but the ethernet port on it is only 1Gb which caps you there. The 8200 supports 1.4Gbps and can actually do it because it has 2x 1Gb ports, but it requires your provider to give you multiple IPs for that which is almost unheard of in the consumer space. So effectively both are going to be capped at 1Gb down and 343Mb up.

The 6190 is DOCSIS 3.0 and the 8200 is DOCSIS 3.1. This doesn't really matter right now as everyone supports 3.0 and 3.1 support is just starting, but the 3.1 will be supported much longer. So if you're looking for a modem to keep the next 10+ years, go with the 8200, but if you don't mind saving about 50% now and then buying a new modem in 10 years, the 6190 is great.

Both are on XFinity's supported list.

For routers:

Nighthawk AC2300 R7000P: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01NA80JML/

or

Nighthawk AC1900 R6900P: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07C65K9H9/

or

Asus AC66U AC1750: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N08LPPP/

The R7000P is a pretty high end pick. It's going to support the fastest wireless speeds on the 5GHz AC band. However, you'll likely be limited by the device at the other end, as most end devices don't support speeds that high.

The R6900P is the next step down. It's very similar, but it's 5GHz AC speeds are slightly slower. Even still though, it's faster than what most devices support so you'll likely be limited by the device.

The AC66U is the more budget pick. It supports the same speeds as the 6900P on the 5GHz AC band, but has slightly slower speeds for older N based devices. For most users this likely won't matter as almost everything is AC these days except for like printers and IoT devices that don't need bandwidth. With the AC66U, you also don't have MU-MIMO support, which the more expensive options do. While MU-MIMO isn't required, it can really help in homes that have lots of devices.

I switched from a wireless Xbox 360 controller to a wireless DualShock 4.

Overall I'm pretty happy with the switch.

Initially it was fine, but towards the end I found that the wireless connection with the 360 controller started to become unreliable with it randomly dropping the connection, and the analog sticks started to drift rather than staying centered.

Using this Bluetooth adapter (which, incidentally, uses the same Broadcom controller as my MacBook Pro) since my PC does not have Bluetooth built in, and these DualShock 4 drivers has been a near-flawless experience.

The only current issue that I have, is that I need to remember to switch off the controller (hold down the PS button for 10s) before connecting a USB cable if I had been using it wirelessly and need to charge it, or else both the wireless and wired connections are active at the same time and inputs get doubled up.

I had previously preferred the asymmetrical design of the Xbox controllers, but I think Sony really did a good job with the DualShock 4 compared to previous DualShock controllers.

That said, I'm not sure that my aim is as good as with the 360 controller in FPS games, but it may also be that I've simply not used a controller with FPS/TPS games in some time now - I do tend to prefer a mouse for that.

And while the trigger design is now concave rather than convex, I still prefer using L1/R1 for aim/shoot rather than L2/R2. The nice thing is that you can simply remap them in the driver rather than needing a game-specific option - a surprising number of recent PC ports revert to locked-down "profiles" when using a controller rather than letting you remap the keys as you wish.

The d-pad is fine for games - better than an unmodified 360 controller, though it's really only good for cardinal directions - so it's great with platformers for example. I don't find that it "rolls" very well if you're playing a fighting game which requires quarter-circle or half-circle inputs though.

Having a trackpad on the controller is nice when using it with a PC, for those games which work with a controller but open up a launcher window that requires mouse input before starting for example.

The DS4 is a very lightweight controller, though I will say that the vibration is a bit weak. However setting it to 150% in the drivers seemed to fix that.

The battery life could be better, though I have not personally found it to be an issue as long as I remember to plug it in after I'm finished gaming. I think it helps that you can disable the "light bar" on the back when using it with a PC. And it works as a wired controller too, so it's not the end of the world if the battery runs down.

Strangely though, the driver reports 1-2ms polling when using the controller wirelessly, and 4ms when using it via a wired connection.


I do wish that the white controller was out before I bought mine though. For some inexplicable reason, they used glossy plastic surrounding the d-pad and face buttons which needs regular cleaning. I always wash my hands before using the PC out of habit, yet it still ends up looking grimy because of this.

>
>Any advice/experience is greatly appreciated!




A few things.

If you guys are trying to save money, downgrade your service from "Ultimate 300" to something closer to "Regular 100" or whatever that 100 Mbit tier is. From your description, you're needs are more than covered by a more modest plan.

BUT, if you do decide to downgrade your service, ask them for a free modem before you do so! That way, they'll give you a beefier one that can support the Ultimate 300 plan. I like the Arris models, but if they are giving it to you for free, take any model they offer. Then downgrade your plan.

Separating modem and router is preferred because it gives you flexibility on where to place the router independent of modem location. Even if they stay close together, you have better stability dividing the work over two machines rather than over tasking one machine that has to do it all.

Here is a router I've been recommending a lot recently, which happens to cost just under $60:

https://www.amazon.com/Dual-Band-Super-Fast-Gigabit-MU-MIMO-RT-ACRH13/dp/B01LXL1AR8

It has really good specs for that price, and I've installed this exact model in multiple friends' homes, and they are all pleased with its performance and range. The only downside is that it does NOT support custom firmware like "ASUS Merlin" like other ASUS routers, but that is why they are so inexpensive for such good hardware. If you don't care about third party firmware, and just want to set it up once and forget it, this it's a solid router.

Tell your dad he'll recoupe the cost in just six months, and only losers rent equipment from their ISPs. And that you want to split all the money you are saving with a downgraded 100Mbit plan.

Not all-inclusive, still need some physical cables and such, but hopefully this is a starting point:

16-port gig switch: https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B00GG1AC7I/ Probably overkill but a few more ports doesn't cost all THAT much more and this leaves you plenty of room for expansion. Also managed so can setup VLANs, QoS, whatever.

Router: https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B00HXT8EKE/ These are solid for home and small business use. Config can be a little tricky if you are using any of the advanced features but plenty of throughput (1 million pps). Also supports VLANs if you want to spin up a guest wifi later.

Wireless AP: https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B015PRO512/ This supports multiple SSIDs on different VLANs and offers really solid performance for not a ton of money. From the physical space you listed below I'm thinking one should me more than enough.

Cable modem: https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B016PE1X5K/ I know you said this wasn't finalized but thought I would toss it in anyway. Don't skimp here, a low-end modem will really limit throughput and can crash under heavy-load. Whatever you go with make sure it's on your ISPs compatibility list! They may not support it if not.

That should put a total around $512 USD or so JUST FOR HARDWARE. Keep in mind this is a pretty basic setup but should serve as a starting point. You'll still need the physical cabling and someone able to set it all up. As mentioned earlier also this is only MY BEST GUESS as to what you will need. Please don't take this as your bible or anything like that. :)

I know I mentioned it before but I really don't mind helping set things up if needed. I'm not going to be your "call at 3AM tech guy" but if you need a bit here and there I can try to assist. :) Let me know if you have any questions or thoughts on the build. Cheers!

EDIT: Something else to keep in mind that's not really network related is backups. YOU NEED THIS. Even if you go with a cloud service like carbonite or whatever, you need to make sure the PCs have regular backups. You WILL have a hard drive die and need to pull a backup from somewhere.

You can go for common "home networking" brands, like Netgear or TP-Link and they will probably work just fine. Something like this, the Netgear EX6200 would work properly as a wifi bridge and the setup is very easy. If you are on a very tight budget, you could even get this TP-Link N300 bridge for $25. It's probably slower than the EX6200 by a large amount, but it'll work if you only want basic internet connectivity.

If you want a more "professional" solution, you could have a look at Ubiquiti and Mikrotik products, but they require more knowledge to setup properly. Performance will be much, much greater though, so depending on your needs, it might be worth it.

Basically, if your goal is just to walk around the place with your phone to do the sound check, any brand is fine. If you are going to be doing live mix while moving about, getting at least "prosumer" equipment like Ubiquiti or Mikrotik is a must in my opinion.

---

Edit: This is an example of an all Ubiquiti setup that would work great.

Bridge : Ubiquiti locoM2 - $47
Access point: Ubiquiti Unifi AP AC Lite - $82
Router : Ubiquiti Edgerouter X - $57

This combo would give you insanely great performance for under $200. It's going to be slightly difficult to set up at first, but we can help you with that. Then, you can carry the three items in a roadcase, get them out when you get set up, turn everything on and it will just work. You'll need to enter the local wifi credentials in the locoM2, but there's not really a way around that if you change venu often. This kind of setup would be something that I would trust enough to rely on for live mixing.

Umm to be honest your probably fine with the one you have. The reason I recommended the one there is because I have the 100MBPS UGREEN one and it works great and have had no issues. Even things as far as having the Ethernet cable stay securely into the adapter on these is nice which I have had one other where that was an issue. But yeah I imagine the Nintendo ones are great so you should be good with that!

EDIT: Nevermind someone mentioned before that there is a specific chipset for Ethernet adapters that is best for the Switch so if you don't have it might be best to upgrade. Here is the one I found for the best price that they recommended: https://www.amazon.com/Plugable-Ethernet-Gigabit-Network-Adapter/dp/B00AQM8586

I think most of your questions depend on how you plan to use your Switch. For me, 99.9% of the time I use it in handheld mode, so accessories important for my usage are different than someone who primarily uses it in docked mode.

​

• HIGHLY RECOMMENDED: Whichever mode you primarily use your Switch in, I highly recommend getting a Screen Protector and microSD card. The screen on the Switch covered by transparent soft(er) plastic that is easy to scratch. Most Tempered Glass screen protectors should offer enough protection against scratches (like https://www.amazon.com/amFilm-Tempered-Screen-Protector-Nintendo-Switch/dp/B01N3ASPNV/)... and some Switch cases (like the Nyko Thin Case https://www.amazon.com/Nyko-Thin-Case-Dockable-Protective-Protector/dp/B072KHS2Q5/) comes with one. As for microSD, I'd recommend getting at least 128GB from a reliable brand (200-400GB if you plan on playing a lot of games on the Switch). Both Sandisk and Samsung are reliable brands, but BE CAREFUL where you purchase your microSD from... as many online resellers sell fakes or can have their stock contaminated by 3rd parties. I personally have a 400GB Sandisk (https://www.amazon.com/SanDisk-128GB-microSDXC-Memory-Adapter/dp/B074RNRM2B/) in my Switch, and I have only have 122GB free (100+ physical games, 22 small indie downloads, and 3 full-size downloads).
  
  ​
  
  
• HANDHELD ACCESSORIES: For me, a good grip (I use both Satisfye https://www.satisfye.com/ and Skull & Co https://www.amazon.com/Skull-Co-GripCase-Set-Comfortable-Replaceable/dp/B078WGT97X) is essential. Both of these have "bundles" that include zippered carrying cases that holds your Switch, several game cards, and other accessories. If you are on-the-go a lot, I would also recommend a good Battery Pack (I use the Nintendo-branded Anker 13400 with Power Direct https://www.amazon.com/Delivery-PowerCore-Nintendo-Official-13400mAh-Portable/dp/B07DMFL3SJ/), and a spare AC Charger if you don't want to unplug your dock each time (I only use the official Nintendo one https://www.amazon.com/Nintendo-Switch-AC-Adapter/dp/B01N7RUZ49/). Here is a good website on which battery packs (and chargers) work well with the Switch: https://switchchargers.com/.
  
  ​
  
  
• DOCKED ACCESSORIES: For me, I leave a dock permanently attached to my AV setup (which is why I bought a second AC Charger). I recommend buying a compatible LAN adapter using the ASIX AX88179 chipset (I use https://www.amazon.com/Plugable-Ethernet-Gigabit-Network-Compatible/dp/B00AQM8586/) and a CAT5 or 6 cable to hardwire your dock into your network. I'd also invest in extra Joy-Cons and Joy-Con Grips (like Satisfye's Mini Gaming Grip https://www.satisfye.com/products/mini-gaming-grip) or a Nintendo Switch Pro Controller (https://www.amazon.com/Nintendo-Switch-Pro-Controller/dp/B01NAWKYZ0/) for your own comfort and for multiplayer.
  
  ​
  
  Hope this helps as a starting point!

Whoa whoa whoa, hold on there. It's been a while, that build is stale. Let me sort you out a new one, alright?

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Type|Item|Price

----|:----|:----
CPU | Intel Core i5-4440 3.1GHz Quad-Core Processor | $179.98 @ SuperBiiz
Motherboard | Gigabyte GA-Z97X-SLI ATX LGA1150 Motherboard | $108.99 @ Newegg
Memory | Team Zeus Yellow 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory | $67.99 @ Newegg
Storage | Crucial MX100 128GB 2.5" Solid State Drive | $69.93 @ Amazon
Storage | Toshiba 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive | $74.99 @ Micro Center
Video Card | PNY GeForce GTX 970 4GB XLR8 Video Card (2-Way SLI) | $329.99 @ Amazon
Video Card | PNY GeForce GTX 970 4GB XLR8 Video Card (2-Way SLI) | $329.99 @ Amazon
Case | Rosewill STEALTH ATX Mid Tower Case | $59.99 @ Newegg
Power Supply | Antec TruePower Classic 750W 80+ Gold Certified ATX Power Supply | $60.00 @ Newegg
| | Total
| Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available | $1281.85
| Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-11-05 04:04 EST-0500 |

That's a bit more on-target for price. Nicer PSU, too. And the 970s are in stock at last, joyous day! If you'd prefer a more, er, "refined" case, you might consider snagging the [Fractal Design Core 2300] (http://pcpartpicker.com/part/fractal-design-case-fdcacore2300bl) that's on sale at the moment and throwing in a pack of [Cougar fans] (http://pcpartpicker.com/part/cougar-case-fan-cft12sb4), as that would be likely slightly more cooling at the same price, albeit with a different aesthetic.

Cheapest way to get a legitimate copy of Win8.1 is through a school or other educational facility, but if you're not a student, it's probably cheapest just to buy through Microsoft/buy a hard copy online. OSes can't really be found cheaply if you don't want the caveats that come with places like /r/microsoftsoftwareswap.

Ah, you like the free games feature? Always considered it a bit of a gimmick myself (granted, I don't really play AAAs, so I'm not the target audience), but if that's the case you'll want to make sure you get it through a retailer that's promising it (Newegg, for those 970s up there), as it's per retailer rather than per card, memory serving.

Last I recall you cannot transfer a Windows 8 installation from any OEM machine (laptops included), so you're outta luck there. If you do feel like playing with Linux, though, my favourite distro is Kubuntu.

Some motherboards come with integrated Bluetooth, but it's uncommon. You'll want to toss in a [USB] (http://www.amazon.com/Kinivo-BTD-400-Bluetooth-4-0-adapter/dp/B007Q45EF4/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1415178700&sr=1-1&keywords=bluetooth+4.0+adapter) [adapter] (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833320166) if you need it. Well, I suppose that in theory some wireless cards support Bluetooth connections, but most of those are for laptops, so you'd be looking at losing your M.2 slot (plus, you know, they're more expensive).

Ubiquiti access point(s) and their "Cloud Key" controller for management/captive portal springs to mind.

Optionally, depending on how point-and-click you want the management for this deployment to be, also their "USG" router, and a US-8-60W PoE switch to complete the UniFi hardware set.

Amusingly, on amazon.de (used as an example to get EU pricing), those four items together come to €499.34 (UAP-AC-Pro, US-8-60W, USG, UC-CK). How's that for ever so slightly under-budget?

It would need a small amount of work customising the captive portal if you want to do social media logins - I've never done that personally, but someone might know the details. Their forums would be a good place to start if you want to look for someone who has done that, or general advice.

The gateway is definitely optional, and any cheap PoE switch would be fine (or non-PoE, as the AP will also ship with a PoE injector). The controller software can be run on any old PC or VM with 1-2GB of RAM (although I personally like the cloud key for convenience), so you could get the cost down as low as just the AP if you've got a switch and a spare computer.

It also gives you a nice ability to expand with another AP in future if this takes off and you need extra capacity, and a nice management interface which is optionally accessible over the internet without being on-site, which might be nice if you have to help troubleshoot this remotely.

I've gotten mine to work very well, save for the whammy bar. I'd recommend getting a USB Bluetooth receiver (I have a built in MOBO Bluetooth receiver but it didn't work). This is the one that I got.

1. Once you've got your Bluetooth receiver, download and install the appropriate drivers for it. In my case I think I just used Lenovo's Bluetooth drivers but yours may be different depending what receiver you get.
   
   
2. Get XPadder (it's only $10) and place it somewhere you can easily access it; I have it in Documents.
   
   
3. Press the PS4 + Share buttons at the same time to reset the controller. The white light should be blinking rapidly.
   
   
4. Open your Bluetooth settings. I'm running Windows 10 so it might look a little different, but you should be able to turn on Bluetooth if it's not already on.
   
   
5. Press and hold the Sync button for ~10 seconds on the controller right next to the D-Pad. Your controller should pop up at this point and you can click Pair. The white light will stay on at this point. If it doesn't pop up, try restarting your computer or reinstalling the drivers. Make sure the drivers are the correct ones for your Bluetooth receiver (unless they're all just generic drivers, I'm unsure).
   
   
6. Open up XPadder and, assuming your controller is connected properly, it should look like this minus the keys and arrow buttons. If it looks like this then your controller isn't being recognized.
   
   
7. From here just click where my image says PDP Rock Band Guitar, yours might be different, and just start pressing all the buttons on the controller to have them recognized. Whammy won't work as far as I know.
   
   
8. Close out of that window and just click the buttons to assign a specific key press. This will correlate with whatever your keyboard settings for GH3 are. You can follow my layout or choose your own.
   
   
9. When launching GH3, just make sure that XPadder is actually on and that your controller is being recognized properly. During the loading screens for GH3 use your keyboard to get to the main menu, then you can use your controller after that. If you use your controller from the start, GH3 will default to thinking that's the main controller when technically with XPadder you're just supplementing your keyboard with the controller.
   
   Hope that helps! :)

Nope, nothing at all. You are the first person to ever run into the problem of being too far away from your router. There is no technology to solve this problem, and there never will be. Your only solution is to tear down your parents' house and build a smaller one so you'll be closer to the router...

I kid :)

This is a very common problem and it's easy to solve. Here's a few options.

The easiest is probably a WiFi Range Extender. These work decently well at re-generating the wireless signal to increase the coverage area. Put the range extender within the area that still has good coverage, set it up correctly, and it will expand that coverage.

There are a few drawbacks though. Your signal from the range extender will only be as useful as the range extender's signal back to the base station. So if you put the range extender on the fringe of the base's coverage, then you'll see a really strong signal on your device (from the range extender) but the bandwidth will still suck (because the range extender can't make a good connection back to the base).
Also, even when this system is working perfectly, it will reduce your wireless bandwidth by 50% or more. That's because the range extender uses the same frequency to receive and then re-transmit each signal, so each packet takes double the frequency time to send- once to be transmitted, and again to be re-transmitted by the range extender. Note that this may not actually affect your Internet speed- if your WiFi is going at 300mbit/sec, and this halves it to 150mbit/sec, then it's still not a bottleneck if your cable modem is only 30mbit/sec.

A potentially more reliable option is a MoCA Bridge Kit. That takes your local network as Ethernet from your router and re-injects it back into the coax cable. The result is anywhere you have a coax jack, you can just add another MoCA unit and whammo you now have a hardwired Ethernet port. In most houses this works slightly better than WiFi range extenders since you're getting a hardwired connection. To expand your wireless range, buy both this kit and the above range extender, plug one MoCA unit into your router and the coax, the other MoCA unit into the range extender and the coax, and then set the range extender to operate as an access point (not a range extender). Set the network name and security key to be the same as on the base router, but use a different channel. This will give you the fastest and most reliable system overall. Your laptop/phone/etc will connect to whichever device is closest (base router or the range extender working as a second access point).

IMPORTANT NOTE ON MoCA BRIDGES: MoCA only works on houses that use Cable internet and TV. If your house uses Satellite TV, then there's a similar device for DirecTV called DECA. If you have cable internet and satellite TV, that means there's two coax systems in your house (one from the modem, the other from the dish) so whichever bridges you use have to be on the same system.
If you have AT&T U-Verse, none of this shit will work because they use something completely different called HPNA-over-coax that's not compatible with either MoCA or DECA.

Hope that helps! Feel free to ask if you have any questions...

So there is not a simple end all be all solution this problem, unfortunately.

But a good place to start would be upgrading your 2 devices initially. I am assuming you have Cisco small business router and not 2 home routers.

The home routers looks something like this - https://www.amazon.com/TP-Link-AC1750-Smart-WiFi-Router/dp/B079JD7F7G/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?keywords=router&qid=1557460874&s=gateway&sr=8-1-spons&psc=1

Cisco small business routers like this - https://www.amazon.com/Cisco-Systems-Gigabit-Router-RV325K9NA/dp/B00HODK3N0/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1WUJF97665J0D&keywords=cisco+small+business+router&qid=1557460910&s=gateway&sprefix=cisco+small%2Caps%2C166&sr=8-1

​

I would invest in something like the Cisco router I linked if you don't have it already. Fortunately, the Cisco router I linked is ready out of the box and can work on day 1. I would still confirm that with Cisco support as I only learned that from the Q and A page on Amazon. Having a router ready out of the box IS NOT THE NORM, and you generally need someone who knows how to configure them come in, usually a contractor of some sort. Alternatively, most home routers will support 255 devices, and that being said, and good Asus/Belkin/Netgear 150$ - 300$ router would likely be good enough for only 30 people.

Secondly - I don't know why you would need 2 routers. Routers enable a network to connect to the internet and to other networks. Having 2 seems unnecessary unless we are missing something. You can set up 1 router where your network meets the internet and have that second router be turned into a dedicated switch.

Cisco Switch (THIS IS NEEDS TO BE SET UP BY SOMEONE WHO KNOWS HOW TO MAINTAIN/CONFIGURE CISCO DEVICES) - https://www.amazon.com/Cisco-SLM2048T-NA-Mini-GBIC-Certified-Refurbished/dp/B07HFKMR2B/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?keywords=cisco+small+business+switch&qid=1557461367&s=gateway&sr=8-1-spons&psc=1

Or - https://www.amazon.com/SYSTEMS-10-Port-Gigabit-Managed-SG35010K9NA/dp/B01HYA36SG/ref=mp_s_a_1_4?keywords=cisco+small+business+switch&qid=1557464529&s=gateway&sr=8-4

Unmanaged Switch (Commonly used at homes, Ready out of the box) - https://www.amazon.com/NETGEAR-16-Port-Gigabit-Ethernet-Unmanaged/dp/B01AX8XHRQ/ref=sxin_3_ac_d_pm?keywords=network+switch&pd_rd_i=B01AX8XHRQ&pd_rd_r=5575aed3-5184-474d-83c5-aca41f5c556a&pd_rd_w=K09zH&pd_rd_wg=uxzTY&pf_rd_p=5cc8abfe-8f78-4f34-b19f-d09d6ea0dca4&pf_rd_r=3F3DJSBGZNTDJQK0H8GG&qid=1557461743&s=gateway

*none of these switches will really impact performance, it's more along the lines of available ports and scalability.

From your second device (the switch), you should then be able to hardwire a few accesses points. The access points will broadcast the Wi-Fi signal covering generally about 1400 - 7000 FT depending on quality.

​

Cisco Access Point - https://www.amazon.com/SYSTEMS-802-11ac-Wireless-Access-WAP371AK9/dp/B00L0LIM62?ref_=fsclp_pl_dp_1

This AP claims that it is also plug and play. Again plug and play is great, but still, expect some troubleshooting if things don't work initially out of the box. It's always best to do research and consult a local IT person/department. Having a few of these AP's would provide some pretty solid Wi-Fi for the area as long as the ethernet cable is properly insulated and outside ethernet (CAT-6) cable is used where it needs to be used. Remember ethernet will have problems if it is exposed to the elements or if it exceeds 300 FT.

​

There is still so much more to consider and I'm really not that smart. Just your average IT guy trying to be helpful. Iv done this sort of things to an extent for a few years. Let me know if you have more questions.

If I were in your shoes, and strong wireless is desirable in every corner of the house, I'd put a router on one end and an AP (or router in AP mode) on the other end of the house, connected via ethernet or MoCA (via TV cable, if the house is wired for it. Even if it's not, it's stupidly simple to run an RG6 cable around the outside of the house, assuming you aren't renting).

I've done essentially this in my own house (which is half the size of yours, and square). I didn't need the wireless coverage for inside the house, but for outside when I'm doing yard work. Since I use Google Fi for my cellular service, I want to minimize my data usage. Having strong WiFi outside lets me listen to Pandora (using a pair of BT headphones so I don't have dangling wires to get caught in things) without using up my data.

The specific parts I'm using are:

Primary router : Netgear WNDR3700v4
Secondary router (in AP mode) : TP-Link WR1043ND V2.1

I suspect both of these items are no longer available. I've read that the TP-Link Archer line (C7 or C9) are both excellent options, and both should support being configured as an AP, so you could use one for your primary router and the other to help provide stronger WiFi throughout your house. You can buy two C7's, two C9's, or one of each -- it doesn't matter -- either of them should handle the load you've outlined. It helps that they have thousands of very good reviews for you to read through. :)

Looks like it's been a few weeks since this thread, but here's an update:

I hooked it up the way you suggested and it works great. The box they installed for the modem and all the wires is pretty small and there are only two outlets there so I took out the switch and just plugged four of the 6 ethernet cables directly into the router. Two of the rooms don't need internet at the current time anyway. Now my issue is that since the router is in the basement, the wifi isn't great on the main floor or even upstairs (which is two floors away). I bought one of those wifi range extenders that plug into the wall, and it works okay, but I'm thinking I might get better results by using a second router. I can get a second one that matches my first on Amazon for about $18 refurbished, which is about $10 less than I paid for that extender in the first place.

What's the difference between using a wireless access point and a second router? I know that the second router takes a bit of configuring, but it'd be worth it to also have a few extra wired ports there in the living room. That would be nice so that I can plug a gaming system or Roku box straight into it, and still have a lot of signal strength in the living room and upstairs.

Cool! Hope you survived the flooding.

That is a cable modem so: Motorola 6121 or 6141 to replace the modem part

http://www.amazon.com/Motorola-SB6121-SURFboard-DOCSIS-Cable/dp/B004XC6GJ0

http://www.amazon.com/Motorola-SurfBoard-SB6141-DOCSIS-Cable/dp/B00AJHDZSI/ref=zg_bs_284715_2

Ubee makes this, but I have never heard of them before. Recommend: Motorola. The quality goes in before the name goes on. Or was that Quasar?

Regardless: you need a router/wireless router too, and have about 70 bucks left.

IF you can afford an Apple Airport Extreme, and don't have game consoles, please get that. It's a great router and just works, and if the Ubee combo unit was good enough for you, the AAE will be great.

Failing that:

http://www.amazon.com/ASUS-Dual-Band-Wireless-N-Router-RT-N56U/dp/B0049YQVHE/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1370541191&sr=1-1&keywords=asus+rt-n56u

Asus RT56U is in your price range and works great.

If that does not work for you, check back....

I have an 867MHz G4 TiBook, running OS 9. I do most of my writing on it.

It isn't that heavy, although I guess that depends on what people mean by mobile. I'm not hiking somewhere to setup and work on it, so I don't have an issue. I wouldn't think twice about a bus/train commute with it. It's just a laptop. Doesn't hurt at all to use on your lap, if that's what you mean.

Battery life is poor, but it depends on what you do and how you want to use it. At full brightness and running the CPU for performance, even without crunching I can burn through the battery in an hour or so. But turn the brightness down, minimize everything else that eats power - I can get 4+ hours out of it. If you're serious, you either buy a new battery, or take the time to rebuild your own.

You say you don't need WiFi, but if you do: AirPort cards don't play nice with OS9, and they don't support WPA2 so they don't really connect anywhere even on OS X. What I do is use a USB-powered travel router that basically turns wifi networks into an ethernet connection. Aside from a couple of cables and a tiny box connected when online, it's a really simple way to connect to any/every modern wireless network - I recommend it even if just to surf and download classic software directly to the system. Speaking of surfing: Classilla. You can do quite a few useful tweaks to it, block out ad servers, and ultimately you are able to surf most reasonable websites (Reddit, Google, Mac Garden, anything text-driven or served by the great wiby.me search engine for ancient-friendly websites).

That said, the TiBook makes for a great writing machine with OS9, specifically because it takes that effort to get online and be distracted. Even if you can't get all-day battery out of it, it puts you in your creative space and leaves you alone. Even if it needs cables, or a power outlet. When it comes to writing, the most important aspect of a laptop to me is how much my fingers and wrists like the keyboard, and the keyboard is great.

If you are so inclined, I also recommend a good solid clamshell iBook. They are bulkier and heavier, and smaller screens really bother some people, but the keyboard is without a doubt the greatest laptop keyboard I've ever used (and it's a common sentiment around the web).

You're right. I've never actually used an adapter, as I've always just had PoE switches available. It's nice working for a company with good available resources and funding for dev/prod upgrades often. Makes more sense to put the injector on the switch side. Still, makes no sense to use them over a PoE switch, though.

Why are you assuming I'm using Ubiquiti throughout the whole network? I have an ER-X, that's my only Ubiquiti product at home. I see tons of people recommend other brands, for instance like a TP-Link AC1750 as a decent cheaper alternative to Ubiquiti APs. And look, it doesn't ship with a PoE adapter!! Dang! https://www.amazon.com/TP-Link-Wireless-Supports-Technology-EAP245/dp/B01N0XZ1TU/ Only ~$80, instead of ~$130 for a UAP-AC-PRO (Which on Amazon it says it doesn't come with a PoE adapter either! https://www.amazon.com/Ubiquiti-Networks-UAP-AC-PRO-Access-Included/dp/B079DSW6XX/ ). So here's an one adapter for $20 https://www.amazon.com/TP-LINK-TL-PoE150S-Injector-Adapter-compliant/dp/B001PS9E5I/ but wait, it can only push 15W! My Aruba APs can draw up to 25W. So less flexible, gotta get adapters for every AP, gotta power them near the switch, what a hassle.

It'd almost be awesome if there are affordable PoE switches available! Oh, look at this 8-port Gigabit PoE Managed switch for only ~$65! https://www.amazon.com/TP-Link-Gigabit-Lifetime-compliant-TL-SG108PE/dp/B01BW0AD1W/ whereas a Unifi Switch 8 PoE is ~$110 https://www.amazon.com/Ubiquiti-UniFi-Switch-60W-US-8-60W/dp/B01MU3WUX1/ Plus, you'll probably need the cloudkey if you're gonna use UAPs, so there's another $80. And might as well throw in a USG while you're at it for another $120, since OP needs a router anyways.

So, we could do your Ubiquiti stack:

• UAP-AC-PRO - $130
  
• PoE Injector - $20
  
• USG - $130
  
• Cloudkey - $80
  
• Still will likely need some switch, unless OP has one already. USG doesn't have enough ports. Could get a good ole' Netgear GS108 for $50, only $15 cheaper than the TP-Link PoE version above, which if you're paying $20 to get an injector (and more if you need multiple injectors) that doesn't make much sense does it?
  
  And we'd see that setting up your Ubiquiti network will cost somewhere around $400.
  
  If we do the other brands:
  
  
• TP-Link 1750 - $80
  
• TP-Link SG108PE - $65
  
• We can use an ER-X as our gateway since it's relatively cheap - $60
  
  Wow, look how much simpler that is! And it only cost around $205!
  
  So, remind me again in which section it's cheaper to use the PoE injectors? OP (likely) needs a switch anyways. PoE switch is $15 more expensive than non. But you're paying $20 for one injector anyways (PoE switch is like getting (Edit: 4, not 8) injectors for only $15). Did I miss anything here?

Figured. You can try to call back during the day and speak with a fiber engineer (if there is any due to the strike), and have them check to see if its self install ready.

Internet only you dont need their routers. The ONT is in/outside your property right? you can run a cat6 ethernet line from the ONT to your own router and be done with it. Their may be provisioning needed on VZ's end but that should be it.

My assumption would be they are defualting a tech out to not only run that line, but upgrade the ONT if its not rated for that speed.

For your own routers, i have a RT-AC68U Asus as well as many others, and its perfect. Otherwise i recommend the TP-Link archer C9 - http://www.amazon.com/TP-LINK-AC1900-Archer-C9-Wireless/dp/B00PDLRHFW/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1464698899&sr=8-2&keywords=ac1900+router

Both should be fine, my Asus AC68U covers my 2 story house with 5 bedrooms + basement perfectly, the router is on the 2nd floor. (moving it downstairs soon).

If you have a very large house - or old house with plaster & steel lath walls consider this - , big price but i've installed this for a few people in similar situations and it was great. http://www.amazon.com/Dual-Band-Wireless-AC3100-Gigabit-Router-RT-AC88U/dp/B016EWKQAQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1464698973&sr=8-1&keywords=asus+ac+3100

Honestly, I was in the same boat. Great memories with Smash and my college roommates. Got online to hang out with them when we have time. As long as you don't take every hit seriously and enjoy it for the game, its alright. I use to get mad at the input lag and buttons not working, but I changed to basically play with my friends online (also get a Lan Adapter and tell your friends to as well) and you will have a lot of fun. You might even find another game you guys like to play as well, for us it's Mario Kart, don't drink and drive.

Steam definitely supports multiple controllers. I'm not positive on DS4Windows. You will only be using one or the other, most likely Steam. They both do the same things, either map the buttons to a virtual 360 controller and/or keyboard & mouse. Just keep in mind with two controllers you have to emulate the 360 controller (steam allows setting this up as a per-game basis). How you would use multiple DS4 controllers is exactly how you would use multiple Steam controllers. Basically, you cannot use profiles that emulate KBM with multiple controllers, but the games supporting splitscreen or multiple controllers anyways you won't be emulating the KBM so it won't be an issue. Also as for number of PS4 controllers, this is determined by if you use a generic Bluetooth dongle or the official PS4 dongle. The official PS4 dongle only allows 1 controller, but gives you the ability to use the 3.5mm audio jack and gives less latency. Bluetooth adapters depending on the quality can allow many more than 1, but typically have more latency and don't work with the audio jack. I will be grabbing the official dongle for my room personally because I want the audio jack and if I have friends over it will be in the basement with the Steam Link I'm going to be grabbing soon. Now, I'm not sure if you can have multiple dongles to allow for multiple controllers but that can certainly get expensive. I would recommend you use a generic Bluetooth adapter if you want to use multiple controllers. Here's the one I use with my PS3 controller: https://www.amazon.com/Kinivo-BTD-400-Bluetooth-4-0-USB/dp/B007Q45EF4

You might need a USB extension cord for that one, because my recliner is too far from my TV I had latency issues. It needed to be like 3 feet away from me to not experience any latency. It might be the adapter is crap, but its the one a lot of people recommended to me. This is also another reason why I'm just going to get the official dongle.

EDIT: Forgot to mention the DS4 has gyro, which is a major advantage over Xbox controllers.

Really nice find! I'm assuming your computer is already bluetooth compatible?

If not, at least for me and others on the PSMoveService Google group, (Great place to ask questions and get help with troubleshooting) you have to have a bluetooth adapter to get the PSMove controllers to pair to your computer.

(I suggest this bluetooth adapter which is used by myself and others for the PSMove controllers)

(Don't forget that first time setup requires a micro USB cable for first time paring)

If so, just be aware that the Playstation Eye takes up a lot of USB bandwidth and you have to plan out where you plug in your devices very carefully for them to all track at the full 60fps.

I'd suggest downloading something like USBTreeView before starting as this will allow you to check your USB root hubs when plugging in your cameras and possibly bluetooth adapter.

Some things to keep in mind when setting this up are:

Try to isolate your cameras away from other high bandwidth devices on the same USB root hub, considering we're using an HMD with an IR camera that also takes up a lot of bandwidth so remember that too.

(This is what my USBTreeView looks like, make sure that your cameras are on USBs with the little H next to them meaning their high-speed.

("USB Composite Device - Camera" is the IR camera)

("ASUS USB-BT400" Is the bluetooth adapter)

"USB Composite Device - Audio, Camera" Is the Playstation Eye)

Most of the time the most cameras you'll be able to get away with are 2 cameras on one motherboard and the front panel USB connections included, unless you buy a PCI/PCI-E USB expansion card for more USBs and root hubs.

(PSMoveService reccomends the Inateck PCI-E to USB 3.0 5-Port

Most likely the controllers you bought were part of the older batches which were manufactured around 5-6 years ago when they first came out, so be sure to check the batteries and you can buy replacements here. (Although you have to open the controller up to access them)

Some of the newer controllers which were released with PSVR have their magnetometers disabled which are used for orientation in PSMoveService so be weary of that if their from the latest batch.

In conclusion, just follow videos like these (This and this) (You can just follow the PSMoveService portion of it) and for troubleshooting either resort to the comments of those videos, the offical Github documentation, post back here and I can try to help, or post in the Google group for help.

Aside from everything else good luck on setting it up and please excuse any grammatical errors you see in this post, it's over 3160 letters long.

Use the router for the powerline -- other users have mentioned the issue with double NAT, but keep in mind your powerline adapter, depending on how much you pay, will be much more limited in bandwidth than the gigabit ports on most modern routers.

If your concern is to extend your wireless network, I highly recommend the TP-Link AV500 WiFi Powerline Kit. I purchased one myself a few months ago and have it set up in my guest bedroom/office, with about 6 walls between me and my AC66U router. Speeds are fantastic, both wired and wireless. I have my laptop connected wirelessly, with my Pi and home server running wired (the adapter has 2 Ethernet ports), so it works out great and I get great N coverage on this side of my apartment now.

In the future, you can just purchase more modules to extend the network in case you have a house or a larger dwelling.

Hope this helps!

Honestly, Spectrum is the way to go. Use your own modem and router.

I have been using a Zoom Modem DOCSIS 3.0 for the past 3years, with no issues. Along with this ASUS RT-ACRH13 for the past 10 months. I had another, much cheaper router than that, but between these two I paid $55 for the modem and $70 for the wifi router...so basically $0.65/month for the modem, and $7/month for the router = $7.65 as opposed to whatever they will charge for their modem router combination, and when I first used theirs, it wasn't nearing as good. Just make sure you get one that is at least DOCSIS 3.0, which is easiest to view here. I am partial to Motorola, as they have worked great for me, though the Netgear and TP-Link I used before where a while back, and was provided to me, didn't work as well, so I am biased against them, even though a lot of people talk good about them, so I could be wrong about them. A good combination is this Motorola N300 router modem combo both for the same price at Best Buy and Amazon. Which, even if it only last 1 year, it would be the same cost as $5.84/month renting, and then less as it will last more than one year.

Not sure how heavily you will be using the Internet, but I use it to stream all TV, constantly on reddit or whatever with my phone, and even some gaming...most going on at the same time. I like my router, but will be getting myself a new modem soon, which will probably be a Motorola MB7420 or a ASUS CM-16.

You can find what is compatible with Spectrum, and how to activate, if you go HERE and open this PDF file

Edit: formatting with links
Edit2: grammar

Thanks for the help. I'm currently at home, but will try that when I get back to school. I found and installed LinSSID. Is there a certain number or range I should look for when I'm monitoring a network? My home network signal seems to be hovering around -10 to 10. I'll look for a manual for the program later to better understand the information.

Can you recommend a usb wireless adapter that would improve my computers ability to capture wifi signals? I have this one I tried at school: https://www.amazon.com/TP-Link-N150-Wireless-Adapter-TL-WN725N/dp/B008IFXQFU

Unfortunately, it doesn't help my problem at all and I'm willing to spend more money on a better one to solve my problems. Would something like https://www.thinkpenguin.com/gnu-linux/penguin-wireless-n-usb-adapter-w-external-antenna-gnu-linux-tpe-n150usbl help me?

By plug ethernet, are you referring to powerline adapters? Because for internet in a pc in general, that's what I would recommend if direct ethernet is not an option. It's much more consistent than any wifi card could be imo. I own this and it's pretty widely regarded as a good one. It's pricey but worth it and it's basically as portable as a wifi card because your pc is definitely going to be plugged into an outlet somewhere and that's all a powerline adapter needs, an outlet.

Otherwise, pcie adapters that are good... I'll just link one that I've heard about from others that liked it. I think this is popular or this upgraded version of it. Otherwise, there's a tplink that just has a ton of reviews on pcpartpicker, full 5 stars for 200+ ratings which is impressive.

I think the 780ti is much better than the 1050ti. It's just old so I'm assuming it just draws a lot more power than the 1050ti and has much older architecture. But if it saves you a ton of money and you're going to upgrade anyway, I don't see why not. It'll get the job done in the meantime.

Finally, after all these reviews, i'm going to buy these pieces and build my masterpiece-wannabe.

I would like to thanks /u/Raffles7683 for his dedicated, nice and smart help ! Also, thanks to /u/DIK-FUK and /u/golli123.

That's it, the final configuration, which is 2€ cheaper than the first one. WHAT A SAVE. But it's all the way better. I finally picked a I7-6700k as a CPU since nobody seems to know at which point a I5-6600k will bottleneck the GTX 1080, even with a 4.5 Ghz overclock. The debate is running litteraly everywhere and no one has the same point of view. So... I guess i can throw 100€ by the window to be sure and to overlock a i7 to 4.4 Ghz.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Type|Item|Price

----|:----|:----
CPU |Intel Core i7-6700K | €325.79 - Amazon.it
CPU Cooler | Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler | €34.99 - Amazon.it
Motherboard | Asus Z170-P ATX LGA1151 Motherboard | €109.61 - Amazon.fr
Memory | Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3000 Memory | €126.04 - Amazon.it
Storage | Sandisk SSD PLUS 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive | €74.00 - Amazon.es
Storage | Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive | €53.44 - Amazon.fr
Video Card | KFA2 GeForce GTX 1080 EXOC 8GB Video Card | €560.00 - French shop
Case | Fractal Design Define S ATX Mid Tower Case | €76.32 - Amazon.de
Power Supply | Corsair CSM 650W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply | €78.99 - Amazon.es
Wireless Network Adapter | Asus PCE-AC56 PCI-Express x1 802.11a/b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi Adapter | €48.00 - Amazon.de
Monitor | Acer XB271HU bmiprz 27.0" 2560x1440 165Hz Monitor | €699.90 - French shop
| Total | €2187.08



The CPU has been edited according to /u/Raffles7683's review and /u/DIK-FUK's build suggest. And updated, because no one knows what is a bottleneck, in real world.
The RAM / SSD has been edited according to /u/Raffles7683's review, again.
* The case has been edited according to /u/golli123's review


I will provide some news in the future with, probably, in build photos :)

I bought this one and it works great, except the cord from the USB to the adapter is too short to fit through the cord slot on the back of the dock, so the dock flap needs to be open. This isn't a problem for my setup since the dock sits inside an open cabinet in our tv stand and you can't see the back of the dock. I think I remember a thread on this sub where someone recommended an adapter that does have a cord that fits through the slot, allowing you to close the back flap, so if that's an issue for you, do further research.

One other important thing to note: the ethernet adapter does nothing for handheld mode. This is probably obvious, but it's worth noting just in case someone doesn't know this already. I play the Switch almost exclusively in handheld mode except for Splatoon, and this adapter makes a huge difference for that, it's like night and day. I should probably start playing Rocket League on the tv as well, but I love being able to play in handheld mode and not hog the tv.

Two options to accomplish the goal:

(1) use a Wi-Fi bridge to convert the upstream wireless network into a wired input that can be plugged into a traditional Wi-Fi router WAN port;

(2) use a router or other device that supports WISP (wireless ISP) mode, where it will connect via Wi-Fi to the upstream network, and then provide you with a protected segment behind the free wireless segment. Example: https://www.amazon.com/TP-Link-Wireless-Travel-Extender-TL-WR802N/dp/B00TQEX8BO/

Good luck!


PS - contrary to somebody's reply in this thread, yes, you can use double-NAT. There isn't really a limit to the number of times traffic can run through NAT. NAT = Network Address Translation, where the IP address (and often the TCP/UDP port number) of the client device is rewritten to a different, outside-facing address. The NAT gateway maintains a session table to ensure returning packets are passed back to the correct client device. Inbound conversations only work if there is a manual mapping performed, or the gateway has advanced application inspection to determine the optimal client device to pass a new incoming session toward (still requires at least one outbound initiation from the client device).


In this specific thread, inbound services are already limited due to not controlling the first position (upstream) where NAT is performed. Adding additional NAT gateways works fine for outbound services (e.g. web browsing) where your client device initiates the connection to a remote resource.


Using a NAT router behind a NAT router will work for web browsing, emails, Netflix streaming, many games, etc. Any multi-player game that requires a special config on the router to allow incoming traffic likely won't work, which is generally limited to older titles.

I have one of these:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B015PRO512/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Which connects to one of these:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01MU3WUX1/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

The Switch connect to the FiOS Gateway. I wouldn't mind adding a second (or even 3rd) AP, but money is always an issue. The Switch and the other Gateway interaces have several other devices on it:

• 2 Desktops (One is the 'server' I mentioned)
  
• Home NAS
  
• Work Special Access Point
  
• 'Lab' Router
  
  The AP has a pass-through which connects to a no-name switch (that I need to replace) that provides connectivity to the entertainment center stuff (AppleTV, TiVo, game consoles, etc.)
  
  I'm pretty minimal by many people's standards. If I move I'd like to switch to using one of Ubiquiti's USG Firewall/routers and a dedicated controller so I can do wireless guest access better.

Using the modem supplied by google is fine as the front-line router handling any wired connections. But do NOT use it's wifi, you need a separate router because that modems wifi is terrible.

I am personally a fan of ASUS wireless routers, but there's nothing wrong with the usual big names like Netgear or Linksys or whoever. All are easy to use and fine for typical home use.

I use an older version of this:
https://www.amazon.com/RT-ACRH13-Dual-Band-AC1300-4-port-Gigabit/dp/B01LXL1AR8

And it works great

All you really have to do is set your google fiber modem's wifi to OFF in the web-based settings. Then you just run an ethernet cable from the google modem(any ethernet port) to your new wifi router.

Now, the instructions for your wifi router will typically tell you to use the 1 designated ethernet port that is labeled as "uplink" or "internet", but I actually had issues with that on several different routers and just plugged straight into a standard ethernet port(your wireless router will likely have 4+ ports to choose from) and it worked much, much better.

That was the one small quirk compared to how I used to have my Time Warner service setup, using a wireless routers uplink port always worked flawlessly using cable, but not so much with Google Fiber, just use a standard ethernet port for chaining the 2 boxes together.

That definitely sounds like a router issue then. I am currently using the buffalo AC 1900 router which is AMAZING! I also just recently bought my parents the TP-Link AC1900 since it was on sale for $99 which is the first TP-Link product I ever bought. It was super simple to setup and they now get perfect wifi everywhere in their 4 story house with no issues. Here is the link to that one: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00PDLRHFW I hope that info helps. If any of you have any questions feel free to contact me. I have had cable one for a few years now and rarely have issues.

Its called the Unifi Dream Machine, but looks like its only "Early Access" at the moment, which basically means you'd be Beta testing, but I've only heard positive things, with people saying its a lot more powerful than the USG (specifically for using things such as the IPS).

But to answer you questions:

1. Correct, these are Layer-2 only, you need the USG/PFSense for the routing. Why do you need POE? The Unifi AP's come with a POE-Injector. Also, be aware the 16 Port switches have fans, which can generate noise, so you will probably want to stash it away (in a cupboard or garage etc).
   
   Personally, I do use POE, but I use their 8 Port Swich with 4 POE ports (their cheap-cheap version), along with this, I have their standard 8 port switch, see below:
   
   8 Port, with 4 POE: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Ubiquiti-UniFi-Switch-Port-Enterprise/dp/B01MU3WUX1/
   
   8 Port, None POE: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Ubiquiti-US-8-Managed-Desktop-Passthrough/dp/B01N362YPG/
   
   USG: https://www.amazon.co.uk/UBIQUITI-Networks-Security-Gateway-Router/dp/B00LV8YZLK/
   
   Cloud Key Controller: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Ubiquiti-Networks-UC-CK-Stand-Alone-UniFi-Cloud-Key-Controller-BOXED/401859588968
   
   You don't need the last one, but I find it useful, as it gives you a physical device and it saves having to spin up a seperate VM or Rasperberry Pi for it.. And its pre-baked, you plug it in and go!
   
   

2. Yes. You could actually even do this with 1 NIC... Thats is what I do, I just put WAN onto a seperate VLAN... After all, its just another "security zone", just like each of you internal VLANs, the reason you use VLANs, is to control routing between them.. My Virgin Hub, plugs into a port, which is Untagged on VLAN-1000, has no other VLANs assigned, the only other place that has this VLAN is my Firewall VM.
   
   Some people will cry "danger", and they have a point, if you are not 100% confident in what you are doing, its better to use separate NICs for LAN and WAN. This also has another issue, if you've only got 1Gb NICs, and its carrying both LAN and WAN, you've got a bottleneck (On my servers, I use 10Gbe, so I don't have that issue).

They're pretty damn neat. But from what I understand it utilizes your house's electrical grid to route the signal through. It was the clear winner vs. wifi for my household. We had 1 powerline sending signal to 3 others upstairs and worked like a charm before hardwiring our PCs directly to the downstairs router.

We've had two separate ones, the TP Link AV500 and the TP Link AV1000. Honestly I'm not sure if there was a difference so I'd probably recommend just getting the AV500. We only went up to the AV1000 when we added on the third person.

Setup is super simple, plug the one adapter to an outlet by the router, and connect the two via ethernet. Then plug the other adapter into an outlet near whatever device (PC, 2nd router, etc) you want to connect, and they'll pair. I believe there may be a button to press.

Ahh, that link is super helpful. I had only found the official documentation initially, which didn't seem to mention security support. I can see a couple options:

1. Run an ethernet cable to the device. Pros: Requires zero configuration and is arguably the most secure. Since it's within wifi range, it shouldn't be /too/ far from the router that running a cable would take forever though. Cons: Most time consuming (or costly if you hire a contractor).
   
   
   
2. On the access point that is closest to the aquarium, dedicate one radio to a new SSID called "Aquarium." Give it security settings compatible with this unit (WPA2-PSK with AES encrpytion). Ideally, turn on MAC Address whitelisting and have the only whitelisted MAC Address be that of this aquarium unit. Pros: Costs nothing to implement. Don't have to run a wire. Cons: If your current security scheme is more complex, this creates an easier attack surface. Reduces the capability of that access point for all other tasks since one radio is dedicated to this unit.
   
   
   
3. Use a wireless bridge to take wifi in from your existing setup and send out an ethernet cable to the aquarium. You could probably get away with a fairly cheap unit like this one. Pros: Just slap it in client mode and your setup is done. Dirt cheap too. Cons: adds another point of failure. Make sure it works with your specific security setup before buying it.
   
   
   Personally, I'd probably pick option 3 if it works in my environment most of the time. I'd pick option 1 only if there was already an ethernet port nearby in use and just throw a little cheap 4-5 port unmanaged switch on it. Option 2 works well only if the wifi from that access point is not utilized to capacity.

One router should be able to handle your 20 total devices. But if you plan on growing your farm you should add an access point (I use this one for $22) and it handles 20 devices. My main router ($30) handles 10 devices running MLB.tv, Netflix, online gaming and a few beermoney apps. And all on 65 Mbps connection with very little slowdown.

Like I said, your router should be able to handle what you have. People have mentioned before, but try switching your WiFi channel by logging into your router.

I had a similar issue of huge slow downs but changing the channel fixed it. Download the android app WiFi Analyzer to see how many other networks are being used in your area and choose the one with the fewest congestion. Other forms of interference like baby monitors and other household appliances don't show up on that app so make sure to test all three non-overlapping channels (1,6,11) before going out and buying an access point or new router. I'm pretty sure my issue involved a baby monitor on channel 11 and switching to 1 solved all the lag.

Also, if your router is dual band, try moving as many devices over to the 5GHz WiFi as you can.

Lastly, if none of that works, your DNS might be slow which happens every once in a while when using an ISPs default DNS servers. You can use namebench to find the best DNS server then go into your router and change your DNS settings.

EDIT: And rebooting your modem's probably not a bad thing to try.

For my modem I use SB6183 (yes, I buy refurb) for $70, and have had great luck in general with the surfboard / arris line. This one is good for up to ~600Mbps (which is far faster than what Comcast sells me now).

For routers I go with Asus; huge user base and they're super solid. You can get this one for $60 ; it goes faster than most every speed tier that comcast currently offers in any market, so you can be sure it won't be the bottleneck on your network.

If you go with that set it'll take you a little more than a year to break even, but at that point you have it paid off and you have the peace of mind that you're in control of your own network.

Good luck!

https://www.amazon.ca/TP-Link-AV1000-Powerline-WiFi-Extender/dp/B06WP2ZT5N?th=1 need wifi on it or passthrough?

The most powerful tower you can get.The whole "upgrade later" raises questions though.The build may be done differently depending on what monitor upgrades you do.Also going all out now but upgrading in like 1 year is not efficient.You will be monitor bottlenecked and the 2080 super will not be used to its full extend.

PCPartPicker Part List

Type|Item|Price

----|:----|:----
CPU | AMD Ryzen 5 3600X 3.8 GHz 6-Core Processor | $264.99 @ Newegg Canada
Motherboard | MSI B450 Gaming Plus MAX ATX AM4 Motherboard | $114.99 @ Newegg Canada
Memory | Crucial Ballistix Sport LT 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 Memory | $103.68 @ Amazon Canada
Storage | HP EX920 1 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive | $139.99 @ Canada Computers
Video Card | Palit GeForce RTX 2080 SUPER 8 GB GameRock Video Card | $949.00 @ Newegg Canada Marketplace
Case | Fractal Design Meshify C ATX Mid Tower Case | $89.99 @ Canada Computers
Power Supply | SeaSonic FOCUS Gold 650 W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-modular ATX Power Supply | $96.50 @ Vuugo
| Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts |
| Total | $1759.14
| Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-11-30 10:11 EST-0500 |

Yes that should sort your problem out. I don't know what type of budget your on or what plans are available to you but upgrading your internet speed would help as well. I would absolutely recommend getting your own router in either case.

I have the Asus AC1300 (https://www.amazon.com/Dual-Band-Super-Fast-Gigabit-MU-MIMO-RT-ACRH13/dp/B01LXL1AR8) and it has some nice QoS settings on it. Feel free to shop around or ask for other recommendations though. Its pretty straightforward to set up.

• My modem is out of date, but i have an ARRIS SURFboard with DOCSIS 2.* or 3.0 and comcast said it is out of date, and that i can't update the firmware. So i need to have them refresh my signal and reboot the modem every 1-3 months now... I think DOCSIS 3.1 might be the one you want to go with? Don't quote me though!!! haha

• I purchased the TP-Link 1900 and it has worked flawlessly!! Steaming to my phone, my wife's tablet, my mother-in-law's phone, a bedroom tv, main living room tv and my neighbors across the street that hypothetically have a wife extender and my old roku 2 box. My main network is hidden, the guest network 2.4 and 5 is showing. And a sub guest network at my neighbors with 2.4 only. Plus multiple users on the network when at the neighbors pool. No 4k streaming though, only 1080p.

I have comcast running into my basement and into a modem, then i have an ethernet cable running up into the living room and into the router. Then from the router and back down into an unmanned switch. From there, i have ethernet cable ran to every room of the house, but i still need to hook it up....

This is the one I have, and LOVE it (i could only find the refurb link on amazon, but same thing):

https://www.amazon.com/TP-Link-Wireless-Gigabit-Certified-Refurbished/dp/B07F9221FC/ref=sr_1_4?keywords=TP-Link+AC1900&qid=1555421510&s=electronics&sr=1-4

This appears to be a newer version, but i believe the one i have above an amplified antennas:

https://www.amazon.com/TP-Link-AC1900-Smart-Wireless-Router/dp/B00PDLRHFW/ref=wsdps_5?cv_ct_pg=detail&cv_ct_wn=woodstock-detail&linkCode=oad&cv_ct_id=ws&pf_rd_r=2R6Z03YPKDD9Q6RGVSND&pd_rd_wg=gWXhv&pd_rd_w=NIezO&pd_rd_r=dcb9d328-604b-11e9-a945-818b360be682

This one is newer as well and looks more like the one you posted, but almost half the price:

https://www.amazon.com/TP-Link-AC1900-Smart-WiFi-Router/dp/B07NF3K74H/ref=dp_ob_title_ce

So I found my temporary solution. It's by no means ideal, but it does what I want it to and cost me less than $50.

First, I got one of these things to put on my dash. It fits my nexus 7 pretty well, but it is a snug fit.

Since I wanted it to be a clean look, as clean as I could get at this point anyway, I decided to get a bluetooth receiver to plug into my aux input.

You can go cheaper on either, but that works well for me.

You could always get a quote from a local IT company and look into having them run Cat5 to all of your devices and having them all meet up at your gateway. It would be a bit pricey, but if you don't have the time/know-how to do it yourself it might be worth it. It would provide you with the best connection possible.

Otherwise, Powerline adapters or wifi extenders might be worth looking into. In the past I used one of these in a rental home and it worth pretty darn well. They even have an ethernet jack on them for hardwiring a device near the extender. Hardwiring to the extender would give you Wifi-like speeds/latency on devices that don't support wireless. I do believe you can have multiples of them bouncing off of one another to offer better coverage.

That would most likely be triggered from having bad internet (on ur end) to test your speed go into settings> internet> test connection. The higher speed the better, but if you have lower then 7 down and 7 up It would probably mean this is happening on your end.
There's a couple different fixes.

1. If your a little bit tech savvy go into your routers settings and enable QoS with your switch
   
   
2. The easiest fix by far is using Ethernet only certain adapters work, here's the one I'm using
   
   
3. Switch internet service providers or upgrade to higher speed (if possible)
   
   Hope one of these ends up working, best of luck :)

I would shy away from a travel router, but there are plenty of consumer ones that are small enough to throw in a backpack or a small bag.

The problem with a travel router is that they only usually have a WAN port instead of a LAN port. WAN is looking for a internet connection/modem and will do weird things if it doesn't find one. Basically the same as plugging your console into the WAN port on a consumer router, it is trying to use your console to create a network, but all you want to do is connect your console to a network, not have it be the source. I am no network engineer(even though it feels like it sometimes), but if anyone else can explain better I would love to hear how you interpret it.

I am using a small ASUS router right now as I write this to run sound for a college graduation. This one to be exact.

Router is under the stage next to a stagebox mixer, and I can walk everywhere in the arena, and even outside and have no issues with dropouts. I am using a iPad air which takes advantage of AC routers and beamforming.

Just stick with a brand that is reputable, Asus, Netgear, and Apple are a few that come to mind.

You dont have to spend a fortune to get good coverage, you just have to spend smart, and get good, reputable gear.


Another tip: Hide your SSID in router settings. You basically get DDoS attacked by people wanting free wifi if you don't, even when you password protect.

Hi there,
I've had two massive Rokit8 speakers for a couple years now and, until now, i've been content with using RCA to quarter or eighth inch adapters as my only audio option. I'm trying to upgrade my setup to allow for 3 things:
1 Wireless input or the ability to connect to a wireless input: I'm not tied to bluetooth, but it's cheap and it has good enough quality for me to use when i'm lazy/sitting on my bed.
2 Aux (or whatever) inputs: i want to be able to hook up my computer and other devices for optimal sound quality when i'm less lazy and don't want to use bluetooth. I also want to be able to hook up one line from my music gear. It would be best if i could keep both a computer and my gear plugged in at the same time so i could easily switch back and forth without unplugging things.
My current idea involves connecting something like this to an audio switcher, but switchers seem quite expensive for how simple they appear to be.
Any ideas reddit?
Thanks!

I agreed with /u/AdmiralHungryMan here, on optical drives. They're commoditized which means they're very much equivalent. Buy a reputable brand but there's no need to spend more unless it's to get a specific feature like BluRay support.

With WiFi cards, what's most important is the chipset inside it. You're going to want to read some reviews on them and do your best to pick one that works best overall. Avoid USB versions if at all possible; while convenient, not only do they typically have worse antennas but the USB adds more complexity to go wrong. I've had good luck with Asus' Broadcom based ones. This is what I use, currently, for clients who needs WiFi on a Desktop. Yeah, it's more money but you really want stability. If you can't get a wired connection to your system, this is my go-to card at the moment.

So the adapters I've found are apparently Moca 1.0. Where is a good place to get moca 2.0? Or do I not need it for my speeds?I pretty much just need 2 basic adapters, no range extension or anything.

Edit: Apparently the adapters I've found are moca 1.1. They are [ http://www.amazon.com/Actiontec-Ethernet-Adapter-without-Routers/dp/B008EQ4BQG] (here). I'm just worried it isn't what I want, but the reviews are great and it seems like it'd be perfect for my apartment. Any input would be appreciated.

I've been using ASUS RT-N56U and been happy with it.

• Dual Band, Data Rate: 802.11n - up to 300Mbps data rate; Wired Performance: WAN to LAN: up to 900Mbps; LAN to LAN: 1Gbps
  
• Interface: 1x WAN port, 4x LAN ports for 10/100/1000 BaseT, Port: 2x USB 2.0 ports
  
  They also have a newer model ASUS RT-N66U
  
  
• 3 x Detachable antenna for 2.4GHz/5GHz with peak gain 3dBi/ 5dBi
  
• IPv6 support; VPN Server Support
  
• 802.11n: up to 450Mbps ; 802.11a/g: up to 54Mbps; 802.11b: up to 11Mbps
  
• Supports Ethernet and 802.3 with max. bit rate 10/100/1000 Mbps
  
• 4 x LAN ports for 10/100/1000 BaseT
  
• 2 x USB2.0 support got Printer sharing or HDD sharing

Thanks for answering!
I asked skullcandy support through email about that and this is the answer. So as I saw before there is no any drivers from their website and it is entirely about drivers for the bluetooth adapter and here is a problem. I bought one on friday but it didn't work, and I couldn't find any drivers for that adapter either besides the ones that downloaded after plugging. About those 3 drivers that they suggested. Broadcom doesn't seem to work anymore as on their site it says that you can't download any software. Toshiba seems like it's for laptops because I couldn't get through the installation and Qualcomm looks dead.


So I feel like I need a right bluetooth adapter with right drivers for them to work, if someone has them and use them on PC with adapter, I would love to hear how they got them to work and which adapter they have and if they downloaded any drivers specifically for it or not. Thinking about buying that ASUS one but would love to hear any suggesting from the users first.

Hi all,


Not sure if this sub would be the right place to ask my noob consumer grade question.

I have two sources of audio in my living room:

1. Samsung TV (that has an optical output). So I use this Optical DAC to convert to a headphone jack output.
   
   
2. Logitech bluetooth audio adapter
   
   And I have a 2.1 speaker setup which consists of two M-Audio monitors and a subwoofer.
   
   Currently the issue is that I have to manually switch the connections of my speakers to the logitech adapter's output and later back to the DAC's out.
   
   Is there a device that I could use to switch the connections automatically with a switch (a remote would be even better, but I can live without it too).
   In addition to the switching of audio streams, I would like to have a knob to amplify the sound as per my taste. The reason I need to a volume control is because the Optical DAC doesn't have any kind of volume adjustment.
   
   Being a noob in audio stuff, my guess is that I must look at audio mixers. But when I see "audio mixers" on amazon, I see all these professional products which look like something for a DJ at stage. My requirement is a nice looking living room product which can handle 2 to 4 audio streams as long as I can mute all but one because I would want to listen to only one stream at a time.
   
   I am looking for a high quality device with respected reviews. My budget is under $200.
   
   Thanks for any pointers.

>So what you are saying is if i have a router that supports 802.11AC as well as a 16 channel modem i will experience no such bottleneck with connection?

I think most of the bottlenecks people in experience are due to one of those 2 factors. For example, in my apartment I can see 30+ other wifi networks but only 3 of them are on 5ghz (802.11N or 802.11AC.) That being said there are many different ways a bottleneck can occur on the public Internet most of them are beyond your control. What you can control is your cable modem and router.

>I do have a Netgear AC1750 Smart Wifi Router which does support 802.11AC. As far as the 16 channel modem, you said RCN supplies these now with the service?

The official line form RCN is they require you to rent their 3 in 1 gateway on their faster speed tiers. Unofficially many people are using their own (better) equipment. On paper the 3-1 gateway is a fine device but I found it to be sort of buggy. It also runs way hotter than I would prefer. I got sick of paying $7 / month for a buggy device. I switched to a SB6183 cable modem with Ubiquity AC pro access point both of which have been rock solid.

The specs on the netgear AC1750 seem awesome so I doubt you’ll have any issues with it. If you’re on a budget I pare it with a SB6183, you can find refurbs on ebay for around $60. If you want to through money at the situation get a SB6190. https://www.amazon.com/ARRIS-SURFboard-SB6190-DOCSIS-Cable/dp/B016PE1X5K
Currently both devices will perform identical on RCN but it’s possible that the sb6190 will be better in the future as it supports up to 32 channels. Currently RCN deploys 16 channels in the Chicago area.

I've had this problem, and have spent a considerable amount of time trying to figure out how to solve it.

My best advice would be to ensure that your PS4 is connected to the network via ethernet, not wifi, as there is a single shared antenna for wifi and bluetooth in the PS4^1. If your PS4 is too far away to allow for it to be connected via ethernet, consider purchasing an access point^2.

I also saw improvement by going into the settings of my Samsung Smart TV and disabling every single function that connected by TV to my wireless network. My reasoning was that the TV would periodically "phone home" to download updates to the firmware and streaming video applications supported by the TV, saturating the wireless network; this in turn would interfere with the bluetooth connection between the PS4 and its controller.

Good luck!

Realtek doesn't make the actual adapters just the chips that run them. Broadcom is another,theres Atheros which Qualcomm owns. Anyway they aren't bad chips. For instance this Asus Is using a broadcom chipset.

Anyway pretty much any PCIE adapter with antennae will probably do. Generally speaking ignore the "gaming" ones as it's the same thing just with some QOS and more software and extra money.

Most adapters that aren't "basic" are probably going to be more than what you need by a large amount. They're are, however, some "nice to haves" things like multiple antennae for both 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz for "Beam forming" which works both ways to improve the signal. Or an ASIC for processing the data.

Anyway I spent some time looking and found the Rosewill n900 With an Atheros AR9380 It's bigger brothers have similar Atheros chipsets if you want to bump up to wireless AC, assuming your router supports it. Anyway Atheros are good chips, found pretty much everywhere but sometimes the implementation isn't so good. (Mostly labtops and not add-on cards) On the hardware side anyway. Make sure you have good drivers and any updates that come along should be checked.

Intel's little niche for wifi is little standalone chips that go into laptops for the most part. They do have adapters that you can use to place them into desktop computers but then your looking at the chipset plus adapter and you kind of have to know what your going for. I did find quite a few PCIE cards but most had older chipsets. And one good premade Has one less antennae but also has bluetooth and supports AC. Needs an empty USB slot on the motherboard to use bluetooth.

Asus makes some excellent PCI-E Wi-Fi cards. I have a PCE-AC56 and it has worked flawlessly for me for over two and a half years. It's well within your price range and it offers excellent performance. If you're looking for something a bit more powerful, the PCE-AC68 is basically the upgrade to the PCE-AC56, and I can only assume it performs slightly better. A final choice is to go balls to the wall overkill with the PCE-AC88, which I find hard recommending unless you need massive range and signal strength, which doesn't seem to be something you require. It's also out of your stated price range, so this one is entirely up to you. Any one of these should handily solve your problem. If you're looking for a good quality Wi-Fi solution that doesn't take advantage of your wallet like a prison bitch, the PCE-AC56 is a great choice.

Edit: link was to Arris SB6190:

https://www.amazon.com/ARRIS-SURFboard-SB6190-DOCSIS-Cable/dp/B016PE1X5K/ref=redir_mobile_desktop?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&ref_=ox_sc_act_image_3&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

OK the Intel logo is on the box, that's a Puma6 chipset modem:

https://approvedmodemlist.com/intel-puma-6-modem-list-chipset-defects/

Puma6 will work, but is not recommended.

$750 is a nice budget.

OK, what about running some ethernet cables, or, are some already installed?

If you can't run cables: this is one mesh solution:

https://www.synology.com/en-us/products/RT2600ac

https://www.synology.com/en-us/products/MR2200ac

Note: I have not used that set up. Other people here can recommend mesh systems they've used and had success with.

Another recommendation: Ubiquiti router plus Access Points.

Yup, I'm definitely planning to game on ethernet as I do now.

That modem looks pretty good. Fair price and not time-limited for Cyber Monday like the Netgear stuff I was looking at.

I might as well ask, are you familiar with this router at all? TP Link AC1750 Archer A7. Also a fair price and not a limited time offer. I've seen it on a couple lists for great cost-performance balance.

That is so weird, last night that link was taking me to the page for the Archer A7 (which also has a $10 coupon to clip)... I don't know if maybe I clicked something else while I was tired, but I could have sworn the link was taking me there, but now it takes me to the C7, haha.. My bad.

​

I guess the question then, is should I get the A7 or the C7? The A7 is cheaper, and from I read online, the only difference is the smart functionality with Alexa (though I don't use Alexa) would that hinder the router at all having that additional software? Would it be worth it since it's already $20 cheaper AND has a clippable $10 coupon?

​

As for the router and modem you listed, I wasn't saying what you suggested would cause a bottleneck, I just meant if I were to upgrade one or the other, which should I upgrade without causing a bottleneck? Would the AC1900 give better range or work any better with the smart home devices? My last network would get bogged down by smart home devices due to all the chatter on the network and Google mentioned some kind of bug of "built up packets" that stemmed from the devices always listening to each other.

​

Edit: Just woke up and I'm forgetting words

The ASUS RT N66U is pretty spectacular.

If you can't budge that $2, the N56U is good too.

I've never tried the RT AC56U but if it's like the others then it'll be great and supports 802.11AC.

The N66U is much better than the N56U, so if you can go with that one over the cheaper version.

I don't know why more people haven't heard of these, but I've had great success with moca adapters (power over coax). They offer faster speeds, better reliability, and easier setup than Ethernet over powerline adapters.

I got one of these from Amazon for $52.99 to extend the range from my crappy Verizon FiOS Actiontec router. The big difference is its not a repeater, but a range extender. At best, a repeater can only boost an already poor signal, meaning a slow connection, though stronger, remains slow. The range extender actually extends the wifi network itself.

With the range extender, one end connects to an ethernet port on the router, and gets plugged into a wall socket. The other end can be plugged into any other wall socket in the house. The two ends communicate via the electrical wiring (which is basically turned into an ethernet network between the two ends. The second end broadcasts a wifi signal with faster speed than the Actiontec wifi since its driven by one of the ethernet ports. Set it up in 5 minutes and works awesome. Gives me full coverage for a 3,000 sq/ft house. Highly recommend.

Depends what you mean - there are a number of things CoAx can be used from in conjunction with a (set of) Raspberry Pi(s) with the details being country specific

1. Legally watch Free to Air Broadcast TV - Get a DVB-T/T2 or DVB-S/S2 tuner if you're in Europe or an ATSC tuner if you are in North America. Install TV Headend (comes with OSMC) and connect the tuner to your aerial or satellite dish via the Coax and the tuner to your PI (Only Ireland, the UK, and Germany have full free to air presence via Satellite for there main channels AFAIK - most places you'll need an aerial which can receive digital tv broadcasts) - you can now watch and record (with a suitable external hard disk) broadcast TV on all your RPi's using something like OSMC. You can use one tuner to watch all the channels on one multiplex at the same time - in the UK that might be BBC ONE HD on one Pi, BBC TWO HD on a second one, and ITV-1 HD on a third. In Boston USA that could be WGBH-DT1, WGBH-DT2, WGBH-DT3, and WGBH-DT4 at the same time. You can add more tuners to increase flexibility.
   
   
2. Share the video output of one RPi round the house - If you mean watch the output of one RPi on all the TV's in the house via the TV's built in analogue tuner - then an RF Modulator will allow you to take the composite output of the RPi and modulate it onto an analogue TV frequency. If you were in the UK Something like the TRIAX TRI-LINK Kit coupled with a TVLink at the remote end and an IR receiver at the main PI would allow you to do this. You can also get DVB-T Modulators with built in HDMI inputs for better quality. However the cost of these and the low costs of RPi's means it's just cheaper to get multiple RPi's.
   
   
3. Use the Coax as network cable - In the US MOCA adapters (e.g. https://www.amazon.com/Actiontec-Ethernet-Adapter-without-Routers/dp/B008EQ4BQG ) allow you to use your existing coax cable as a substitute for running Ethernet cables - however they are expensive, if possible you just want to run some Ethernet cabling.
   
   However when it comes to Value for Money 2 and 3 are pretty much a waste - WiFi and Ethernet are less expensive alternatives which should work just as well or much better. 1, depending what channels you can receive FTA via your aerial/satellite dish may well be a sound investment. Unless you have a large number of rooms where you always want to watch the same programme as on the main set don't bother with 2. either (the only reason I've done that is I already had the RF Modulator from when we used to share Freesat)
   
   RE: Point 1, A few things to note if you're in Europe:-
   

• Germany, which has historically had extensive FTA broadcasts on satellite, the commercial FTA channels are in standard def only (i.e. HD is only for ARD, ZDF, and the third channels) - while over on DVB-T the only FTA services are those from ARD/ZDF/3rds and use x265 which the PIs struggle with - i.e. in Germany you want to choose satellite and you'll be stuck on SD.
  
• Ireland - You won't be able to use a Sky dish for FTA channels from RTÉ - you'll need a dish aimed at KA-SAT which carries Soarsat - if you can get it Soarview is a better choice as it includes UTV Ireland.
  
• UK - Local TV channels (e.g. Notts TV) and Sony Movie Channel are only FTA on terrestrial, but otherwise Freesat is now the better choice and can use an ex-Sky box coax cable/dish

I don't live in a FiOS area anymore, so I can't actually give you a step-by-step guide. You're going to have to figure out a lot of this on your own.

Here's a brief primer on FiOS MoCA:

MoCA is a system for transmitting IP over coaxial cable. In most FiOS installs, there's actually MoCA running on two different frequencies: First, the WAN-side connection from ONT to the primary (in 99% of installs, only) Actiontec router, which IIRC runs at 1000 MHz. Second, the LAN-side connection from the router to any cable boxes and other MoCA devices, which runs at 1150 MHz, and is bridged to the router's WiFi and LAN ethernet ports. You're going to want to get your second router to listen to this 1150MHz signal, but not to act as a DHCP server.

If you disable the 1000MHz (again, not sure this is correct, but it's labeled as something like WAN Coax) MoCA connection, your secondary Actiontec won't have any way to connect to the ONT directly, which is what you want.

The first problem that comes to mind with this setup is getting the non-WAN Actiontec to run a DHCP client on the LAN side. The easiest way around this is probably to configure it using a static IP address in the same subnet, but outside of the primary router's DHCP range, which I believe you can do pretty easily.

Good luck!

• Switch wise, any gigabit port is fine - try this, or this which is what i have. They're unmanaged so no config is needed, just plug and play. Try to ensure your PC is using a gigabit port if possible. a card is only a tenner or so if not, and its worth the upgrade from 100meg.
  
• For the storage system, a good bet is a NAS (Network Attached Storage) device. You can make one from a spare PC and using software like FreeNAS (I do), or you can buy a dedicate one (something like this )
  
• Does your telly support upnp? if so, that might be all you need. If not you might want to buy a low power tiny PC like this, and install Kodi on it. Its a Linux OS thats based around an old Xbox media player, and its excellent. Failing that, you could buy a chromecast to stream from your PC to your telly.
  

There are a few ways to do this, the simplest is with a bluetooth receiver and cellphone, I have this one and it sounds okay: http://www.amazon.com/Logitech-980-000910-Bluetooth-Audio-Adapter/dp/B00IQBSW28

The best way to do this is with a USB DAC, this is the cheapest: http://www.amazon.com/Behringer-UCA202-Audio-Interface/dp/B000KW2YEI and works pretty well. There are lots of different ones with different features, you can spend from 30 to 300 easily.

USB DACs will work with windows and android cellphones with OS 5 (lollipop) and higher. I'm not sure about mac or linux support. Something like this may be useful: http://www.amazon.com/FiiO-Digital-Analog-Audio-Converter/dp/B005PWPUW6 if you just want to connect optical or coaxial out from a device.

Never seen a Surface like device with an Ethernet port. I doubt one exists. They are mobile devices so an Ethernet port is counter to it's primary function.

>absolute best (reliable & smallest) usb adapter for Ethernet?

Hard to say... reviews are scarce. There's this from 2013:
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2415501,00.asp
Still a good choice and there are interesting options...
https://www.amazon.com/StarTech-Gigabit-Ethernet-Network-Adapter/dp/B0095EFXMC/. 476 reviews 4.5 of 5

This from 2016 ... but 10/100??? Not fastest.
http://www.wirelesshack.org/our-picks-for-best-usb-to-ethernet-adapter.html
https://www.amazon.com/Cable-Matters-Ethernet-Network-Adapter/dp/B00ET4KHJ2/ 804 reviews 4.3 of 5


Amazon popularity contest and products I have had good luck with
https://www.amazon.com/Cable-Matters-SuperSpeed-Gigabit-Ethernet/dp/B00BBD7NFU/ 807 reviews 4.2 of 5

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00PC0H9IE/ref=psdc_13983791_t3_B0095EFXMC 584 reviews 4.7 of 5

https://www.amazon.com/Plugable-Gigabit-Ethernet-Network-Adapter/dp/B00AQM8586/. 767 reviews 4.5 of 5


So maybe the Anker model however... would you want fries ports with that?

Thank you for having a thread like this. I have done quite a bit of reading here, including a lot of the links and suggested polls on this subreddit and to be honest I am very overwhelmed.

Short version, here is what I need:

Tactile but not noisy, I want to feel the keys but I don't want a noisy typewriter. A little noise is ok.

Bluetooth, I ditched my desk about a year ago and won't go back, I use the computer from my LayzBoy arm chair with the keyboard in my lap, I no longer have a desk to run wires across.

Size need to be at least 75%, to full size (No 10key)... 60% is way too small for me. Weight doesn't really matter and neither does footprint, I wont be traveling with it.

Budget is a max of 160$ right now, and I prefer to purchase on Amazon.

I don't need fancy lights, I really just need something that works. When I am writing if I get too much input lag I don't always look at what I am writing for upto an hour, if the keyboard is crap I look up and find gibberish on the screen and loads of wasted time and creativity.

I originally purchased this keyboard, https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07FZVCH4H/ and this bluetooth dongle, https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00DJ83070/ and while it seemed like quality I just couldn't get it to work, everything connected but the keyboard wouldn't function. It was too small for me anyway, but I guess I got what I paid for at $44. I guess I will go with something 'name brand'?

Has to be simple setup, I am not an engineer or a programmer. Keyboard will be mostly used for writing, reddit, and light gaming like WoW.

I currently use a MS Wireless Comfort 5050 https://www.amazon.com//dp/B014W20C90/ keyboard/mouse combo, and the thing is junk, it has never worked right (Windows 8.1) spotty/odd input lag and most of the time it just stops working at all, It's going in the trash as soon as I replace it.

Thank you everyone for your help and guidance, I really appreciate it.

Technically yes but the best ones to get are the USB 3.0 Adapters. If you look on the inside of your Switch Dock you will notice one of the two USB Ports is Blue. The blue indicates USB 3.0. Here’s a link to the exact one I have. I’ve had it for about 6 months and it works wonderfully. There are a few other 3.0’s to choose from that I’m sure all work just as well.

> Mod Answer

I had to remove this as this question is more of a /r/hardware or /r/buildapc kinda question (or any of those other PC focused subs) and not really a /r/cinema4d question - as what it's really asking is:

"how do I network 2 computers together"

..... But I know alot of those big tech subs can be a bit noob-question hate-y so I'll still help you out. You'll still get my messages in here, this thread just wont be in the subreddit.

> Fellow-Redditor Answer

.... I think you're confusing internet(global network) and ethernet(local network). either way...this question hurts my brain a little. I'm trying to figure out what kind of setup you would have that would allow one machine to be connected to the internet, and the other not even to your ethernet (network)... so by extension I can figure out what to recommend to you O.o

The only thing I can see is that you have a desktop connected directly to an old ISP provided router that does not support wifi or have additional ethernet ports. like this.

OR

You live in a dorm room. and thus, only have the wall mounted ethernet port to get onto your university network.

ANYWAY -

I can give you a long answer explaining everything so you understand - or I can give you a short answer......but either way more information on what your gear is and whats available to you and where this question is coming from would really help in giving you a better recommendation.

But immediate Short answer?

Buy this. or better yet This

connect them with Cat5e or Cat6 ethernet cables.

I can give you the long answer too, or probably a better recommendation if you explain the situation a little more.

)

At a much more reasonable price point for most people's gaming needs than what the others are posting below, I can recommend the ASUS RT56U.

Not a brand new model, but one of the best at its price-point a couple of years ago. Great range, very realiable and easy to set up.

Ha, that's totally fair!

I thought at first I could get away with buying The SB6190 (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B016PE1X5K), because it said it was valid for 1.4Gbps downstream, but I could barely get 250 down out of it. I really don't understand where that claim comes from or why it's full of shit, but I really didn't care to figure it out.

I looked at Comcast's site and they actually recommended the SB8200. It was pricey, but it fit the bill and works great. I bought it from Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Next-Generation-ARRIS-SURFboard-SB8200-DOCSIS/dp/B01N6SKK1G/

I bought mine for $210, but now, it looks like with the $20 coupon on the listing, you could get it for as little as $169, quite the deal.

What was nice for me was because I was moving up from an older Comcast registered modem, all I had to do was plugin the modem, plug my laptop directly into the modem, sign into my Comcast account, and boom, it took care of registering everything for me. I didn't have to manually register the MAC on the modem.

It was surprisingly and suspiciously easy for a standard Comcast service experience, so might not be as smooth for you.

I suggest option two. It might be a little more expensive, but you can find a newer WiFi router that likely has gigabit Ethernet ports. This will allow your WiFi and Ethernet clients to reach the WAN speeds you’re paying for. It’ll be simpler, cleaner, and more secure than option 1.

Something like this should take care of your needs nicely:

ASUS Dual-Band 2x2 AC1300 Super-Fast Wifi 4-port Gigabit Router with MU-MIMO and USB 3.0 (RT-ACRH13) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01LXL1AR8/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_xmppDb9C8BE2G

I'm assuming you already have Bluetooth in your pc? If so my vote would be got the PS4 controller. Using the touchpad as a mouse is why I use prefer it. It's not a mouse replacement, but for that handful of games that require a mouse to launch it's perfect. Just know that any console Bluetooth controller you use wont be compatible with every Bluetooth adapter out there, so there's no guarantee a DS4 or even DS3 will work with what you have, although if that happens the DS4 at least also works with a micro usb cable. If you go this route and end up needing an adapter I recommend the Kinivo BTD-400. Not as cheap as some but it works perfectly with my DS4 and Wii motes.

http://www.amazon.com/Kinivo-BTD-400-Bluetooth-4-0-adapter/dp/B007Q45EF4/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top?ie=UTF8

You can use one of these

RP-SMA Male to RP-SMA Female Wifi Antenna Extension Cable Cord 2m / 6' https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01E9V8T62/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_HHtMzb5F3TAPV

To extend the routers antenna. After that you can build a focusing device. Pringles can and parabolic cookware antennas are popular. Google a bit and you'll find tonnes. Extend the routers antenna for one and put a USB adapter in the other. Bam, point to point WiFi.

Wires and plumbing is a good thing. Means the holes are pre drilled and you can just piggy back. 400 ft is a long way for wifi under the best circumstances. Are you sure that's the distance?

Ethernet bought in bulk would always be the best way to go, offering the best speed and reliability. Second to that is MOCA or power line adapters. Both will be faster and more reliable than wifi over that distance. I had better luck with MOCA personally, but power line adapters can be had pretty cheap.

yes you can, I play 4 player co-op games on my pc all the time with friends (I use my old ps3 controllers). Also don't buy the Sony dongle since its $25 and only allows 1 controller per dongle. Just buy a Bluetooth 4.0 usb dongle and the free software will over ride the Bluetooth and allow wireless connections. One another note the new xbox 1s controller is now Bluetooth and requires no special software to work with pc use a run of the mill Bluetooth dongle. I use this Bluetooth adapater and its constantly on sale, great range as well.

First thing first what speed are you actually paying for? That will determine equipment for the most part.

Best bet is to get a dumb modem and a separate router. While I can't find a proper list of approved modems, silly comcast, the Arris Surfboard always gets solid reviews, coming in at $45. It tops out at 343 Mbps download and 131 upload speeds. I've never had comcast or any dealings with them, so anyone else that does please feel free to chime in.

As for router, I've been a fan of TP Links product, so I'd recommend the TP-Link Wireless Router AC1900. It will give you 4 gig ports, its dual band, meaning both 2.4 GHz (up to 600 mbps) and 5 GHz (up to 1300mbps) for wifi, priced at $90. That will keep you under the $200 price range and give you good service.

Edit; words are hard

For an AC1900, get the Archer C9, it is the same price, but newer model, and it's amazing. AND it's on sale right now, didn't realize that!!! (I bought it when it wasn't on sale).

I typically recommend the Archer C7 AC1750 to people. The Archer C5 AC1200 for people on a budget, but I didn't realize that the C5 and C7 are about the same price now, so might as well get the C7 instead of C5.

Here is a good combo for you. Archer C9 + 16x4 Modem. You should get it while it's on sale! $149.39.

Always buy your own you can get better equipment that will last longer and you can pick your equipment. Get a two in one or you can get a separate modem and router and choose. you can get a cheap router that will get you by or get a super high end one that will last you years. average modem rentals 10 bucks a month so its 120 bucks a year. just for the rental.

​

This modem is 100 bucks and would be paid for in 10 months and probably last at least five years its a docsis 3.0 modem so it wont support full gigabit speed tho.

https://www.amazon.com/ARRIS-SURFboard-SB6190-DOCSIS-Cable/dp/B016PE1X5K

​

This modem is 165.00 and would be paid off in about a year and a half if you were renting instead and again will last at least five years if not longer and supports a gigabit connection so its somewhat future proof if your looking for gig speeds.

https://www.amazon.com/Next-Generation-ARRIS-SURFboard-SB8200-DOCSIS/dp/B07DY16W2Z/ref=sr_1_4?crid=1M3SXVEACP6Y3&keywords=docsis+3.1+modem&qid=1557088051&s=gateway&sprefix=docsis+3.1%2Caps%2C220&sr=8-4

​

This is a decent two in one modem router combo for about 170 bucks it doesnt support gigabit speed but you wont have to shell out for a separate router.

https://www.amazon.com/NETGEAR-Nighthawk-Certified-Xfinity-Spectrum/dp/B00ZUPOF7Y/ref=sr_1_7?keywords=modem+router&qid=1557088296&s=gateway&sr=8-7

​

The only time i would recommend renting is if you have absolutely no idea how any tech or wifi works and you just need it to work like magic. If your techie or like performance or know anything about modems or routers or you like getting under the hood and playing with settings get your own and save some money.

​

Source i work for one of the big bad ISP's lol

You can buy an adapter that will allow you to stream music to any receiver. It uses Bluetooth to connect to your phone and then a RCA cable that connects to your reciever. Here is a decent one for $20 https://www.amazon.com/Logitech-980-000910-Bluetooth-Adapter-Streaming/dp/B00IQBSW28

Also that price was high for that receiver. Like the other guy said I would pretty much stay away from pioneer except for a few select models. Nice older Yamaha receivers can be purchased for cheap and they put out some excellent power. I got a RX-V1500 for $40 about a year ago off Craigslist. It was a $800 receiver in 2005 and it still works excellently. Another brand to look for is Denon. You might find a high end Onkyo, Sony, or Pioneer for a good deal but stay away from their lower end lines. Just be sure to research the exact model and you will be good.

You should be able to find a nice one around $50 and I wouldn't spend more than $100.

Hey all, I'm wondering which is the better router here.

I recently bought this one on amazon, but this is still within the return window if the other one is better:

TP-Link AC1900 Long Range Wireless Wi-Fi Router - Amazon's Choice for Essential Wi-Fi Router (Archer C9) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00PDLRHFW/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_kLnDzb7T0R6DT

Below is the router that just went back on sale. I'm wondering if it's better than the above router to justify me returning the TP-Link.

NETGEAR Nighthawk AC1750 Smart Dual Band WiFi Router (R6700) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00R2AZLD2/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_FInDzbR34GW34

Thanks!

Was your previous adapter also USB?

Since your phone is fine but your desktop obviously isn't, I'd try getting a PCI-e card if your motherboard has a slot available. Something like this, there are cheaper ones and more expensive ones as well. Those function better being directly connected to the motherboard and they have multiple external antennae.

I've had good luck and bad luck with USB WiFi adapters and it seemed to just come down to the individual USB stick.

As long as it's a Gigabit adapter, they're honestly all the same speed. I bought the Plugable because it was recommended by lots of others, has great reviews for Switch use, it's affordable, AND it's USB 3.0 compatible. Works perfectly btw, perfect size for the side plate.

The Hori/Nintendo one is more expensive (more than double the price) and doesn't have 3.0 capabilities. Now that doesn't matter right now, but people believe that the Switch console is also 3.0 capable, they just haven't provided an update to "activate" it. If they ever do, and there's any speed increase to be seen, you won't get it with a 2.0 adapter like the Hori/Nintendo.

I had Wyze cameras and had 3D printed outdoor housings but the quality wasn't great at night after our last run in.

Went Ubiquiti. Three G3-FLEX cameras (four tonight) and ran some CAT6 with a powerline adapter for the camera you see above. I'm runing the UniFi Video software on an old Mac mini with a 5TB USB HD but I'm strongly considering one of their CloudKey Gen 2+ to dedicate specific hardware for the cameras/network.

The interface is fantastic, the camera quality is fantastic (they also offer a 4K camera though $$$), and security hardened. I like the idea of them being wired to take that busy constant video traffic off of wifi.

Edit: added links

I'd recommend just getting a router and using it as your internet gateway. I assume from your minimal description that you have a Comcast cable modem plugged into the wall, and from there directly to the PC via ethernet? If that's the case, you should be able to go out and buy almost any basic wireless-capable home router, plug it in between the Comcast modem and the PC, and you'll immediately gain wifi (great for phones, tablets, laptops, etc) as well as a few extra switched ethernet ports. Note that the PS4 also has built in wifi capability, so you can use that if you don't want to immediately run an ethernet cable to the machine. Wifi is not as stable (especially in an area with lots of access points) as the wire though, so keep that in mind. But it'll get you connected.

Router examples:This is a pretty good unit, especially at the current pricing. You do not need one of the super fancy $150+ routers in almost all cases. https://smile.amazon.com/TP-Link-AC1750-Smart-WiFi-Router/dp/B079JD7F7G/ (at time of posting, it's on sale for about $57)

On the cheaper end, https://smile.amazon.com/Linksys-E1000-Cisco-Linksys-Wireless-N-Router/dp/B003B48UNG/ will...do the job, I guess. As you have Comcast cable, there's a decent chance that you may have faster than 100mbit download speed, and if so, this router will limit you to 100, before anything else. But things do exist that will do the basic connectivity job, which is why I mentioned it. These older E-series are... they're okay, but less than stellar. By all means shop around for something, I'm just providing some examples of what exists - I don't know your budget or what you're willing to set up.

Oh, one last thing - if your internet plan offers more than 100mbit down, you'll absolutely want to get a router that has gigabit ethernet support. Otherwise you could end up with something like the above E1000 which only goes up to 100.

Maybe something like plume would be the ticket for you since you say you aren't super technically oriented.

https://www.plumewifi.com/

Or perhaps a powerline wireless extender. Instead of slowing down all your wireless traffic by repeating it, it passes it over your powerlines back to an ethernet port on your router. When it works well, it's great. Not all houses are ideal for powerline networking though, so until you try it you can't really say for sure.

https://www.amazon.com/Extender-Powerline-Starter-300Mbps-Wireless/dp/B00HSQAIQU

If you don't have a high end wireless router, you might just start there. A nice device like the Asus 68u can give triple your wireless throughput or more. With beam steering and 3x3 mu-mimo it will reach further and deeper than older devices.

https://www.amazon.com/Dual-band-Wireless-AC1900-Gigabit-Router-RT-AC68U/dp/B00FB45SI4

Basically nothing of this will fit into the second case. The mainboard for example is ATX, and in that size finding a X470 board is not an issue. Are you dropping the idea of later moving to the small case?

Things I'd change in the S340:

• The G3 has issues with the fan curve, I'd get the Seasonic Focus Gold or the Corsair RMx instead.
  
• The Hyper 212 is not a great cpu cooler, I'd get the Dark Rock 3, Scythe Fuma or something similar, at least a Cryorig H7.
  
  > If I want to wirelessly connect it what’s the best option?
  
  In the small case, the ITX mainboard will have wifi included, and that is really the best option here. Your only alternative would be a Wifi USB-stick. For a regular ATX board you can get a wifi card like https://www.amazon.com/ASUS-Wi-Fi-Express-Adapter-PCE-AC56/dp/B00JNA337K. But if you are not moving the PC around anyway try to use an ethernet cable.
  
  > Also if I have the budget should I put more into the keyboard or different monitor.
  
  I'd get a different monitor then, something like this Agon up to a Gsync monitor like the ASUS PG279Q

Your modem wasn't an issue, it was the router attached to the modem. I think you wasted your money there.

If you want a hecking good router, the [Asus AC5300 is a fan favorite] (https://www.amazon.com/Tri-band-AiProtection-Accelerator-Compatible-RT-AC5300/dp/B0167HG1V6/ref=bdl_pop_ttl_B0167HG1V6). Ensure you sacrifice an xbox 360 to it now and then to keep it happy.

[The TP-Link Archer AC1900] (https://www.amazon.com/TP-Link-Archer-AC1900-Smart-Router/dp/B00PDLRHFW/ref=sr_1_3?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1522431079&sr=1-3&keywords=dual+band+router+tp-link) also has great wireless speeds and control. I recommend this one, TPLink has good products.

Might I suggest a more prosummer solution.

Look at ubiquiti gear. It’s what I run at my home and we deploy there access points and switches at over 200 customers. They are excellent for the price

Gateway/router
Ubiquiti Unifi Security Gateway (USG) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00LV8YZLK/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_HE45BbH0YVZR8

8 port Poe switch
Ubiquiti UniFi Switch 8 60W (US-8-60W) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MU3WUX1/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_hF45BbGNDVBBR

Access point
Ubiquiti Networks Unifi 802.11ac Dual-Radio PRO Access Point (UAP-AC-PRO-US) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B015PRO512/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_XF45BbNXXZSJ2

These products will allow you to make sure your wireless network is on something with the least interference, you can also band steer clients to use the less congested 5ghz band all on the same wireless network. Instead of having to make a separate one 2.4 and 5. Which is what most all in one home devices do.

This will over all be a much more flexible system as well. Find an area that doesn’t have good WiFi coverage. Run a cable and add an AP there, or they can even mesh and do it with out a cable.

Actually swapped out a TP-Link Archer C8 for this....https://www.amazon.com/RT-ACRH13-Dual-Band-AC1300-4-port-Gigabit/dp/B01LXL1AR8 and so happy I did. Best router I've owned in long time. We cut the cord also and we do a lot of gaming and TV streaming (mutliple devices) at same time and it handles the bandwith brilliantly. Good luck in your search.

P.S. We are also in a large 2 story house and coverage is excellent throughout.

Thank you for your input, if you are still interested, I can give an update in the future regarding my speed and wireless situations.

Do you recommend any MoCa to replace my 2 in 1 actiontec router? I was thinking of this: http://www.amazon.com/Actiontec-Ethernet-Adapter-without-Routers/dp/B008EQ4BQG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1406999088&sr=8-1&keywords=moca

Someone living in my house feels conflicted to spend too much money on a router + modem. Unless there's another budget friendly router which is close to the nighthawk then I would be very interested in checking it out.


EDIT: I followed your advice and bridged the actiontec MI424WR acting as a modem and used an old e1000 v1 router. It's working fine for now and we're looking into purchasing nighthawk to improve our internet in the future.

For LAN-adapters, I currently have the AmazonBasics one, but I would like one that is long enough so the USB-side fits inside the dock cover, and the ethernet side can extend past it and not get stuck. The AmazonBasics one is too short, and as such, I haven't been using a cover lately, which I'd like to remedy. Could anyone recommend one in the $10-15 range? Would this one, recommended by the guides at the top be long enough?

(for the record, I have someone I'm giving my AmazonBasics one to for something non-Switch related)

Ok I can see that. Best thing I can say is something like this

https://www.amazon.com/Logitech-980-000910-Bluetooth-Adapter-Streaming/dp/B00IQBSW28

If not over time your wife will have to get a dedicated MP3 player or get a superior nexus like you

I just replaced my 6 year old Netgear WNDR3400V2 with this TP-Link Archer C9. Its only $77 right now and It's been fantastic so far and has doubled what speeds I was getting with my old router (albeit that one was probably on its way out). Best of all it was so easy to set up. Just plug it in and it's up and running. Make sure it's on their compability list. But I'm sure it is.

For modems arris surfboards are good. They go higher in price depending on what speed you're getting. Make sure the modem will get you enough speed though. Because I have a modem capable of 680mbps but WOW limits my bandwidth to a max of 100mbps with my specific modem.

Hey, I've got the following router: https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B00PDLRHFW/

It has a usb 3.0 plug in which I can plug something like a hard drive or usb, and then you can set it up to have a media server under your network.

I've been looking for a hard drive to throw on there, should I get a normal HDD and buy a separate enclosure, or should I get a one of those portable hard drives?

I'm looking at using it to store the 35gb of STL files I've accumulated thus far and probably movies/shows. 2TB would be best I would guess.

Is it a good idea to use the router's usb port for this? Or should I reuse my raspberry pi 3+ with RetroPie that's gathering dust? If yes for the pi, any good tutorials out there? Thanks :D

So here is my set up:

A JBL DCR600II sound reciever with 2 ARC1000 towers and the rest of the 5.1 speakers hooked up normally. It's great and I love it but the problem is that the receiver has such a puny little amp, so my speakers barely get that loud. I also would like to add bluetooth capability to this system, but I primarily want to increase the overall volume of the system.

https://www.amazon.com/Logitech-980-000910-Bluetooth-Adapter-Streaming/dp/B00IQBSW28/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1473888530&sr=8-2&keywords=bluetooth+receiver
^ this bluetooth receiver I need to add bluetooth. My question is, can I add a tube amp (linked below) meant for headphones and plug the input to the bluetooth receiver and the output to my sound receiver.

I understand that the reprocessing of the signal inside the sound receiver defeats the purpose of the tubes in the amp, but would I still get a volume increase by doing this?
Basically, input device >> bluetooth receiver >> tube amp >> sound receiver, speakers.
I really want to make this work because I absolutely love that tube amp. its so pretty

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B014FASL1A/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ADPE7GPX91ORE

Like wolffstar said tho the wireless cards aren't super reliable you could go for a TP-Link Wireless N300 2T2R Access Point, 2.4Ghz 300Mbps, 802.11b/g/n https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004UBU8IE/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_joADybXQHG37
It's 25$ it only goes up to 100m but it's cheap and reliable I'm not positive if it supports vlan tagging I got my first AP with vlan support because I was interested in dividing up my network into clean sections but if you go the pfsense route I think you should get this pfsense has a lot of things to play with and configure so a AP that isn't super feature full might be ok because it does the minimum it needs to do connect wireless systems

As others have said, simply search Amazon for "Bluetooth Receiver" and pick one you like in a price range you can afford. You will find hundreds of them.

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=bluetooth+receiver&ref=nb_sb_noss_1

And then using, most likely, RCA-RCA cable of the appropriate length, connect the Bluetooth Adapter to the CD Input on the Amp, and logically select CD on the front panels source selector of the Amp.

https://www.amazon.com/AmazonBasics-2-Male-RCA-Audio-Cable/dp/B01D5H8P0G/

Though there are many similar RCA-RCA Cables to choose from -

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=RCA+cable&i=electronics&ref=nb_sb_noss_2

You would prefer to have a Bluetooth Adapter that supports version 4.0 or higher, and that has the APT-X or APT-X HD feature.

The ESINKEN and the LOGITECH look pretty much identical, check the specs, but likely either one will do, both about $22 -

https://www.amazon.com/Logitech-Bluetooth-Audio-Adapter-Streaming/dp/B00IQBSW28/

https://www.amazon.com/Bluetooth-Adapter-Streaming-Wireless-Speakers/dp/B016NUTG5K/

Range on the above is pretty much standard at 30ft to 50ft line-of-sight.

There are better Bluetooth Devices, but they cost a bit more money -

https://www.amazon.com/Avantree-Bluetooth-Transmitter-Receiver-Certified/dp/B01H6I3YGK/

https://www.amazon.com/Avantree-Bluetooth-Transmitter-Receiver-Simultaneously/dp/B07BQYYDNJ/

Again, how far do you want to take it, because there are Bluetooth Devices that can go well above $100.

Easiest solution.

Powerline adapter with a Wifi AP point it. I would suggest picking a few different APs and spreading them out throughout your house. It depends a bit on how the house is laid out as much as the sq-footage as to where they are best placed.

In my experience these are a lot more successful than setting up AP repeaters etc. Plus really useful for connecting via ethernet if you have TVs/consoles etc in different rooms. It is always going to be more reliable than Wifi

I'm wired all the way so I won't be too much help on the adapter, but that one looks fine.

This:
ASUS Dual-Band Wireless-N 600 Router (RT-N56U) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0049YQVHE/ref=cm_sw_r_udp_awd_8ki0tb06VBTXN15N

Is one of the best wireless routers you can get though. It is what I have at home and it is awesome.

One question- is it a modem/router combo? Like one of the 2 in 1's that ISPs like to provide?

If so that will probably change the recommendations. Google WiFi seems to be pretty much the commonly accepted answer for ease of use.

Otherwise I've had a TP-Link 2600AC running for years, I'd say the 1750 with the companion mobile app is also a great (cheaper) answer too.

TP-Link Archer 1750

Hi all,

Couldn't find anything online to help me here. I have two switch pro controllers and I'd like to connect them both to my desktop pc at the same time.

I have a few of these adapters:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B007Q45EF4/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_DDSdBbR4HK556


One adapter detects one controller and it works fine in steam. But my computer will not allow my to use more than one of those adapters at the same time, and each adapter will only detect one of the same device at one time.

I'm really not wanting to go for any wired options.

Any Bluetooth troubleshooting advice or links to other Bluetooth adapters that support two of the same device would be awesome. Thanks!

Well, a travel router acting in "hotspot mode" as it is commonly referred as is a very good way to do this. I think someone linked to a suitable product like this https://www.amazon.com/TP-Link-Wireless-Travel-Extender-TL-WR802N/dp/B00TQEX8BO/

The point is that if you like to create a own network you have to route data traffic. Exactly how you want to achieve this is can be solved with A LOT OF solutions. But I second all those who have recommended a cheap travel router and just set it up. This would be the simplest, albeit not the best perfomance wise, way.

You will want your own modem. You may have a $5/month charge for their modem. Or, if you have an older modem, it's probably free.

​

You can check Charter's approved modems I bought a ARRIS SURFboard that was approved by Charter and drastically improved speeds. You'll also want a wireless router, since the SURFboard doesn't have wireless capabilities. I got a Netgear Nighthawk that has been an excellent router for streaming to multiple TVs and gaming.

Powerline isnt wireless though, unless you get a 2 in 1 powerline adapter that also allows for wifi.

Powerline is where you are basically hardwired into your internet connection even if you are on the complete opposite side of your house. There is an adapter you put in a power outlet by your router and run an ethernet cable from that adapter to your router. Then, you will place a 2nd adapter in a power outlet in the room with your computer and run a 2nd ethernet cable from that adapter to your computer.

The adapters send the signal over the powerlines of the house, hence the name of the technology. This basically allows you to run your full rated speed via a hard wired connection, without any flaws that wireless has like reduced speed due to the dropoff over distance, or the signal cutting out randomly.

I personally have the TP Link TL-WPA4220KIT. There are newer options that are better and cheaper as this is outdated now.

If you dont mind having an ethernet cable running from a power outlet to your mobo, then this should be a good option. Although, if you live in an apartment (where the power lines can span multiple units), or an 80 yr old house with a janky electrical system this is probably not the best option.

I dont have very fast internet (only around 26mbps), but this allows my PC to get that full speed as well as my phone when I use it with the built in wifi adapter that model above has built in. Previously with various different wifi adapters, the best I would get is about 15 mbps. So, for me, this was a massive improvement.

They should both be good cards, the 1660 Ti and Souper use much faster video memory. The Gigabyte you linked to is a 1660 plain card, with slower memory.

GTX 1660 Souper review


Did you consider the RX5700? It is considered the best deal in new video cards. You can see that it beats the 1660 Souper in most tests.

The lists have a really nice gaming monitor. Let me know if you have any questions

Micro ATX

It does not have Wifi/bluetooth. You can add an Asus USB bluetooth adapter.

PCPartPicker Part List

Type|Item|Price

----|:----|:----
CPU | AMD Ryzen 5 3600 3.6 GHz 6-Core Processor | $234.99 @ Mike's Computer Shop
Motherboard | *MSI B450M PRO-VDH MAX Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard | $104.95 @ Vuugo
Memory | *G.Skill Ripjaws V 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3600 Memory | $87.99 @ Newegg Canada
Storage | *Sabrent Rocket 512 GB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive | $99.99 @ Amazon Canada
Video Card | *Sapphire Radeon RX 5700 8 GB PULSE Video Card | $485.50 @ Vuugo
Case | *Antec VSK 3000 Elite MicroATX Mini Tower Case | $41.92 @ Vuugo
Power Supply | *EVGA GD (2019) 500 W 80+ Gold Certified ATX Power Supply | $77.99 @ PC-Canada
Monitor | *Acer VG271U Pbmiipx 27.0" 2560x1440 144 Hz Monitor | $399.99 @ Amazon Canada
| Total | $1533.32
| | *Lowest price parts chosen from parametric criteria |

#Mini ITX

This has Wifi/bluetooth included with the motherboard. It goes over budget.

PCPartPicker Part List

Type|Item|Price

----|:----|:----
CPU | AMD Ryzen 5 3600 3.6 GHz 6-Core Processor | $234.99 @ Mike's Computer Shop
Motherboard | *Gigabyte X570 I AORUS PRO WIFI Mini ITX AM4 Motherboard | $291.50 @ Vuugo
Memory | *G.Skill Ripjaws V 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3600 Memory | $87.99 @ Newegg Canada
Storage | *Sabrent Rocket 512 GB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive | $99.99 @ Amazon Canada
Video Card | *Sapphire Radeon RX 5700 8 GB PULSE Video Card | $485.50 @ Vuugo
Case | Lian Li TU150 Mini ITX Desktop Case | $149.99 @ Newegg Canada
Power Supply | *EVGA SuperNOVA GM 550 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular SFX Power Supply | $118.95 @ Mike's Computer Shop
Case Fan | *ARCTIC F12 PWM 53 CFM 120 mm Fan | $6.98 @ Vuugo
Case Fan | *ARCTIC F12 PWM 53 CFM 120 mm Fan | $6.98 @ Vuugo
Monitor | *Acer VG271U Pbmiipx 27.0" 2560x1440 144 Hz Monitor | $399.99 @ Amazon Canada
| Total | $1882.86
| | *Lowest price parts chosen from parametric criteria |

First off, I'd like to say thank you for the very informative response. Because I don't want to waste your time, I'll tell you the whole story straight up.

So I would like to order a router tomorrow because my mom agreed to pay for half of it for my rented college house. Therefore, I don't really want to spend the money for the "UAP" you're referring to as well as I'm not really sure how that works without doing the research. I've narrowed my search down to these three routers so far so I'd like for you to tell me which is the best, and if you disagree with all three, will you link me a router that is better, if you don't mind?

• https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B079JD7F7G/ref=ask_ql_qh_dp_hza
  
• https://www.amazon.com/T-Mobile-Wireless-AC1900-Dual-Band-AiProtection-Complete/dp/B01MYTAURW
  
• https://www.amazon.com/Linksys-AC3200-Dual-Band-Prioritization-WRT32X/dp/B072LQZFHM/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=linksys+WRT32X&qid=1554240775&s=gateway&sr=8-3

Don’t use that netgear garbage. Ubiquiti makes really nice enterprise class network equipment which is super simple to set up and manage. At a minimum, all you need is cat5-e (cat 6 fine too) distributed around the house and a couple access points connected to the hard lines:

Ubiquiti Networks Unifi 802.11ac Dual-Radio PRO Access Point (UAP-AC-PRO-US) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B015PRO512/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_gHiRDbHKHSSRR

(2 access points cover my 2500 sqft house and a third covers my detached garage and back yard)


You can optionally buy a PoE switch (power over Ethernet) to connect to the access points so that the power is transmitted through the network cable and you don’t have to plug them in to a wall outlet. This will work if you choose this route (you will have to configure this switch to turn on PoE on ports connected to access points).

Ubiquiti UniFi Switch 8 60W (US-8-60W) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MU3WUX1/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_nNiRDbW2HP8HG


Any one of these progressive options is a valid stopping point, but I recommend buying the secure router/gateway and then the cloud key. These allow you to do advanced network management (main + guest Wi-Fi networks, custom qos throttling):

Ubiquiti Unifi Security Gateway (USG) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00LV8YZLK/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_1RiRDbW5SEFNM


Ubiquiti UniFi Cloud Key (UC-CK) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B017T2QB22/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_vSiRDb8SMX7ZY


The guest network is worth the price of admission for added security. Put all your random wireless devices (i.e. the internet of things) on this network to isolate them from your major devices (PCs and phones). Reason being the IoT devices are frequently hacked and used to access your home network.

Okay, last question lol. Becuase I'm tight on budget, the A2+ might be my best bet right now. If I go with that and buy a Bluetooth receiver, would any of the following suffice?

• Bose
  
• Inateck
  
• Logitech
  
  
• Esinkin
  
  Really appreciate your help with all of this!

You're unlikely to find a mixer that has those inputs built in. Your best bet would be to use adapters for all those sources and just plug those in on the 1/4in jacks. Keeping in mind though that you should also look for mixers that support panning individual channels; each jack on a mixer typically just supports mono audio, so you'd have to send it back to left / right.

For example, I use a Mackie 402 on my desk. If I want to plug in a stereo line on channels 1 and 2, that "STEREO PAN" button has to be enabled to keep it from mono'ing them both.

Off the top of my head, something like the X Air series supports linking two channels and simultaneously controlling them + L/R panning them, for multiple channels, which you would probably need with your amount of inputs. A quick look and the Mackie ProFX12 would also probably suit your needs. Both of these are probably a little overkill for exactly what you need, but generally they both have the ability to properly handle your sources once they're in 1/4in form.

I'm kind of going on at length on this because I 100% did not consider it as a problem to be aware of when buying my mixer for my purposes and just lucked out that everything works.

For those adapters, a bluetooth receiver and appropriate cables for that particular unit, optical converter, and if "A/V audio" means RCA, just slap that RCA-1/4 from earlier in as well.

It really depends on where you are. In NJ it's just fine as long as you have a LAN adapter. I've played people in most of the east coast, and it's been fine except for a few hiccups.

I highly recommend getting a USB 3.0 LAN adapter. The one I have tops out at 100Mbps, and is noticeably faster with pretty much everything than the USB 2.0 version I used for the Wii U. Do be careful though as only certain ones will work.

https://github.com/neurobin/MT7630E

Looks like that's all there is to support that bit of hardware. Which, looks like it's a hack to run the device via firmware stripped out of the windows driver. So surely it can't really be legally distributed... But someone has put the bins on github anyway. That the sort of thing distributions just won't risk, for reasons varying from ethics to just not wanting to be sued into oblivion.

Honestly, I wouldn't put a lot of effort into getting this working. I'd probably put a pin in using linux until I got a different notebook, whenever that would be. Sometimes hardware support is just bad.

Or you could try something like this: https://www.amazon.com/TP-Link-TL-WN725N-wireless-network-Adapter/dp/B008IFXQFU/ref=sr_1_5?keywords=usb+wifi&qid=1562035848&s=gateway&sr=8-5

Doesn't seem too horribly obtrusive. I'm sure the range will be pretty bad, cause you can't fit much of an antenna in that little dongle. Keep in mind that only the cheapest one, the single band "150Mb" (like you'll ever manage that on it), is compatible.

This post seems to be pretty certain about what Youtube's used. "The audio you hear during a YouTube video will usually be 126 kbps AAC in an MP4 container or anywhere from 50-165 kbps Opus in a WebM container." This and other posts say Youtube previously used 128 to 192 kbps AAC in general.

Be forewarned, the first two comparison systems are both really old. Old system #1 "5.1 in a box" is a Phillips FW768P.
Specs? I generally use it in 2.0 or 2.1 mode because using the center and rear surrounds sounds worse to me.

Old system #2 that I didn't mention but that I also used for comparison is a trusty old set of 2.1 Yamaha YST-MS50 computer speakers. This one's sound was definitely "muddy" compared to the LSR305s.

A comparison #3, I guess, would also include a Soundbot SB520 bluetooth speaker

Most common DACs will be from Samsung Galaxy S6 and S7, although I might eventually consider mixing in a Bluetooth receiver for the wireless capability, but that introduces another variable for quality (especially since I'd most likely first try out a budget model like this $20 Logitech one ).

In terms of how far the speakers are laid out, the manual just has the standard equilateral triangle suggestion, and it seems like people often use them anywhere from 4 to 6 feet apart, which mine are around.

First question, have you connected a computer directly through the Ethernet before? The WiFi can be forcing the authentication every time you connect but it could also be at the router level, meaning if the Ethernet jack is connected to the same router it is possible that it is configured to still prompt for sign in. If you know that's not the case and an Ethernet connection is directly connected with a live connection then you're good to go this route. If your internet is provided, you don't actually need a router. You simply need an access point. It has no routing capabilities and only broadcasts a WiFi network that runs back through the network. Here's a great inexpensive option for what you are looking for.

TP-Link Wireless N300 2T2R Access Point, 2.4Ghz 300Mbps, 802.11b/g/n, AP/Client/Bridge/Repeater, 2x 4dBi, Passive POE (TL-WA801ND) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004UBU8IE/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_TE-RBbJN4BZ41

Setting it up as an access point will assure you don't have to do any more advanced network configuration due to double NAT or relaying DHCP servers.

5ghz wifi base station and set it to bridge mode connect it to the uni wifi and then ethernet cable into your pc. basically it becomes the wifi card but will work a lot better.

2.4ghz has a longer range for transmission receiving as its a lower frequency. Could use a 2.4ghz bridge as well might be better but im sure with enough signal 5ghz should be fine.

USB network cards usually don't have a very good range as they are small, a wifi base station has nice big aerials.

​

https://www.amazon.com.au/TP-Link-TL-WN725N-Wireless-Network-Adapter/dp/B008IFXQFU/ref=asc_df_B008IFXQFU/?tag=googleshopdsk-22&linkCode=df0&hvadid=341773398184&hvpos=1o2&hvnetw=g&hvrand=263816913391382260&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9069013&hvtargid=pla-309497953602&psc=1

​

​

vs's

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https://www.netgear.com.au/home/products/networking/modem-routers/d1500.aspx

Ok if you need this build now then what I suggested will do very good, the only reason to spend more time would be to drop the price by a few dollars, but you can get away with this one.

[Here is the switch I used] (http://www.amazon.com/TP-LINK-TL-SG1005D-1000Mbps-Gigabit-Capacity/dp/B000N99BBC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1404190845&sr=8-1&keywords=ethernet+switch+10%2F100%2F1000)

And [Here is an alright 100 ft cord] (http://www.amazon.com/Patch-Ethernet-Network-Cable-White/dp/B000TYR5R8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1404190880&sr=8-1&keywords=ethernet+cord+100ft)

And I am guessing you really don't need 100 ft, so [here is a good 50ft one for less] (http://www.amazon.com/Cat5e-Network-Ethernet-Cable-Blue/dp/B000QZ001I/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1404190921&sr=8-2&keywords=ethernet+cord+50ft)

Also you need ethernet cords to connect to your PC so here is [A 7ft cord, overkill, but just in case] (http://www.amazon.com/Belkin-7-Feet-CAT5e-Snagless-Patch/dp/B00000J1V5/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1404190985&sr=8-2&keywords=ethernet+cable+5ft)

Cheapest route = $25

Expensive Route= $30

This will provide much faster internet speeds, and after you set it up, much less trouble keeping it running.

Internet speed decreases the further it goes in wireless, and it decreases even more when it goes through objects, like walls and furniture.

Also, if there is a microwave in the way, like there is for me, it decreases much more when the microwave is on, as the microwaves mess with the signal.

Wired, it decreases slightly for longer cords, so get it as short as possible, but it still keeps most of it's strength.

My computer in my gaming room wireless can't connect to the internet most of the time, and when it can, the download speed is in the kilobytes.

When it is 10ft from my modem wireless, it gets 25mbs download.

When it is connected via ethernet, it gets around 55 to 65mbs download, it is much faster...

Honestly I don't care as much about the VPN. Would eat up some bandwidth as well. The only reason I wanted a VPN was because I'm not sure how to repeat the signal (i.e. extend) but have a different SSID AND password. Also, I'm not sure if not having a password to begin with on the main router would actually allow me to do this and provide me with some security.

I've read that running the WA850RE in AP bridge mode can achieve everything I need without the VPN. Any insight?

TP-Link N300 Wi-Fi Range Extender (TL-WA850RE) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00E98O7GC/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_XuV9AbC0SP0FC

Your solutions are not necessarily out of budget but not what I want to spend if there is a cheaper option. More like a last resort kind of thing.

I also don't want to mess with DDWRT either. Stock firmware would be nice.

You can get a bluetooth transmitter and a receiver that will allow you to use any headphones you want.

There are some that are both in a single package (don't buy that one though, its garbage. Doesnt support apt-x codec and doesnt say if its bluetooth 4.0, which means it probably isnt).

You'd have to buy two of them though, which can get pricey.

Another option is to add bluetooth to your PC using something like this and then using a bluetooth receiver like this that you plug your headphones into.

Note that I've never used any of these devices except for the kinivo usb dongle. It works pretty well, and I believe that the video on my phone synced up pretty well with the audio that was being sent to my PC. But, like I said, you should try before you buy if at all possible.

Lol, no children yet. Not for awhile

Yeah its a powerline line. This one specifically.

Its pretty great cause I can "hardwire" my ps4 to it in my living room because it has a terrible wifi built in. It also doubles as a wi-fi signal boost. Helps reach the back area of the house. Speed isn't terrible, I have 100mbps internet speed for the front room. It hits around 60mbps through the powerline. Sometimes you need to re-pair them. Otherwise has been working great for a few years now.

Okay thank you for the clarification. I found this on amazon which appears to have good reviews. It might be a decent option to pick up 2 as a low-budget way to get a start on boosting my network? Then I could see if it works better for what I need and if so, then I would be willing to maybe upgrade and get better AP's before I just dive right in and find myself in over my head.

Built in bluetooth is pretty rare, but bluetooth is super easy to add. If I were you I'd double check the compatibility with your devices, but you can probably use a USB stick like this:

https://www.amazon.com/ASUS-USB-Adapter-Bluetooth-USB-BT400/dp/B00DJ83070/ref=sr_1_7?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1478236472&sr=1-7&keywords=bluetooth+usb

It would, but you'd never be able to use it with anything else in the future, since pretty much nothing is passive 24v PoE, just legacy Ubnt gear. Even Ubnt is moving to all 802.af active PoE.

I'd get this one: https://www.amazon.com/Ubiquiti-Networks-US-8-60W-Unifi-Switch/dp/B01MU3WUX1

It's configurable, so it'll do both passive and active PoE, so it's future-proof.

And yes, if you have a PoE switch, you just plug the Cat5e into the switch and then into the AP and the AP is powered.

If you buy the AC-AP-LITE in 1-packs, they come with a PoE injector (single port), so aside from clogging up a few outlets and taking up space, you don't technically need a PoE switch for a couple of APs, unless you want one (tho I think the PoE switch will be lower electricity usage, but only barely).

I went with this model.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00AQM8586/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Costs a little more but it's USB 3.0. I figured the inside port supports it and who knows if and when Nintendo will support dedicated servers.

Besides, there are plenty of other devices that support it.

Could you look over these parts and let me know if I'm missing anything? Would I just be monitoring this stuff at my desktop that's wired in or would I need something else to control all this? I'm not sure on which switch I need.

Fiber connection>Gateway/Router> Switch 1 or Switch 2 > ethernet > AP

I am being pushed towards the in wall AP cause the fiance doesn't like things poking out from our ceiling and I was told wall mounting them doesn't work as well. From looking on their forums the UAP-AC-IW-PRO beta testers have said they are getting surprisingly good signal from their in wall AP since they have better antennas. But if I was able to go the UAP-AC-PRO route ceiling mounted how many and where would you suggest I place them?

So this is my home layout. I assumed these were the best places to put them. The red arrows show which direction the AP will be facing from the wall and the blue box is where everything terminates and I'm assuming that's where the gateway and switches will be. The ethernet drops in the living room and game room are higher up then the rest. I can have an updated picture of where all the ethernet drops are around my house if that would help.

The bedrooms near the front of the house aren't currently being used so I'm not to focused on them but I could always go back and add another AP later in that area right?

This seems like it's going to blow through my $500 budget but I'm assuming it's worth it over getting something like the Eero 2nd generation?

Thanks for the quick reply!
So would something like this work?
https://www.amazon.com/TP-Link-Wireless-300Mbps-Repeater-TL-WA801ND/dp/B004UBU8IE/ref=sr_1_2?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1482532251&sr=1-2&keywords=wireless+bridge

And could I connect something like this:
https://www.amazon.com/TP-Link-5-Port-Ethernet-Desktop-TL-SF1005D/dp/B000N99BBC/ref=pd_sim_147_1?_encoding=UTF8&refRID=G72XDPPB55GJ66MCEQKC&th=1
So I have multiple ethernet ports?

Or is there a more efficient way to do this? Sorry again haha, total noob here.

I have my Bridge on the 1st floor of my house, but this has had a hard time reaching my speakers in the basement. So I bought a range extender for my wi-fi. Works great, and as a bonus other wi-fi devices work in my basement.

Doesn't it just make more sense to by a wi-fi extender for 1/3 the price of the Boost? Or am I missing something?

What kind of modem do you have? Modems play a huge part, bigger than routers. I'm running this router and it works perfectly

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01LXL1AR8/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1505166546&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=asus+gigabit+router

Hopefully you have a docsis 3.0 modem. If you don't, you need to upgrade. I'm running this modem https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00MA5U1FW/ref=mp_s_a_1_1 and it's flawless.

If you go the wired option and have an Ethernet switch and Ethernet adapters for each Nintendo Switch, then you are effectively setting up your own network and wouldn't need to worry about the company's network as it would all be independent of that and would likely be the best way to guarantee a quality experience.

Example 8 port Switch

USB to Ethernet Adapter

5 Pack of 10' Ethernet Cables

What would be nice is if you could just bring your own wireless router that is not connected to anything, and if every device can connect to this wireless router even though it doesn't have Internet, then it should in theory work the same and prevent you from needing all that extra equipment I listed above.

I would definitely have a chat with your IT department if you have one. It is not uncommon that they may have an extra unused/old Ethernet switch laying around + cables they could let you borrow.

​

Get 16GB RAM with 3600Mhz and good timings (16-18-18-36 ish). Also ditch the evo and get a 1TB Crucial MX500 or ADATA XPG 8200pro. WD black sn750 is also good. I also recommend you get a motherboard without wifi, and buy a separate wifi card with an antenna like https://www.amazon.ca/ASUS-Wi-Fi-Express-Adapter-PCE-AC56/dp/B00JNA337K

Any ISP combo modem/router isn't going to cut it for remote play, IMO. Be it that from your PS4 to Vita or from your PC to another device. Your best bet would be to invest in a decent dual band router.

After you purchase the dual band router go into your ISPs modem/router settings and turn off the wifi. That way it only acts as a modem. Plug in your new dual band router and let it manage the wifi in your home. You'll be amazed how well the new router takes advantage of the 25/5 connection. The dual purpose modem/routers provided by ISPs, no matter how fast your connection, seem to have a big problem with wifi interference. No matter if you're using a 2.4ghz or 5ghz connection.

I recommend this router as it's a good value: http://amzn.com/B0049YQVHE

The USG does not operate like a switch - LAN 1 and 2 are treated as completely separate networks, so devices on each will not be able to see each other without some fancy firewall rules. I would recommend some sort of switch instead, not necessarily one from Ubiquiti. The benefit of the Unifi switch is that it is managed (can be programmed) with power to 4 devices. A regular switch will be fine too, as long as you use the PoE injectors that come with the APs.

Here's the switch I have: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01MU3WUX1/

Any of these would work - some provide power, and I'd recommend a 1000 Gbps switch: https://www.amazon.com/s/node=281414

A controller is only needed if you want to make any changes to your network, such as the WiFi name or passwords, or if you want to view some of the network statistics. It is also used to run the guest networking portal.

You can use the free controller download if you only plan on making the initial configuration and don't want anything else. If you plan on a guest network, statistics, or make changes often, a cloud key would be good to have.

There are several websites out there that deal specifically with Linux hardware like ThinkPenguin but you would probably have luck just searching "Linux Nano Wifi Dongle" in something like Amazon or AliExpress. I have had luck with TP Link Dongles

For Comcast approved modems, see these links:

https://customer.xfinity.com/help-and-support/internet/list-of-approved-cable-modems/

https://mydeviceinfo.xfinity.com/

There are both standalone cable modems listed and combo (gateway) modem-wifi router units. Use the radio buttons on the side of the second link to specify what you are looking for

I prefer separate units... if something goes wrong, easier to troubleshoot, and separate units give a lot more control over settings/user preferences

The Arris SB6190 may have some issues not yet solved.

I am using an Arris SB6183 on Charter (former TWC) 200/20... very stable. I bought it refurbished off ebay from an approved vendor... no problems. ebay prices are about $70 - $80, Costco also sells that exact unit new for $89.99, item 1080070

I am using a TP-Link AC1900 Archer C9 wireless router...

https://www.amazon.com/TP-Link-AC1900-Wireless-Gigabit-Router/dp/B00PDLRHFW

Whatever you choose, recommend putting it in the same room as your TV/Streaming box... and use 5Ghz if possible to avoid wifi interference

I am sure others will have their own ideas.... Hope this helps and good luck!

I'm pleased to report back all delays I saw have ceased!

In case others have similar issues ... here's my LAN hardware.

None of my switches are managed, so unfortunately, I can't check port status or force them to 100/full.

Dropped pings and random Alexa timeouts only happen when Hubitat is connected to a switch port on my wireless router, a Buffalo WZR-1750DHP. With this device, I have no control over LAN port speed or duplex (from GUI or CLI); only WAN. I can't even see LAN port current status.

Everything is fine when Hubitat is connected to either one of the cheap-o switches I have connected to the WZR-1750DHP. For the record, those are:

TP-Link TL-SG1005D 5-Port Gigabit Switch

TP-Link TL-SF1005D 5-Port Fast Ethernet Switch

Thanks again for your guidance! I came from a first-gen Wink hub, giving up on them after all the recent outages. I'm loving all I'm able to do with Hubitat so far. The only thing left on Wink is my Quirky Power Pivot, which is headed to the curb along with the Wink hub once I get new smart switched outlets in place.

Decided on the Asus RT-N56U. Hoping it was a good bet. Way more expensive than my current Belkin thing! Thanks for the help you all.


Fun fact: it's shipping from Chattanooga.

Just get a USB wifi adapter. Something like this or if you want one thats smaller and less in the way you can get this one. The smaller one probably has less range and lower max speed.

Or if you have extra expansion slots and need faster wifi you can get a PCIe wifi card like this.

NOTE: I haven't done much research on this so the listed products are just examples of the types of solutions available. By no means am I recommending these as the best in their respective classes. I just own TP-link stuff and trust them is all.

If you're going to end up buying new hardware, I'd suggest going with Powerline ethernet, unless you really want to buy a new router/wireless bridge. It will be be less clutter, cheaper, and more reliable (than cheap wireless bridge alternatives).

Out of the box Wireless Bridge capable routers, you could get something like this TP-LINK.

I'd suggest any Asus router, and flash tomato on it. Something cheap like this N-12 would do. I like the asus routers because they are unbrickable; perfect for messing about with the firmware.

I have had good luck with these cheap Logitech adapters for Bluetooth. I have them on several receivers where sound quality is not much of an issue. For my main stereo, I bought a Chromecast Audio, which was a HUGE improvement for only $15 more. If you have a wifi network, I highly recommend spending the extra for the latter.

For Bluetooth:

BT400

For WiFi:

There are some options here on this thread

I don't think you'll find a USB one with both WiFi/BT. If you feel like getting rid of one of your 980Ti's (preferably to me ;) ), then OSXWiFi makes great PCIe adapters

Good luck!

I just got an Asus RT-n56u It has a ton of features for a great price. I like that you can plug your printer and a hd into it.

So far it has been a great router, been supporting 20+ devices without a single hiccup yet.

.02

Do you have your own meter? To be honest, the best way to find out is to try it. These things are not overly expensive. If they don't work then return them. If it works well, and it should, they are 90% as good as running a cable. Even if they are a little crap they are going to be better than crap WiFi you have.

The simplest type that doesn't have WiFi and just cable are around $40.

Around $60 for one with WiFi. Plug one in near the router, the other in your room and bingo! you have WiFi!

Maybe something like this LINK I have not used this particular set but I have used TPLinnk in the past and it works well enough. Do some research, you might find a better one.

Cool thanks a bunch!
I have looked around online as well as ask around a bit and after a bit of research it seems you definitely need a bluetooth 4.0 dongle. All the people I've read about that had working ones seemed to have that in common. That would explain why my cheap on from König did not work as it was 2.0 and why yours works perfectly.

I bought this one.
I'll post the results once I've given it a test run to see if my 4.0 theory is roughly correct.

Yeah, last night I was able to find something like this laying around in my room. So I was able to get on the WiFi successfully!

I might end up purchasing one that can find stronger signals, thanks for all your help!!

Yes, it uses the electrical wires in a house/apt to transmit ethernet. Somehow using the same tech as wireless but the signal is going though a wire so its usually faster.

Speed and reliability depends on how good the wiring is inside your house. The one thing I heard when reading up on it is you cannot plug them into an extender they need to be directly in the wall.

I use
http://www.amazon.com/TP-LINK-TL-PA6010KIT-Powerline-Adapter-Starter/dp/B00IBPLI48/ref=zg_bs_1194444_4

and they work great for me. Utility on a PC says I get 300mpbs but havent tested the speed. Got them because with wi-fi I could not stream downloaded HD movies to a ps3 even with apple extreme AC router when the PC was wireless, and with those it works.

There are also models that have wi-fi and ethernet in one of the modules if you need to extend wi-fi.

http://www.amazon.com/TP-LINK-TL-WPA4220KIT-ADVANCED-Universal-Powerline/dp/B00HSQAIQU/ref=zg_bs_1194444_3

What you might want to look into are power line adapters. Something like this. http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00HSQAIQU/ref=s9_top_hm_b50jE_g147_i2?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=mobile-hybrid-11&pf_rd_r=06XWQR8D72M1RDXRX4M2&pf_rd_t=30901&pf_rd_p=3b52e653-8edc-59d8-8d3e-b10a96ef91ed&pf_rd_i=1194444


What these do is allow you to use the existing wiring in your house via wall plugs. You plug one in by the modem/router and plug a cable in. Then plug the second half by your Xbox with a short cable from it to the Xbox.

Sounds about perfect for your situation 😊

WiFi is pretty bad/not reliable unless you spend a lot. I like to hard wire everything. This has worked great for me. You can plug in a network switch or Wireless access point on the other end also. This way it will take the hardwired signal and boost it.

TP-Link Powerline Adapter

WiFi SweetSpots is a cool mobile app to test WiFi connection speed as you move around the house.

Older Thunderbolt 1 and 2 devices, such as those designed for Apple Mac products, would need an adapter to work with Thunderbolt 3, since Thunderbolt 1 and 2 used Mini DisplayPort (mDP) ports while Thunderbolt 3 switched to USB Type-C.

From slowest to fastest, you have:

• 480 Mbits/s: USB 2.0
  
• 5 Gbits/s: USB 3.0 (aka "USB 3.1 Gen 1", confusingly)
  
• 10 Gbits/s: USB 3.1 Gen 2 (aka true USB 3.1)
  
• 40 Gbits/s: Thunderbolt 3
  
  That's for speed. For the shape of the plug, you can either have USB Type-A (traditional USB shape) or Type-C (the new shape). There's not necessarily any connection between the shape of the plug and speed, though on the XPS 15 9550 the only Type-C port is a Thunderbolt 3 / USB 3.1 Gen 2 port, while the other Type-A ports are USB 3.0. The new MacBook and Chromebook Pixel have USB 3.1 Gen 1 (equivalent to USB 3.0 speed) Type-C ports, while many smartphones coming out with Type-C ports are still working at USB 2.0 speeds.
  
  USB 3.0 or above would be preferable, so that gigabit Ethernet is supported. You can get one that uses the Type-C port if you want, but it will still work at the same speed (USB 3.0) as the normal Type-A version. Adapters that take advantage of USB 3.1, much less Thunderbolt 3, are still rather rare. In any case, using Thunderbolt 3 just for Ethernet would be overkill: better to save the Thunderbolt 3 port for a full-scale dock or an external graphics card.
  
  So, enough background. Some options:
  
  
• AmazonBasics USB 3.0 to 10/100/1000 Gigabit Ethernet Adapter ($16.95)
  
• Anker Unibody Aluminum 3-Port USB 3.0 and Gigabit Ethernet Hub ($26.99)
  
• Anker USB-C to 3-Port USB 3.0 Hub with Ethernet Adapter for USB Type-C Devices ($27.99)
  
  The two Anker devices also include a three port USB 3.0 hub, for connecting other stuff.

What are the best solutions for getting a wifi signal through/around concrete from one side of the apartment to the other?

A search in English brought up powerline kits like this, but a Japanese search brought up more expensive solutions - 30k yen repeater sets and the like.

Or is it as simple as upgrading our (already pretty good) router?

He could have done much better for the money.

http://www.amazon.com/TP-LINK-Archer-C7-Wireless-1300Mbps/dp/B00BUSDVBQ/ - The king of the cheap wireless routers. Can't go wrong for $100.

http://www.amazon.com/ARRIS-SURFboard-SB6190-DOCSIS-Cable/dp/B016PE1X5K/ - The best modem you can buy. Supports even the 1gbps packages and is on the official approval list for Cox Cable.

this modem + this router

Its $174 but you really get more for that $24

I have the same exact modem, its awesome, I get 100mbps on it with their 90 plan. I have the bigger brother to that router, but my freind has one and its worked great for 2 years.

A good choice for controllers would be either some USB Super Nintendo controllers (they have more than enough buttons for most pre-N64 systems) or a Wiimote, which your friend might already have. There are a few good tutorials out there for getting Wiimotes to work over bluetooth, and I think this is the USB SNES controller my buddy got. (Alternatively, he could build his own)

I really appreciate all of your help thus far.

I'm pretty sure I'm going with the Arris sb6190 seen here. Thoughts?

As far as a router, wifi speeds are really important as I plan on streaming a lot of content to my main TV (a flight of stairs away from the router) including large file sized movies. Is this C9 the one you're referring to by chance? The current spectrum modem/router only pushes about 65Mbps via wifi. Should I be able to get more with this Archer C9?

In the C9 product description it states "3 detachable dual band antennas for maximum wireless coverage and reliability" what does that mean? Do you utilize this?

I'd suggest getting an Acer Aspire V7-482PG.

It has an i5-4200U, 8GB RAM, 500GB HDD, Nvidia GT 750M graphics, and a beautiful 14" 1920x1080 IPS touch display. Only thing it doesn't have that you want is an ethernet port, but you can get a USB to RJ-45 Adapter easily enough.

It does only weigh 4.4lbs and can get up to 8 hours of battery life under the right conditions (brightness way down, wifi off, light use, etc.).

It would easily be able to play your light games at high frame rates and survive the day at school.

Are you renting/leasing the router? For the cable internet setups, it's best to get a dedicated modem by itself and buy an external router. The AIO modem/router usually has compromises and not really upgradable if you want faster wifi speeds.

Since it's from 2010, I'd upgrade the setup completely with a new modem (depending on what your provider speeds are) and a router (TP Link Archer C9 because it's what I use and provides great wifi speeds when you have dual band devices).