Reddit mentions: The best computer networking switches

> but I do want a very reliable, modular, but manageable home network

Mah nig ... like-minded fellow.

 


> I will be subscribing to Comcast

I am so sorry for you :(

 

Ok, let's tackle wifi first as there is more to talk about here.

First off, yes, wireless access point (AP) is the correct name, very good, seriously, most people just call them "router" or thingamajig or whatever else.

Second, also very good on the idea to decouple everything from each other and to put multiple APs around the house. So many ask for a magical all-in-one device that can reach the moon with wifi and act as a NAS for a small country via one USB attached HDD.

So, the device: Ubiquiti UniFi

Why: it does what you want: the seamless handoff. Basically this allows you to roam around your house without dropping signal, as the APs know when to hand you off to the nearest one.

This is a feature that is rarely found in consumer grade gear, and works decently in even fewer devices. On the UniFi devices it is so good that it does not drop a VoIP call when transitioning.

There are various versions of the device, N is the normal standard, only on the 2.4Ghz band (use Wifi Analyzer on Android to check how your spectrum is), then there is Long Range, Pro, and even AC.

IMHO they are not worth the extra money, or rather, in your case where most devices are wired and with your internet speed, you would not have great benefits from faster wifi.

These devices are around or under $70 on Amazon.

> is there a simple way to have more than wireless access point

More than 1 or what are you after here?

If it's with the UniFi devices, you can add as many as you want, just need the ports on a switch.

 

Router: Unifi EdgeRouter Lite (ERL)

It's based on Vyatta, a Debian OS made for routers. It is super stable, a beast of a workhorse, and it has a ton of advanced features. IPsec VPN is probably the only advanced feature you will really care for (I assume).

It's a router and only a router, so no wifi and no switch. It has 3 ports, which should be plenty for your setup (naturally you will want a switch or two).

Is it overkill for your setup? Maybe, but for $100 it's (again IMHO) the best router that that kind of money can buy. People will tell you that it is not very user friendly, and it might have been in the past, or to users that are not a bit technical, but the new GUI is all you will need to use to create a basic home network setup.

Mikrotik is another manufacturer of prosumer / cheap but good enterprise level gear, but just spec wise, the ERL is superior.

 

I'll link you a few unmanaged 24 port switches. Let me know if you want managed switches instead.

The main difference between managed and unmanaged is that the former gives you more control over your network, and if you want to do some things, like fancy segmentation of the network (VLANs), or QoS within the LAN (unnecessary in the home really), then you will need a managed switch.

The Trend-Net TEG-S24Dg is the second cheapest 24 port switch (gig of course) that I would buy.

I have had an 8 port Trend-Net switch for about 5 years with 0 troubles. The one linked above is metal casing, which helps with cooling and rigidity, and is a small form factor, so you can place it on a desk if you need to, and it's not a huge rack-mounted 19" beast (it's 11 inches long).

The TP-Link TL-SG1024 is a full size, rack mountable switch. No clue how it performs, but a bunch of reviews say it is good.

As you can see the difference in price is very small ($100 vs $108). Pick the one you like best or another all together. :)

One thing I would say is that I would not go with a 10/100 switch, as switches limit your internal speed, which can far exceed your internet speeds. For example file transfers between the NAS and your devices. Gig is the way to go, I wish 10 Gb would be cheaper, as I would go for it myself.

 

> Cables & walls

If you are running cables, do it once, and do it well: run Cat 6a cables.

Cat 6a cables are shielded, which protects from EMI (interference), and can run 10Gb up to 100m. Be sure to get Cat 6 A, and not just Cat 6, as Cat 6 (without the A) is only rated for 10 Gb at 40 meters or less.

The question you might be asking: why not just go with Cat 5e, which does 1Gb speeds to 100 meters just fine and is cheaper?

Well, most Cat 5e that is sold around, is not shielded, and you want shielded to run in the walls due to electrical cables and grounding systems. Also, you are tearing holes in home walls. Even if you are there for only a few years, why save a few dollars when you can do the job right?

 

In addition, you will want a bunch of faceplates, amazon or monoprice will have loads for cheap, a bunch of RJ-45 ends (don't skimp to much on these, some are really shitty), and potentially a patch panel.

A patch panel is a thing where you terminate your cable runs into it, and it allows you to plug an ethernet cable into it.

Like this

Basically this makes it so that you don't have to move around the cables which could damage them over time, and gives you a nice organized way to label each run. That being said, it's not mandatory, it's just something nice.

 

I know this is a wall of text, but I think I should have covered all your points.

You probably have more questions, ask away :)

Boy, Ubiquiti sure doesn't make it easy for the average home user/consumer to get a grasp on their products and offerings. I fumbled my way into a similar situation as yourself, perhaps bits of my ramblings will be helpful for you. I started off with a trusty little ER-X, fully planning to outgrow that little device within a matter of months. That did NOT happen, as it's quite a capable router for the $49 I invested in it. It even handled load-balancing dual WAN connections without breaking a sweat. And there's a PoE passthrough for pairing the router with a wireless access point. After being so thrilled with the ER-X, I decided it was time to bring our wireless capabilities into the 21st century and ended up going with a UAP-AC-LR, which has continued to serve us well over the past ~18+ months, or so. I was getting consistent remarks on just how great the WiFi was all of a sudden after deploying that lovely little UFO shaped device. Do yourself a favor and avoid the CloudKey, unless you have a very specific use-case / need for it. There's dozens of ways to run a UniFi Controller that are both cheaper (free?) and better, IMO. If you just have the single access point (I only have the one) you could potentially even stand it up simply by using the UniFi mobile app to set it and forget it. It only needs to run when you want to make modifications, or changes to your setup, but the options are immense. You can even run the software on your desktop PC, pretty much whatever you have on hand will suffice.

In an effort to give a somewhat complete run-down of your options, there's another line of products, where many folks prefer to go with a pure UniFi setup. The USG is on par with the ER-X, but it's twice the cost with less power and less features. The only added bonus is that you get to manage it from the same menu/interface as your access point(s), so your metrics and charts will fill out more and look a bit prettier, but how often do you really sit around and look at how much data your network devices are pulling? I still prefer the EdgeMAX dashboard over the UniFi Controller interface, especially considering the fact that I'm not wholly convinced the values are particularly accurate, so it may be of little value if that's something you actually need for your use-case, rather than just a pretty toy to view. Hope some of this helps, if you have further questions, please ask away! Below I'll list the absolute bare-bones, budget-conscious way to get into an incredibly stable home network setup, from my experiences. I only recently upgraded my Edgerouter-X with an Edgerouter 12 from the Early Release store, and today is the day my upgraded fiber package gets flipped on. Goodbye 100Mbps, hello Gbps! Sadly, not symmetrical... but that's for another time and place. Best of luck with your decision(s). I swear by my little "hybrid" network with the Edgerouter at the core and the UniFi access point (i've since added a mish-mash of switches, but unless you have a large need for ethernet connected devices, the ER-X should be plenty to get you going. This TP-Link was the absolute cheapest "managed" (smart) switch I could find in my research. I'm not quite sold on the UniFi switches, but I often wish I owned an Edgeswitch Lite, but someday I'll learn more than just the basics of the used Cisco SG300-20 i picked up to be the "core" switch of my network. Both the ER-X and ER12 have the added bonus of built in switching chips, so you get the best of both worlds which gives you quite a bit of flexibility in a home/lab environment.

TL;DR -- Edgerouter-X paired with UAP-AC-Lite with the UniFi Controller software running on pretty much whatever you have on hand (RPi, Google Cloud Compute, AWS, any old PC, etc.) and you will have a rock-solid network core with dreamy WiFi that'll get you compliments for weeks, if not months from your significant other and/or housemate(s).

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.

Not OP, but we've deployed Ubiquiti products in a few of our enterprise customers and it is running great. I am not sure how much you already know about networking, but I'll explain for anyone else reading.

First, some background to fully understand what it is you are trying to do. The thing that most consumers call "routers" are really three things: a router, a switch, and an access point. TLDR the router portion is the thing that actually moves traffic between machines, the switch extends how many physical ethernet ports you have, and the access point gives you wifi.

The Ubiquiti Access Points (UAP) are just access points. You will still need a router to route traffic, and your consumer one will work just fine for most people. If you are looking to get something more SOHO, Ubiquiti also makes their own router/firewall (check out USG, or ideally EdgeRouter). For all intents and purposes, it is a pretty good idea to separate the roles of your network (physical appliances for the router, firewall, wireless, etc...), and you can have as many UAP's as you'd like for wireless. The UAP's run off of Ubiquiti's 24V Power-over-Ethernet (POE), which can be provided via a POE injector or with a Ubiquiti Switch (either Unifi or EdgeMax). So for a basic network, you'll disable the wireless functionality on your consumer router, and plug a UAP into a port (obviously you'll need to pass it through the POE injector first). Rinse and repeat for however many UAP's you want, maybe another one on the other side of the house for example.

The UAP is pretty useless on its own, though. It needs a piece of software called the Unifi Controller. The software is free, and you can run it on Windows, Linux, or with Ubiquiti's appliance called the Cloud Key. Within Unifi Controller, you'll setup the UAP's; e.g. setting the visible wifi name (SSID), security, channels, etc... It isn't too complicated, the interface is really intutive and anyone who is even slightly technical could figure it out. The controller also serves another really important feature, which is zero-handoff. As long as the controller is running, your device will connect to the access point with the best signal. This is the seamless switching you asked about.

Ubiquiti also is focused on mesh networking, although we are generally pretty against that for businesses for reliability reasons. Of course, the exception to that is Cisco Meraki, which is a hybrid that will self-heal. If you lie and say you are an IT professional, you can get a free Meraki with a 3 year license. Just make sure that you follow the rules.

As a note, I would stick to the UAP AC's. They are the newer version and run great. For consumers, the UAP-AC-LITE is going to work fine. Obviously there is more to networking and wireless solutions than what I went over here, but this is the general gist of it.

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.

No prob- I really don't like crazy annoying neighbors too so I sympathize with you on the battle :)

I use this one in my attic: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00M1C03U2
Anything that is to POE standard will work. Do be sure you get a camera that supports PoE. They are a bit more but make for a much easier install. Injectors work too, just will need more wiring.

The problem with DVR boxes like the Amcrest mentioned is they aren't really upgradeable and I don't think they'll have near the feature set that a PC running BI will. With that said however, they are MUCH simpler which is a plus.

Excellent choice on the Camera. I have one of that model and it's great. Great bang for the buck and super small.

I agree that a DVR would be the fastest setup. I've never used any of the cloud services primarily because of companies like Foscam's track record of being hacked.


As far as I understand the numbers, a single 4 megapixel camera like that Amcrest will require roughly 12 megabits of bandwidth for full resolution. You connection being 12mbps down is most likely 2-4mbps up.(Gotta love comcast...) This will make real-time remote viewing difficult. There are two tools for this issue.

1. You can transcode the live feed into a more efficient, lower resolution, higher compression feed. BlueIris does a good job of this.
   
2. You can record and store the clips in full resolution and gradually upload them to cloud storage if required.
   
   You'll find that 99% of the time the cameras will be recording nothing so keeping footage of nothing is often pointless.
   
   My setup is this at home: I have a camera overlooking my driveway and another over my front door. The front door camera will detect when someone is at the door and "trigger". This will record the last 10 seconds of both the front door and driveway cameras while also sending an email to me with still photos from each camera. The number of times i've caught UPS/USPS/Fedex dropping my packages has been disturbing... Anyway, this setup requires very little disk because it's only recording when it detects motion. At any time I can go back and see all the motion events and play them in full resolution for either camera.
   
   If I'm not mistaken, the distance limit for Cat6 is 328ft. Given that you're going to be needing performance for multiple cameras, I would err on the side of safety and use one or two switches. Over distance, your performance may degrade but still should be within acceptable limits. There is also a distance limit for PoE, might need to keep that in mind too.
   
   My other tip would be that you'll need to be mindful of security here too. Make sure to use a firewall and do not open the cameras themselves up to the internet as the firmware is often insecure. Only open the feed from your DVR/BI box and not the actual cameras themselves.
   
   Good luck!

I'm a really big fan of Hikvision cameras. They feel really solid for the price and image quality is very good. I'm looking pretty hard at an Amcrest for my next cam. They're getting decent reviews for the price too.

If you do get a Hikvision, look closely at whether the seller is an authorized distributor. I've gotten a grey-market camera and it was ok, but for a few $ more you can also get support and english firmware updates.

For myself, I have one of these in my garage
DS-2CD2332-I-2.8MM

I have one of these on my front porch.
DS-2CD2142FWD-IS-2.8MM

I have one of these powering them both NETGEAR ProSAFE FS108PNA

An unfinished basement and vinyl siding makes mounting exterior cams more tolerable. http://imgur.com/a/qufyW

For setup / testing, I keep one of these around TP-LINK Gigabit PoE Injector TL-PoE150S

I've also installed many more cameras for friends and family.

One 16 cam setup used a dedicated Hikvision DVR unit, DS-7716NI-SP/16-2TB. It has the PoE switch built in. Setup was pretty quick and he's still really happy with it. Runtime on a 1500VA UPS is pretty respectable too.

• 1x DS-2CD2132F-I-4MM
  
• 10x DS-2CD2032-I-4MM
  
• 1x DS-2CD2232-I5-4MM
  
• 4x DS-2CD2112F-I-2.8MM
  
  I've got a buddy with 8x DS-2CD2032-I-4MM powered by a Passive 10/100 Power over Ethernet PoE Injector. He's having pretty good luck with that setup.
  
  At work we install mostly Axis cameras, but we're trying 24 Avigilon cameras for one section of student housing. They seem pretty well built too. This is a mostly positive post, the only cameras I HATE are made by Arecont Vision.
  
  If you haven't decided on software, I've got an opinion on that too.
  
  I'm running Milestone XProtect Go on a spare PC. It's free for up to 8 cameras, up to 5 days of retention, no charge for the clients. I am familiar since I manage an XProtect Enterprise install at work, but it can be a pain to set up at first.
  
  I've also played with Blue Iris and ZoneMinder. I think Blue Iris is the way to go for most folk.

Honestly- my best advice for you is DON'T go to Costco. You can do much better than anything they have there. All the Costco stuff is Swann/Lorex/etc which is mostly rebadged Hikvision/Dahua stuff.

If you don't have a price limit, do it right.

I'd suggest the easiest 'good' camera to go with is Ubiquiti. Ubiquiti is largely a networking company, but they have a solid surveillance system as well.

Start with the Cloud Key Gen2+ ($191). That's the NVR, and the core of all things Ubiquiti.
Then get the US-8-150W PoE switch. It's an 8 port powered switch, good for up to 6 cameras- that's 6 cameras, the cloud key, and the uplink to your router.
Finally the cameras- try the UVC-G3-Pro. It's one of their higher end cameras at $263 each. But it has a zoom lens so you can customize the field of view, good night vision, and good quality.
If you want the lower end cameras, try the UVC-G3-Flex (about $80) or the UVC-G3-Dome (about $135). Flex is a pretty good camera but night vision isn't as good. Dome is similar quality to the G3 Pro, maybe a little less, but without the zoom lens and also not waterproof (so it can be outside, but only under an overhang).

Now run Cat6 cable from each camera location to a central spot, where you plug in all this stuff.

This is going to cost more than your average Costco camera-in-a-box thing, especially if you use Pro cameras. But the quality and functionality will be a LOT better.

And if you want to upgrade your home network, maybe swap out the 8 port switch for a bigger switch like a US-24-250w (24 ports, $400) and a UniFi Security Gateway ($150ish). Then add some UAP-AC-Pros (about $120) and you'll have amazing WiFi.

I'll try, if you have any questions or if I wasn't really clear on something, ask away and I'll try to explain it better.

A normal home network is quite simple, in order starting from your ISP's line coming into your house, you usually have a modem, a router, a switch and an access point. Most consumer routers are actually a combo router-switch-access point all in one. They provide you a few ports for wired connection and the wifi in a single convenient unit. What you can also do is split up this combo unit to be able to place each device in a better location. If you have your modem in the basement, putting the router next to it makes sense, but putting the access point there often means it will be completely unusable on the second floor. Don't be afraid, separate unit aren't really more complex, you just need to wire them together. I'll recommend a few unit throughout, but feel free to ask for a second opinion!

Personally, after witnessing the extreme difference in quality between home all-in-one routers and dedicated separate unit, I will strongly recommend you go with a separate unit setup. Ubiquiti makes super great hardware that won't cost you much more than a combo but will give you much more performance. Here are the recommended devices, I'll explain the setup right after :

• Router : Ubiquiti Edgerouter X
  
• Switch : TP-Link Gigabit switch (8 port / 16 port / 24 port)
  
• Access point : Ubiquiti Unifi AP AC Lite
  
  So, your provider will supply you with a modem (or you will buy your own) and plug that directly in the DSL/Cable/Fiber line that comes from outside. Then, you will plug the router in the modem. The router will allow all the devices in your home to communicate with the internet. In the router, you will plug the switch. In the switch, you can plug all the lines that are going through your house. You can also plug several switches in the router, or a switch in another switch (example : a switch in the office plugged into a line that goes to the second floor, a switch on the second floor, that will work). Also plugged in the switch : the access point. You can plug it (or them if you buy more than one) directly in the switch, or at the end of a long line that goes where you want the access point to be. For a two stories house, you might get good result by having a central AP on the first floor, or an AP on each floor, depending on construction, materials and interference.
  
  So now, we have the classic modem > router > switch > AP, using separate devices for greater flexibility and performance. Once it's all plugged in, time to set it up. For the router, simple, follow the wizard. For the switch, these switches are plug and play, no config needed. For the AP (or APs), install the software on your PC, follow the wizard, done! The controller software is used to configure the APs, but is not needed for the APs to work. The APs, once they get their config from the software, are completely standalone and independent, you can turn the PC off without issues.
  
  Hope this answers your questions, as I said, ask anything that wasn't answered and I'll try to explain it.

first off, don't rent a router from your ISP. you will need to use a modem or gateway depending on the type of internet you are getting. if you are using cable or dsl i would also suggest to buy your own modem as well. it's a modern version of renting a rotary phone from the company and a racket.

you can get a router and wifi combo that is new and good for about $150 or more for faster or more advanced features.

as far as game plan for your home here is my suggestions
to start you off since you just moved in and are already renting it for now just use the provided router from to fiber provider so you can get connected and plan the rest of this build out.

depending on the layout and size of your home (cinder block construction is terrible for wifi and other rf signals) you may need multiple access points. my suggestion is to look into a brand of networking equipment called ubiquity.

they are relatively new to the market and have really shaken up the price and feature packs. set up is mainly through a web and mobile app and is very easy for a relatively new person to IT. there is also a huge community here on reddit and youtube showing off features and giving how to's.

here is my goto suggestion if you are willing to invest in an infrastructure more than a single router.

the fiber will come into your property and go through a modem and gateway provided by the isp you would then plug it into a router:
https://www.amazon.com/Ubiquiti-Unifi-Security-Gateway-USG/dp/B00LV8YZLK/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1526552321&sr=8-2&keywords=unifi

This is a smaller model that is a router and firewall combo by ubiquity, its about 110 at amazon

Then you plug the router into a switch:
https://www.amazon.com/Ubiquiti-Networks-Managed-Gigabit-US-8-150W/dp/B01DKXT4CI/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1526552321&sr=8-3&keywords=unifi

This is a sort of backbone device that you would use to send the internet to other devices and for other devices to comunicate with each other. this one is a poe switch which means it can send power to some devices like access points over the one cat 5 cable. this one has 8 ports so that means 7 outboard devices can be connected to the network because one is needed for the router. they make larger ones with more ports for more devices. this model is currently 194 on amazon

you will then need access points:
https://www.amazon.com/Ubiquiti-Unifi-Ap-AC-Lite-UAPACLITEUS/dp/B015PR20GY/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1526552321&sr=8-5&keywords=unifi

these are radios that broadcast wifi to your wireless devises these connect to the switch with cat 5 cables and are best placed near where you are going to use wifi devises the average home would benefit from two or three of these one to cover the living room kitchen great room area and one to cover the bedroom hallway are and possibly one for the backyard pool area (that might be important because of your external walls). this model is currently 80 on amazon.

if you deploy this list you will also need a cloud key:
https://www.amazon.com/Ubiquiti-Unifi-Cloud-Key-Control/dp/B017T2QB22/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1526553343&sr=8-1&keywords=cloud+key

this is a devise that manages the network and stores configuration files locally. it's like a mini server. this is about 78 on amazon.

you will also need cat 5/6/7 cables of various lengths and a power strip for about 500 you can get a really great network that can cover your whole house and that can easily be upgraded incrementally as technology improves. My suggestion would be to get all this mounted in a closet somewhere and get cat5/6/7 run to all the things that you can and place the access point in the house so you get the best coverage possible for the IOT devises in your house. as your network grows and you need more wired ports you can add a switch or replace the one with a 24 or 46 port one. when wifi tech improves past ag you can just replace the access points without affecting the rest of the network.another big thing is to run cable to anything you can this will help with keeping your wifi fast since there are less devices on the wifi.

Edit:
If there are two main points they would be:

1. wire everything you can so that way the devises that need to be wireless can be faster
   
2. Don't rent non-proprietary equipment from your ISP

> Why metal chassis?

Aside from the fact that you don't have to worry about this yellowing issue, you mean?

Well, there's also the fact that, because it's a pain in the ass to work with, electronic devices with metal chassis tend to be more similar to rectangular prisms, which is better industrial design because then you can stack things on top of them. Compare this metal ethernet switch to the equivalent plastic one, for example. (I would have preferred to use a router as an example instead of a switch because there's even more gratuitous bullshit, including ones you can't even wall-mount or put flat against a surface(!!!), but it's too hard to find a metal-chassis one to compare against.)

Not to mention, it's often the case that I just like the aesthetic of metal better (e.g. in the case of electronics, metal is often more professional/industrial looking). And not just for electronics: I'm also generally a fan of mid-century-modern design, and since most kinds of plastics hadn't been developed commercially yet (except for Bakelite), most products back then were metal. Because design is subject to the limitations (and advantages) of the medium, today's plastic products would have a hard time replicating that look/feel even if they tried.

Consider a Radio Flyer stamped-steel wagon, for instance: the rolled edge of the body was easy to grip tightly for a kid riding in it (or an adult picking it up), the steel made a satisfying clang when you dumped rocks into it, and it had a strongly-horizontal, lithe look. In comparison, a plastic wagon has convex sides that are probably easier to manufacture but harder to grip, surely makes a dull thud when stuff is dumped in it, and just looks thick and bulky compared to the metal version. (Note: I suspect that the difference in noise is not only due to the material properties of steel vs. plastic, but also the geometric fact that stamped steel uses embossing or corrugation to increase the strength of panels, while injection-molded plastic uses ribs instead: the varying thickness of the latter probably deadens the reverb more.) Moreover, the versatility of plastic tempted the designer to add a bunch of extraneous bullshit like a big depression/footwell in the middle, fold-down seat backs, and even fucking cupholders (which you can see in this photo)! The result is that the horizontalness is destroyed and it just looks like a bulbous mess.

Granted, that plastic wagon is probably objectively superior to the classic steel design, in the sense that it won't rust (give or take the axles) when left out in the rain and appears safer and more comfortable for kids to sit in. But even then, the steel design is better because it's worse! The fact that the steel design affords not only the ability to grip the edge, but the need to as well because the sides are low and you're riding more on top of it than in it, creates the opportunity for experiences that the plastic design precludes. If I were a kid planning to ride one down a hill, I know which design I'd pick! In short, if all wagons were plastic, this would not exist.

Finally, I don't know why -- maybe its survivor bias, maybe it's the fact that steel has more heft than plastic, or maybe it's (as you mentioned) simply because it costs more -- but I feel like most products seem more high-quality if they're made out of metal. I guess it's probably mostly the latter reason, because the same phenomenon applies to e.g. hardwood floors in houses: they seem upscale now in comparison to cheap nylon carpet or vinyl laminate, but the reason oak strip flooring is so common in old houses is because it was the cheapest flooring available at the time. Heck, maybe it isn't even the higher-cost itself, but merely the signal that picking a higher-cost material conveys: implying that the designer is optimizing for quality instead of cheapness.

A few months ago, I posted photos and a parts list for an 8 board DIY miner. That post elicited a number of good reactions so I am reposting here for any newcomers who are thinking of getting involved with the project.

This build uses a USB charging hub for power so that you can avoid wiring a PSU brick if that's not something you are comfortable doing. Here are the parts that were used:


Orange PI Prime Boards

I purchased Orange Pi Prime boards. Many DIY builds in the community are using different boards but one benefit to using these boards is that this setup will most closely match the official miners and the official Skywire Linux images for these boards are available on GitHub.

Xentris Wireless 120W 10-Port Smart Charging Hub

This USB charging hub is the one I chose because I liked the design and it has sufficient power to run 8 boards. You would need one that is at least 100W for 8 boards, and make sure each port is 2.4A.

5V USB to DC 4.0mm x 1.7mm Power Cables

These power cables are sufficient for the power to run the Orange PIs. You could also order them from Ebay for cheaper although the shipping would likely be slower.

Micro SD Cards

You will want to use fast Class 10 Micro SD cards. 16 GB is what the official miners come with.

40x M3 30mm Standoff Spacers

40 spacers is the exact amount of spacers I used in this setup.

TP-Link TL-WR1043N Gigabit Router

I purchased this gigabit router and it was pretty easy to flash OpenWRT onto it. I'd be happy to provide a walkthrough for that process if needed.

Switch

This cheap switch can handle up to 7 devices, not including the incoming connection from the router. Due to this, 7 boards are plugged into the switch and 1 of the boards is plugged into the router itself. An alternative method would be to get an 8+1 port switch like the one referenced in other parts lists.

LAN Cables

You can use any short Cat 6 Ethernet cables. I used these from the parts list that has floated around and got some in both 15cm and 25cm lengths. You will need at least 9 (8 for the miners and one from the router to the switch).

Base & Top

The base and top was made from 6mm-thick (.25”) white/opaque plexiglass. The size of the bottom sheet is around 150mm x 200mm (6” x 8”) and the top portions are the same size as the PIs. For the bottom sheet, I countersunk the holes so that the screw heads are recessed and don’t scratch the underlying surface. I used an electric belt sander to round the corners after cutting the sheets.


Summary

Those are the parts that I used to build the miner in the photos. Hopefully this guide provides some additional insights on ways to set up a miner for anyone who doesn't want to manually wire the PSU brick!

The best thing to do is separate everything out so you can future proof your setup. What if down the line you want to extend your wifi or need more wired ports? When you separate everything out (security gateway/firewall, switch and wifi access points) its much easier to upgrade and troubleshoot. Your typical consumer grade all in one routers have all three of those things in one package and none of them are particularly great.

Ubiquiti is the current leader at this for the home user. They have SOHO grade equipment (small office home office) which is basically enterprise grade equipment but at consumer grade prices.

If I were you, here's what I'd do:
Ubiquiti Unifi Security Gateway (USG) - this will be the brains of your system and allow port forwarding, QoS, deep packet inspection, etc.

Ubiquiti Networks 8-Port UniFi Switch, Managed PoE+ Gigabit Switch with SFP, 150W (US-8-150W) - this gives you 8 ports, all of which can be enabled for power over ethernet which can easily power your security cameras and access points. If you don't need this then you can get the cheaper non-PoE switch Ubiquiti US-8 Unifi Switch

Ubiquiti Networks Unifi 802.11ac Dual-Radio PRO Access Point (UAP-AC-PRO-US) - This is a great access point to give you fast wifi at a great range. This plugs directly into your switch via ethernet cable. If you need to extend you wifi then you can get a second one and plug it in. These can be powered by PoE which is really nice.

Total cost: $461

I guarantee you would end up spending more upgrading an all in one router over the next few years. This will easily last you 10+ years if not more and be enterprise grade equipment.

Yeah, MoCA would definitely be the best option but I don't think it would be that plausible with the location of my coaxial outlets. The Orbi is pushing the budget a little bit, but at the end of the day, I think I'll bite the bullet and try this out, and if it ends up sucking Amazon has a great return policy.

Now I know you mentioned how Google WiFi is just managed extenders above, so I assume that means you think I'd be better off going with the Orbi? They're both close to $300, so I want to make sure I'm going with the best choice here. If it makes any difference, these networks are pretty much gonna be only used for Hue, Google Home, and Alexa, and Phones and tablets and maybe the occasional laptop, never really for gaming or VoIP. Gaming and VoIP will be through the powerlines.

And when it comes to the powerline adapters I have setup currently, should I just keep using those, upgrade them, or move to wireless? I have one of the powerlines hooked up to a TP-Link Switch, and I don't know if that's a no-no either, or a bottleneck on my speeds. I know they aren't optimal, but I think its the best option I have for stability. And when I upgrade, should I leave those plugged into the modem, or to the new APs?

Thanks so much once again!

Alright, so I know this is a bit old but I thought "hey this is the only think I know a bit about, might as well input my two cents"


I'm sure I will get a few people disagreeing with me, but it's the internet.. lets live dangerously.


So, I use to be an electrician and I can tell you right now.. it's a 50/50 chance you will get someone who knows or cares what they are dong with low voltage / network cable. The biggest problem is they run it too close to romex and you get interference and general degradation of signal also.. when they do terminate plates and ends they untwist about 5 inches of cable which completely defeats the purpose of UTP.


My suggestion, call a company likes http://www.ramsey-communications.com/ OR if you feel comfortable drilling holes and running your own cable read on below.


So Ethernet is a type of network, not an actual cable...no worries, everyone calls it Ethernet.. but what you are looking for is CAT5e Un-shielded Twisted Pair or UTP CMP (yes there is a shielded, more on that later)


There are so many types of UTP, why do I recommend this particular one?

• It's cheap https://www.monoprice.com/product?c_id=102&cp_id=10233&cs_id=1023301&p_id=9480&seq=1&format=2
  
• It will fulfill pretty much all your needs, unless you are running a 10 GB device (which i doubt)
  
• It is CMP or Plenum rated, this means really fire resistant and will produce low toxic fumes / smoke when burning (the plastic) .. I'm a paranoid person and I like to use plenum, now most people will say CMR or Riser rated is plenty.. which yes it's used frequently and helps prevent the spread of fire from room to room (if installed properly) and it is cheaper, but that is your choice.
  
• Solid core is what you want for in the walls, it's stiffer, cheaper and works beautifully.. STRANDED is what you want to make patch cables out of.
  
  Now you will need tools..
  http://www.monoprice.com/product?c_id=105&cp_id=10509&cs_id=1050905&p_id=7056&seq=1&format=2
  now that is taken care of..
  
  So, you need a good switch for all this as well..
  http://www.amazon.com/NETGEAR-ProSAFE-Gigabit-Desktop-GS108-400NAS/dp/B00MPVR50A/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1464749515&sr=8-2&keywords=netgear+gigabit+prosafe+8+port+switch
  
  Up to you, i'm sure we could find a bit cheaper.
  
  Any-who.. Pick your home-run spot, where all the cables will originate from (usually a good spot is where the modem and router can also be accessed) Then run all cables from that spot to the rooms you want network access to. Cut a low voltage box into the wall http://www.amazon.com/NETGEAR-ProSAFE-Gigabit-Desktop-GS108-400NAS/dp/B00MPVR50A/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1464749515&sr=8-2&keywords=netgear+gigabit+prosafe+8+port+switch (same height as outlets to make it look nice!), and then fish cable through.. once through put on a face plate http://www.monoprice.com/product?p_id=6725 with a terminal on the endhttp://www.monoprice.com/product?p_id=5376 and punch down the cable with those hand dandy tools.
  
  Now back at your home-run spot crimp down those rj45 ends and test them with something like this http://www.monoprice.com/product?p_id=8138 and you should be good to go.
  
  Videos with some how to's
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0gxNZoPcnP4
  https://youtu.be/X-azkafrgrw?t=1310
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EH9zlCZe1qA
  
  
  So, shielded so STP is way more expensive and reserved for installations where EMF and RFI (noise) are key factors..
  
  Hope this helps or points you in the right direction
  
  

Invest in your company, invest in your infrastructure.

I'm going to demur from your provided list, and instead offer an alternative solution. Just hear me out before you look for sticker shock (all prices in USD).

Ubiquiti 24-port Gigabit Switch with PoE ($379)

Ubiquiti Unifi Security Gateway ($129)

Ubiquiti Unifi Cloud Key Gen2 ($195)

Ubiquiti Unfi UAP-AC-PRO-E 2-pack ($290)

Total cost: $993

Why am I suggesting you spend almost three times the average cost of one of those small-business routers? A few reasons.

First is performance. Ubiquiti makes 'prosumer' / Enterprise level equipment. The Access Points (APs, last entry) are each rated for 200+ simultaneous connections. When deployed right, you'll probably connect to one consistently; the other will be used by the network to identify which WiFi channels are least congested and migrate you and your clients to those less congested frequencies. In the end, that's your real problem: congestion. With 62 competing access points, it can be hard for your devices to 'hear' your router. So you need a product with some real oomph to get your AP heard. Ubiquiti can do that in spades.

The second is professionalism. What looks better to a client? A plastic black box on a desk somewhere, or an access point hung from the ceiling, like you'd find in a fortune 500 company's headquarters? ubiquit's stuff is slick, sleek, and professional.

So what are you getting for your money?

The switch (first entry) is used to provide power to the Access Points (PoE: Power over Ethernet), and since you have some extra ports there, you can also run a connection to a server, or hardwired connection to laptops, or whatever you might come up with.

The security gateway is the real 'router' in this set up, but it has no wifi capability built in; this is why you need the Access Points. The way it works, you would take your ISP's modem, set it to bridge mode, and then connect the modem to the security gateway, and the security gateway to the switch.

The cloud key is the brains of the network. It will host the controller software and allow you to set up the wifi. While this software can in theory be run on any device, this particular cloud key also contains a hard drive - very useful if you'd like to install security cameras in the office (I'm sure your insurance company would be VERY grateful, if you dont have these already). As a side note, Ubiquiti does make PoE-powered security cameras.

This setup will 100% guarantee that your wifi is the dominant 'voice' in your office. You won't have dropouts, you won't have connection issues, and this setup is very expandable - 1 port for the gateway, 1 port for the cloud key, 2 for the APs, (ideally) 5 for wired connections for you and your coworkers - that still leaves 13 connections on the switch, which means you can still expand this if you hire more employees. If you find you need a backup ISP, there's a grade higher security gateway that can handle redundant ISP connections. If you need to cover more area with WiFi, you can add another access point.

Make the setup look really professional and install everything into a patch panel cabinet like this one

Hire an electrician who specializes in running ethernet cable, and have them mount the APs in your ceiling (super easy if you have a drop ceiling. If not, its more difficult, but not by any means impossible). While they're there, have them run at least one ethernet line to everyone's desk.

edit: and less you think I'm blowing smoke up your ass, I use a frighteningly similar setup in my own home. Yes, it's overkill, no I don't care. It's the most stable WiFi I've had in a house in my life.

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 have three of the DS-2CD2032 bullet cams on my house. They're running 30fps to my Milestone XProtect Go server running on a desktop in my house for recording. Nelly's Security has them, and you can get them on Amazon, but be sure to get the USA models (make sure they say that and not multi-language or Chinese model, as the USA models are hard to find and some sellers say they are USA, but they're really not).

Nelly's Security has the newer model with SD slot (mine are older without it) here: http://www.nellyssecurity.com/cameras/hikvision-2cd2032f-i-outdoor-hd-3mp-ip-bullet-security-camera-4mm.html

They have a 2MP model without SD card that still does full 1080p that's cheaper too: http://www.nellyssecurity.com/cameras/hikvision-2cd2020-i-outdoor-hd-2mp-ip-bullet-security-camera-4mm.html

Just look for the 2CD2xxx models as they are all Hikvision. They have WiFi models as well, but you still need power. The domes aren't as adjustable as the bullet cameras are either (you're restricted on tilting up/down to a certain range, plus they take up more room) The bullet cameras are fully adjustable, and are still outdoor rated IP66.

Nelly's Security is great too. I bought 2 of my cameras through them and when I bricked one doing a firmware downgrade (I don't recommend trying this), I sent it to them, they tried reviving it, and when they couldn't, they just sent me a new camera. Their online chat is very helpful as well.

Edit: If you need a PoE injector, I bought one of these and it's worked perfectly: http://amzn.com/B0086SQDMM

Okay, I've read through the other comments and feel I still have something to contribute as I've just set this up for my parents and plan to run it at my place some time in the future.

• PoE Switch - If you want to use a PoE switch, you have to get the PRO APs, the LITE and LR only support passive PoE. I was lucky enough to have inherited a Cisco SG300-10 802.3at PoE+ Switch from my former employer when they shut down. It's very convenient to use, but not a necessity. The PoE Injectors that come with APs have a nice mounting plate so that you can attach them to the wall/shelf/what-have-you. If you're dead-set on using PoE, Netgear has some decent, inexpensive offerings. 8-port PoE without VLANs $80, 8-port PoE with VLANs $100. If you're running out of outlets, and are on a budget, I would suggest buying a bigger power strip (Belkin makes a nice one I've used in a lot of applications) (or, if you're moving to rack mount, a PDU plugged into a UPS)
  
  
  
  
• Patch Panel - For flexibility, what you'll want to look for is a keystone panel and then populate it with your own jacks as needed. (If you want to throw in Coax you can, and if you want/need a phone jack in there, just use another CAT5E)
  
  
• Rack - Based on what you said, I think you are looking for something like this? You could also look at making a lack rack, if you're into DIY.
  
  
• Additional thoughts - If you are sharing the internet connection with your tenants in the basement, you may want to look at using a "proper" firewall that can VLAN them onto their own subnet, and keep them out of your internal network (for security reasons). When I set up my parent's network, I put all of the "Internet of Things" devices (thermostat, sprinkler controller, solar monitor, etc) on their own subnet and VLAN because they are something that I have very little control of, and I see as being a big network risk. Just my $0.02
  
  Let me know if any of this didn't make sense to you.
  
  Cheers!
  
  Edit: additions in bold above

Wifi adapters for the printers is the easiest solution here if the printers must also be online. The phone and pc have the hardwired connection which is stable and fast, but printing is fine on a slower connection. You can get these little dongles that connect to your wifi but present an ethernet port to your printer. Some printer models can have a wifi module installed, but the 3rd party dongle is universal.

Also you can, arguably drop a switch at every desk. At the minimum it should be Poe to power that phone and be managed. I could see using something like this:

https://www.amazon.com/NETGEAR-ProSAFE-Gigabit-Managed-GS108PE-300NAS/dp/B00M1C03U2


I imagine this will be a configuration and support headache as these things can be buggy and probably will need to be replaced every x amount of years on top of having failures now and again that require lots of spares. But they sure beat unmanaged switches.

Or toss in a USB ethernet adapter, plug the printer, and bridge the internet connection. No idea if removing the laptop from the dock breaks this setup or the bridge autmatically reconnects when they dock. I would consider this solution pretty buggy and support heavy.

Is there any cabling already aside from your ethernet cable? Sub-cat5 phone cabling? Old digital phone twisted pair? Coax? If so you can buy adapters that make those lines work like ethernet, its a bit like running your own DSL network (vdsl per cube is expensive but oddly enough coax ethernet is cheap). The results and speeds vary but would provide enough mbps to run that printer. If its cat3 then you can run 10mbps over it with no adapters, sure that's slow, but a large-ish 50megabyte print job will take 40 seconds. You may need train staff to learn to wait for 'larger' print jobs, not sure if that's a deal breaker Might want to make sure the printer actually supports 10mbps first. It might only be 100/1000. Also, I believe if you have all 4 pairs of CAT3 available you can get a stable 100mbps at reasonable distances which solves the slowness issue, but dont quote me on that.

Personally, if I had to do this today I'd get wifi>ethernet dongles if I couldn't get 100mbps working on the existing phone cables that I'm assuming your voip solution is replacing.

I'm pretty much going to echo /u/ilumos, but you have too many chiefs and not enough indians.

Your router is the boss of the network. What makes a router different from your switch is that it builds the network. Using DHCP, it hands out IP addresses to all of your connected devices and defines what belongs in the local network.

A switch is like a power strip for a network. You can take one port on your router and make it 8 (or 16, or 32, etc). It doesn't really perform any tasks other than extend the size of your network.

When you throw more than one router into same network, you start creating DHCP server conflicts. Essentially, you've created two networks on the same wires and the computers have a 50/50 chance of joining one over the other. In your case, some PCs were joining the router with an internet connection and others were getting stuck with the router that didn't have an internet connection.

The internet drops your one friend experienced were likely caused by IP Address conflicts, which were probably happening all over your network.

This is all really, really bad...but it's really easy to fix. Pick one router and set aside the other. If you need to connect more devices to the network, be sure to take up all 4 ports on the back of your router/modem and then all the ports on your switch. Need more? Invest in another switch. I highly recommend looking into getting a few of these TrendNet switches. They go on sale ALL THE TIME! Watch SlickDeals and you should be able to grab one for around $20.

Right now there's a great 8 port Netgear gigabit switch on sale for $20 [Edit: And this ZyXEL switch just went on sale for $15!]. Grab a couple of those, plug them into your router and all your problems will go away. Hopefully. =D

Personally, i'd opt for this instead of that tp-link plastic one. It's a few bucks more, but has a great track record.

http://www.amazon.com/Netgear-GS105NA-Prosafe-5-Port-Gigabit/dp/B0000BVYT3/ref=sr_1_3?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1459347764&sr=1-3&keywords=5+port+gigabit

The CMR looks good, though monoprice wire is cheaper for the same quality (spend some of that difference on the metal 5 port gige switch I pointed out above):

http://www.amazon.com/Monoprice-1000-Feet-500Mhz-Copper-Ethernet/dp/B008I8AJIY/ref=sr_1_1?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1459347852&sr=1-1&keywords=monoprice+cat+6+cmr

I would also recommend against crimping your own cables. Solid core is not meant for crimping. Patch cables are super cheap, are certified for the speed, and in most cases save you time and money vs crimping your own.

Get this punchdown tool, it has both 110 and krohn. A lot of punchdowns are universal, and with those, the krohn works better.

http://www.amazon.com/TRENDnet-Punch-Krone-Blade-TC-PDT/dp/B0000AZK4D/ref=sr_1_1?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1459348192&sr=1-1&keywords=trendnet+punch+down+tool

Source: I built this and wired my house to 1GigE

https://imgur.com/9vhZYS1

>Personally, i'd opt for this instead of that tp-link plastic one. It's a few bucks more, but has a great track record.
http://www.amazon.com/Netgear-GS105NA-Prosafe-5-Port-Gigabit/dp/B0000BVYT3/ref=sr_1_3?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1459347764&sr=1-3&keywords=5+port+gigabit

Same guts? I picked the plastic... cus Im cheap but mostly because I think the front ports look sloppy in a HT cabinet or on a desk.

>The CMR looks good, though monoprice wire is cheaper for the same quality (spend some of that difference on the metal 5 port gige switch I pointed out above):
http://www.amazon.com/Monoprice-1000-Feet-500Mhz-Copper-Ethernet/dp/B008I8AJIY/ref=sr_1_1?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1459347852&sr=1-1&keywords=monoprice+cat+6+cmr

Thanks! swapped for monoprice

>I would also recommend against crimping your own cables. Solid core is not meant for crimping.

ok then, I really wasn't looking forward to crimping a dozen cable but I felt like Ill have so much cat6 it would be a waste not to make my own.

>Get this punchdown tool, it has both 110 and krohn. A lot of punchdowns are universal, and with those, the krohn works better.
http://www.amazon.com/TRENDnet-Punch-Krone-Blade-TC-PDT/dp/B0000AZK4D/ref=sr_1_1?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1459348192&sr=1-1&keywords=trendnet+punch+down+tool

So what your saying is most of these keytones labeled 110 will except a krohn style punch? Id like minimize my cost and the 110/66 punch I linked is basically in my hands, its still worth going with this other tool?

So should I bother with the crimper/rj45 ends at all? Just buy a pack of 3ft patch cables and be done with it?

>Source: I built this and wired my house to 1GigE
https://imgur.com/9vhZYS1

nice rack (giggity)

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?

You don't have to do top tier everything for a homelab.

Most people will never need managed switches, much less Cisco branded stuff. TP-Link makes competent and reasonably priced dumb switches.

For the router, I used to run pfSense on a custom PC build (~$300 about 6 years ago) but I'm already familiar with enterprise router settings and found all the features I could want in a consumer grade Asus router. At the end of the day, port forwarding, WiFi and OpenVPN are everything I'd ever want it to do. I can offload any heavy lifting or advanced features to my server.

If you're not looking to be super fancy, here's a simple homelab setup:

• Asus AC86U Router: $170.14
  
• 24 port TP-Link Switch: $89.99
  
• 8 port TP-Link Switch: $19.99
  
• 2 Bay Synology Diskstation: $166.87
  
• Dell PowerEdge R710 Server: $209.95
  
  You can swap up or down based on needs but the router does all the basic stuff most people will need it to do. The 24 port switch should be more than enough as the primary switch for most people. The 8 port switch is great for secondary locations. The diskstation can handle your backups and cloud storage and is a nice balance of convenience and price. The R710 server can handle Plex, NAS duties and probably some light duty VMs.
  
  The big add-on expense will be the hard drives, of course. You could probably get by shucking the 10TB easystore drives to save a bit.
  
  I use a custom built server (Xeon E3-1231 v3 @ 3.4GHz, 16 GB RAM, built around 2012 and upgraded the CPU a few years ago) and have never owned a R710 myself, so I can't say much on the actual limits of what you can do with it. That said, I'm suddenly really tempted to grab a R710 to use as network storage because I've reached the limit of my current server. The biggest weakness I see in the R710 is the CPU isn't too beefy but its still decent given the sheer number of (8)cores/(16)threads. Plex and less demanding game servers are probably the limit of what it can handle but it should easily handle a number of less demanding VMs.
  
  Anyways, as a starter setup, this should more than satisfy most people.

By satellites I'm referring to dish satellites that you may want to mount on the exterior of the house for any cable service you want such as DirecTV and similar providers. Here's a picture.

If you wish to have the ability to hot swap the Internet feed to any room at any time, all you need to do is find the coax cable that currently runs into the house. From there, you extend that cable with this coupler only if the cable doesn't reach your preferred central point, and then that goes to the central point. So then all the coaxial cables are heading to the central point, you should always label regardless of how much you think you memorize where each cable heads to. Now you do the same thing, get the coaxial with the ISP feed, put a coupler on it and pick the corresponding coaxial cable the modem will be in and attach it to the coupler. Like I mentioned before, I would recomneed having the modem sit in the central point. It'll have the same outcome as if you were putting it in a room but this just ensures all your equipment is one place and prevents you running longer cables from one point to another because the modem is in one room and the central point is another.

Now for the ethernet wiring, one hole slightly bigger the size of a golf ball should do for coaxial and ethernet. This is an example of a good install. All the cabling goes to one location in the house, the cables are securely punched down to a patch panel which the patch panel is securely mounted on a wall rack. Here's some items that will get you a clean and professional look while not breaking the bank:

• Wall mountable 6u rack
  
• 24-port Cat6 patch panel
  
• Power distribution - A good old surge protector will do the trick, this just gives a clean look and is more reliable.
  
• 24 port ethernet switch - This is to activate all the ethernet ports throughout the house.

So when I originally moved in to my house last year, I set things up in a very temporary setup that became more permanent than I was hoping. I also had to bring another box home from my office when we moved locations and we no longer had a dedicated internet connection so I couldn't expose anything directly to the internet.

I've been looking at setups from everyone for a while now, getting ideas of what I needed and I finally settled on the following:

• NavePoint 4ft Open Frame 19" 22U 4-Post Network Server - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01A6JQO4A
  
• TP-Link 24-Port Gigabit Ethernet Unmanaged Switch - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003BU0EKW
  
• Keystone panel - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07F8NLZ4Z
  
• 2U shelf - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008X3JHJQ
  
• 1U shelf - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01A6JQYDG
  
• Rosewill 4U case (8 bay) - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0055EV30W
  
• Rosewill 4U case (6 bay) - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07957B2VF
  
• 80mm quieter fans - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00NTUJZ36
  
• 1U PDU - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B075TQS7XC
  
• 1U Blank - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0779M2D96
  
• Velcro! - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001E1Y5O6
  
• POE injectors - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00NRF9GQO
  
  I don't intend on purchasing full sized rack mount servers as I just use desktop class hardware for the most part but I took the two systems that I had in desktop cases and put them in the Rosewill cases that I've seen a lot of people use and a coworker recently suggested them as well as he recent did a rack setup. Since I don't need full size servers, I decided to go with a 4 post "network" rack as I don't really need the extra depth. I'm just using a 1U blank to help stabilize the servers in the rack so they're not just hanging from the front.
  
  If anyone is looking to get some of the same components, I would say that the 1U shelves that I bought don't really work that well as I had to get creative with the brackets to make them work and they do extend out the back a bit but I knew they would do that when I purchased them, I just didn't realize I would have to flip around some brackets to make it work.
  
  My network is really basic so I went with a 24 port unmanaged gigabit switch. I did have to get some POE injectors for my 3 WAPs as I did have a 8 port switch that had built in POE before but I knew that 8 ports wasn't going to cut it and I wanted to go with a rack mount switch.
  
  Future plans are to replace the 3 regular PSUs with something rack mountable. Right now I have one PSU for each box and then the 3rd is for all of the network equipment. I'd also like to get a KVM but for right now I have HDMI cables ran to the side where I can easily switch them out and the keyboard I only plug into the front panels if I need it.

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.

Uhm, none of the above? Yeah none of the above. It looks like you are looking to spend around $200-230 for your networking gear, which is fine, we can work with that!

• Router: Ubiquiti Edgerouter X normally $50 but appears to be $60 right now. Get fucked I guess.
  
• Switch: TP-Link switch $25
  
• Access Point: Ubiquiti Unifi UAP-AC-Pro $130
  
  Total is around $210
  
  Now here is the thing with this setup. You will mount your access point on the ceiling as close to the center of your home as you can. It will give you much better coverage than the netgear setups, as well as a far more mature and stable access point. If in the future you decide you need better coverage still you can just buy a second one and hook it up, make sure to wire it back into the switch as well. The access point comes with a PoE injector so you only need to run a single line to it.
  
  You are buying gear for your business, buy business grade gear :) Especially because it costs you the same anyway.
  
  

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).

So, your hardware looks good. As to your intended usage:

Don't bridge NICs to create a switch. The switching will be done in CPU instead of on an ASIC and is not a great idea (though it is *possible*). Get yourself a managed or smart switch and call it a day. You can pick up a TP-Link SG-108E for about $40. Make sure whatever switch you choose supports 802.1q VLANs. This necessarily implies a smart or managed switch.

WiFi support on pfSense is abysmal, because FreeBSD's driver support for WiFi chipsets is abysmal. This is not going to change any time soon. You could go out of your way to find a chipset that is supported, or you could spend the $80 on a UAP-AC-Lite, be done with it, and not worry about it any more for years to come. A separate AP is going to outperform onboard WiFi all day long and is much less of a headache.

You're on the right track and everything you want to do with regards to VLANs, ACLs, etc. that box can do for years to come. But you should really split off switching and wireless to dedicated devices, just for the sake of less headache and more performance.

EDIT: Here is a thread from just a couple months ago that implies that the onboard WiFi chipset on your chosen board is not (yet) supported on FreeBSD. The FreeBSD iwm module manpage shows previous versions of this chipset *are* supported, so support for your chipset may come in the future. But that could be months or years away.

Google Drive link to my not-at-all-to-scale sketch of my house layout:

​

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1YvEAR5fqrfXGhGJsIqO11eeZ8V9n-6iOWQ/view?usp=sharing

​

The house is only 1500 sq ft and is pretty well rectangular. Given the centricity of the garage, it would be very easy to run lines through the attic to each area that a drop is needed.

​

Several people have recommended Netgear and Ubiquiti switches and some have made mention that they are using their switch in fairly high temp conditions. I saw on Amazon that I can get a Ubiquiti switch (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00OJZUQ24/ref=crt_ewc_title_dp_3?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A3LGJ9ZB5RSN9T) with a 4 year Amazon extended warranty (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00DZDV41S/ref=crt_ewc_title_dp_4?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A22THKZGTXL0ED) for $50 that covers the switch. Plus the warranty kicks in after the manufacturer's warranty expires. If I read the warranty's fine print correctly, that will provide some nice peace of mind.

​

I'm thinking that I'll go this route and I can figure out ways to mitigate heat in the garage. I'm already considering some insulation panels for the garage door and some renovations in the attic/roof so perhaps I'll be able to save some electricity and keep my garage cool.

I know it has already been answered, but I'll double down and say, YES! Just to expand on the point:

I have a few devices that are wired-only, and the ports on the eeros allowed me to get rid of my Powerline Ethernet adapters. This freed up a power plug at my "main" area that has my modem, gateway eero, tv, and numerous other devices.

I have an OTA box (SimpleTV) that is ethernet-only, and it's in a completely different room, attached (now) to a leaf eero. Getting that thing off of powerline ethernet vastly increased the speed/quality when streaming from the SimpleTV.

Also, you're not limited to just two ports on the eero. You can get an ethernet switch/hub and expand it that way. Something like this, for example.

I have an 8-port on my gateway eero that has: TV, PS4, Xbox One, NAS, FireTV...and it works just fine.

I'll backup the fact that you should get a switch, but make sure it is a gigabit switch. Something like this would work: https://www.amazon.com/TP-Link-Gigabit-Ethernet-Desktop-TL-SG1008D/dp/B001EVGIYG/ref=sr_1_7?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1482850148&sr=1-7&keywords=gigabit+switch

Make sure people know to bring Ethernet cables, or go to monoprice.com and get some cables.

People will undoubtedly forget to download some games/files/etc. before coming over and you really don't want 7 people downloading games and updates over that 50mbps connection when you just want to game. Either setup a share on your computer or if you have a second, spare, PC you can share files from that. I just use an FTP server but you can use Windows file sharing or something as well - those gigabit speeds via a new switch will come in handy here. Forget about using WiFi for anything related to this LAN, if at all possible.

Have fun!

doubt it. phones can plug into cat5 jacks. they're backwards compatible so to speak. you can't run internet on them, but you can run voice. it's rapidly becoming the standard to simply use cat5 jacks everywhere. can you unscrew one and take a picture? i would be willing to bet all of your wires are punched down to those 2splitters and bridged together. You could easily replace them with a couple of these and use some of these to connect to one of these and rewire the jacks in using RJ 45 T568-b standard or follow this video a quick toolkit will cost about 20-35 and since you've already got the wiring and parts should be pretty cheap. make sure that if you're no longer using the landline to pull the wire from the box to the Network interface for the phones. (unless it's DSL). may want to add a shelf underneath the media panel, although i've seen some creative people tuck a shitload of stuff into those media panels and it look quite nice. Hope this helps. Let me know if you have more questions.

Edit: you can use one of these to quickly and easily trace out if all of those wires end in that cabinet or if some of them ARE going somewhere else. If they are I would check attic areas and other panels around the house. POSSIBLY they terminate outside, but doubt it since your Network interface box is in the basement.

Right, so you're looking at consumer 802.11n hardware. You're also looking like a 2x2 antenna setup at that so your max connection speed will be 150Mbps. With wireless overhead on consumer gear you can expect less than half of whatever your connection speed is for actual throughput. When connected to the wireless range extender you can expect half of the half, so less than 1/4 of your connection speed on actual throughput. Wireless also operates at half duplex, so once you start adding a lot of clients it will get exponentially worse.

If you want to do this yourself, I have a couple of recommendations:

1. Put in a consumer-prise system like Ubiquiti for wireless. It has a controller for easy-ish setup and you can get the latest 802.11ac speeds for not a lot of money. I would look at the UAP-AC-Pro specifically since it can be used with regular PoE. 3-4 of these should do well for you:
   
   https://www.amazon.com/dp/B015PRO512
   
   
2. Upgrade your switch to something with gigabit PoE, doesn't really matter the vendor. Make sure the switch is gigabit to take advantage of newer wireless speeds. Ubiquiti actually makes a cheap-ish one that can be used with their controller:
   
   https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00OJZUQ24
   
   That will keep your cost under $1k and give you a decent experience. Don't skimp out on this stuff, it will dramatically change your overall experience. Also, run cable to all 3-4 APs back to the switch for max speeds and the most reliable operation. They will also get their power from the switch so you only have to run the network cable to where you need to mount the APs. Put them on the ceiling for the best signal strength.
   
   ps- I do this for a living for a large enterprise nationwide company. If you have a floor plan, PM and I'll help you determine the best location for the APs.

Here is my build list formated for reddit

Group | Name | Price | Quantity | Total | Link
--- | --- | --- | --- | --- | ---
Pc | (Everything Inside the case) | | | |
$1,601.62 | Intel Core i7-6700K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor | $347.00 | 1 | $347.00 | https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B012M8LXQW/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
| Cooler Master Hyper D92 54.8 CFM Rifle Bearing CPU Cooler | $44.80 | 1 | $44.80 | https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00NXLYE4G/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
| Gigabyte GA-Z170X-UD5 ATX LGA1151 Motherboard | $171.49 | 1 | $171.49 | https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B012N6EW6G/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1
| Corsair Vengeance LPX 32GB (4 x 8GB) DDR4-2666 Memory | $129.99 | 1 | $129.99 | https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00OTJZTZE/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1
| Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive | $97.99 | 1 | $97.99 | https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00OAJ412U/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
| Hitachi HD​S723020BLA​642 | $58.00 | 3 | $174.00 | EBay
| EVGA GeForce GTX 1070 8GB FTW Gaming ACX 3.0 Video Card | $459.99 | 1 | $459.99 | https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01I60OGUK/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
| EVGA 850W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply | $90.39 | 1 | $90.39 | https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00KYK1CC6/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
| XFX AMD Radeon HD 5450 1GB | $29.99 | 2 | $59.98 | https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005IUW7YE/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
| PWM Female to 4 x PWM Male Computer Case Fan Splitter | $6.50 | 2 | $13.00 | https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00DYQRFY6/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o07_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
| Sabrent 2.5" SSD & SATA Hard Drive to Desktop 3.5" | $12.99 | 1 | $12.99 | https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00UN550AC/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o08_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
| 80MM 5000RPM Fan | $0.00 | 2 | $0.00 |
| 92MM 5000RPM Fan | $0.00 | 4 | $0.00 |
Monitors | | | | |
$744.66 | Seiki Pro SM28UTR 28-Inch 4K UHD 3840x2160 | $195.69 | 1 | $195.69 | https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B013XWQF28/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1
| AOC e2460Sd 24-Inch Widescreen LED Monitor | $142.99 | 3 | $428.97 | https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00C99MUHQ/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
| Dell 17" 5:4 | $30.00 | 4 | $120.00 | EBay
Cables | | | | |
$137.77 | Cable Matters Gold Plated DisplayPort to DisplayPort Cable 10 Feet | $11.99 | 1 | $11.99 | https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005H3Q5E0/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
| Cable Matters Active DisplayPort to DVI Male to Female Adapter | $19.99 | 2 | $39.98 | https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00EDT01TO/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
| DVI Male to Female 90 Degree Adapter Connector | $4.43 | 3 | $13.29 | https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008X0ZJZ0/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
| 15ft 28AWG CL2 Dual Link DVI-D Cable - Black | $10.47 | 3 | $31.41 | https://www.monoprice.com/product?c_id=102&cp_id=10209&cs_id=1020902&p_id=2760&seq=1&format=2
| 15ft Super VGA M/M | $5.69 | 4 | $22.76 | https://www.monoprice.com/product?c_id=102&cp_id=10201&cs_id=1020101&p_id=3622&seq=1&format=2
| 15ft USB 2.0 A Male to A Female Extension | $1.87 | 5 | $9.35 | https://www.monoprice.com/product?c_id=103&cp_id=10303&cs_id=1030304&p_id=5435&seq=1&format=2
| 25ft hdmi cable | $8.99 | 1 | $8.99 | https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00SKVMHI4/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Desk Accesseries | | | | |
$263.49 | Perixx PX-5200 Cherry MX Blue | $72.91 | 1 | $72.91 | https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00NY45NCY/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
| Logitech C310 Webcam | $31.93 | 1 | $31.93 | https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003LVZO8S/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o07_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
| Lapel Mics | $6.50 | 1 | $6.50 | https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005DJOIHE/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o08_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1
| FingerPrint Reader | $12.58 | 1 | $12.58 | https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000HHHP7C/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
| Mouse Pad | $8.99 | 1 | $8.99 | https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00GB0IF50/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o07_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
| Headset Func HS260 | $79.99 | 1 | $79.99 | https://www.amazon.com/FUnc-FUNC-HS-260-1ST-fUnc-HS-260/dp/B00HH3H83U
| Altec ACS 54 - Speaker | $0.00 | 1 | $0.00 |
| Logitech G700S | $50.59 | 1 | $50.59 | https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00BFOEY3Y/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Audio Accesseries | | | | |
$58.33 | BEHRINGER MICROAMP HA400 | $24.99 | 1 | $24.99 | https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000KIPT30/ref=od_aui_detailpages00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
| 5-Pack 6.35mm Male to 3.5mm Female Adapter | $7.99 | 1 | $7.99 | https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00XAQD4YA/ref=od_aui_detailpages00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
| 3.5mm Male to 2 x 3.5mm Female Splitter Cable | $3.99 | 1 | $3.99 | https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0081ZBNI4/ref=od_aui_detailpages00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
| Coupler 3.5 mm Female - 3.5 mm Female Stereo or Mono | $3.93 | 1 | $3.93 | https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000068O4N/ref=od_aui_detailpages00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
| 3 feet Slim 3.5mm Stereo Audio Cable - M/M | $2.71 | 2 | $5.42 | https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004G3UK5C/ref=od_aui_detailpages00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
| 3-Feet 3.5mm Stereo Male to Female Extension Cable, 5-Pack | $12.01 | 1 | $12.01 | https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00SWOJLSS/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Lighting | | | | |
$86.88 | Studio Designs Swing Arm Lamp Black | $24.75 | 2 | $49.50 | https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00I2S7MHQ/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o09_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
| Lutron TT-300NLH-BL Credenza Lamp Dimmer Black | $14.83 | 1 | $14.83 | https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00024BJZE/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
| Triple Outlet Swivel Adapter, White | $3.27 | 1 | $3.27 | https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000HJBENG/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s02?ie=UTF8&psc=1
| Daylight LED Light Bulb 15W | $9.64 | 2 | $19.28 | https://www.walmart.com/ip/Great-Value-GVRLA1850ND-Great-Value-LED-15W-A19-Light-Bulb/38596922
Cable Managment | | | | |
$18.81 | 100 Velcro Ties | $5.00 | 2 | $10.00 | https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001E1Y5O6/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
| 100 Releasable cable ties | $2.47 | 3 | $7.41 | https://www.monoprice.com/product?c_id=105&cp_id=10520&cs_id=1052012&p_id=5795&seq=1&format=2
| Cable Clip nais | $0.70 | 2 | $1.40 | https://www.monoprice.com/product?c_id=105&cp_id=10520&cs_id=1052006&p_id=5834&seq=1&format=2
Power | | | | |
$53.13 | Monster MP AV 750 Audio Video PowerCenter | $18.99 | 1 | $18.99 | https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004ETIKH8/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
| AmazonBasics 6-Outlet Surge Protector Power Strip 2-Pack | $12.99 | 1 | $12.99 | https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00TP1BWMK/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1
| 3 Outlet Single-Tap Wall Tap | $4.00 | 2 | $8.00 | https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007XQORTO/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
| 15ft 16AWG Power Cord Cable | $5.20 | 1 | $5.20 | https://www.monoprice.com/product?c_id=102&cp_id=10228&cs_id=1022801&p_id=5287&seq=1&format=2
| 10ft 18AWG Right Angle Power Cord Cabl | $2.65 | 3 | $7.95 | https://www.monoprice.com/product?c_id=102&cp_id=10228&cs_id=1022809&p_id=7677&seq=1&format=2
Network | | | | |
$33.98 | TP-LINK 8-Port Gigabit Desktop Switch | $22.99 | 1 | $22.99 | https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001EVGIYG/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
| 5-Pack, Cat6 Ethernet Patch Cable in Blue 3 Feet | $10.99 | 1 | $10.99 | https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00C2B81K6/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Monitor Mount | | | | |
$215.27 | Arm wall mount | $17.54 | 3 | $52.62 | https://www.monoprice.com/product?c_id=109&cp_id=10828&cs_id=1082821&p_id=12232&seq=1&format=2
| Top wall mount bracket | $4.80 | 4 | $19.20 | https://www.monoprice.com/product?c_id=109&cp_id=10828&cs_id=1082821&p_id=3005&seq=1&format=2
| Center Monitor Mount | $7.99 | 1 | $7.99 | https://www.monoprice.com/product?c_id=109&cp_id=10828&cs_id=1082821&p_id=4564&seq=1&format=2
| 2x8 | $7.47 | 3 | $22.41 | https://www.lowes.com/pd/Top-Choice-Common-2-in-x-8-in-x-10-ft-Actual-1-5-in-x-7-25-in-x-10-ft-Lumber/4082916
| 2x4 | 2.55 | 1 | $2.55 | https://www.lowes.com/pd/Common-2-in-x-4-in-x-8-ft-Actual-1-5-in-x-3-5-in-x-8-ft-Stud/1000074211
| 3" clamp | $5.98 | 6 | $35.88 | https://www.lowes.com/pd/IRWIN-QUICK-GRIP-3-in-Clamp/50214643
| 4" Hinge | $2.81 | 2 | $5.62 | https://www.lowes.com/pd/Gatehouse-4-in-H-Oil-Rubbed-Bronze-Interior-Exterior-Mortise-Door-Hinge/4772785
| Wood Screws | $9.00 | 1 | $9.00 | Lowes
| Assorted brackets/hardware | $25.00 | 1 | $25.00 | Lowes
| Case Rack Mount | $35.00 | 1 | $35.00 | EBay
Misc | | | | |
$35.97 | Steam Link | $19.99 | 1 | $19.99 | https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B016XBGWAQ/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
| Bluetooth Adapter | $7.99 | 1 | $7.99 | GRANDCOW Bluetooth 4.0 USB Adapter Dongle for Windows 10/ 8.1 / 8/ 7 / Vista / XP
| 19 Key Numeric Keypad | $7.99 | 1 | $7.99 | https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005DJSAAU/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

> Would this be a better option for POE?
>
> https://www.amazon.com/Ubiquiti-UniFi-Switch-Managed-US-24-250W/dp/B00OJZUQ24/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?keywords=unifi+24+port+poe+switch+250w&qid=1567047431&s=gateway&sprefix=unifi+24+&sr=8-3

Yes, that is a good option if you are going to have a few PoE cameras as well as APs.

> Is this what you mean for the router

> https://www.amazon.com/Ubiquiti-EdgeRouter-4-Port-Gigabit-ER-4-US/dp/B078PGCGN2

Yes

> If I buy two of these and the router above would it give me full wifi now until I have the opportunity to run the wire.

> https://www.amazon.com/Ubiquiti-Unifi-Ap-AC-Lite-UAPACLITEUS/dp/B015PR20GY/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?keywords=AC-LITE&qid=1567047624&s=gateway&sr=8-2

At least one AP must be wired. You can run the APs in wireless uplink mode if you need coverage but that is very slow compared to wired and much slower than a good mesh system like Orbi. If you are going to wire soon it is ok but it is not a good long term option.

> Do I need a cloud key for the APs or just the Switch?

You don't need the cloud key for anything. The cloud key is just a option to run the controller software. You can run it for free on any PC, server or on many NAS appliances.

Gotches that can happen with anything.

• Lack of Firmware/Software updates
  
• Ports locked out because of Licensing
  
• Lack of features because of serial/Licensing
  
• Loud Fans
  
• High power Draw
  
  Best overall deal for a 48xGigabit+2x10GB switch is a Quanta LB4M, they can be had under $100 on ebay. CLI only and they don't do Layer 3, but insane deal.
  
  Need more 10GB? Quanta LB6M Steps it up at 24x10GBe and 6x Gigabit. $350-500 now.
  
  Other great options can be found here.
  
  https://forums.servethehome.com/index.php?threads/gigabit-10gb-switches-under-550.6921/
  
  
  Skip Cisco unless you're actively learning or studying Cisco. Dell, HP are good options.
  
  Forget POE switches unless you need Active POE, it greatly adds power draw on the switch and finding one with greater than 1GB is just expensive. If you're using Cameras and phones then just get something like this. Do note that many 802.3at (Active POE) devices actually have autosensing for Passive POE. meaning the item below works for them too. I use this item with my Ubiquiti UAP AC-Pro's
  
  https://www.amazon.com/WS-POE-8-48v60w-Passive-Ethernet-Injector-Cameras/dp/B0086SQDMM
  
  

To setup vlans, you would need a managed or at least a "smart" switch that supports port based vlan. (otherwise your AP needs to support the VLAN, or you need to configure the clients with vlan settings, which you do NOT want to deal with...)

That GS105 5pt is OK, but the 8pt version (GS108) is more reliable and has less issues with heat. (and will last longer).

We use GS108T smart switches for a few small areas at work.
They're pretty reliable and they also support LAG/LACP port bonding. (so multiple gigabit ports going to the server or between switches, that act as a single cable with more available bandwidth. )

That's getting to be overkill for what you're doing, but they're only $50. The extra $20 might be worth the flexibility.

Hello, great article. I’ve been having a hard time finding a basic guide for setting home a home WiFi network using Ethernet cables. Every room in my house has the cabling for it but I don’t know what my hub ought to look like coming from the Verizon FiOS terminal. This is where I will eventually have my smart home hub as well (haven’t gotten to research that yet). Do I need one of these: https://www.amazon.com/NETGEAR-Ethernet-Unmanaged-Protection-GS105NA/dp/B0000BVYT3
Or this? https://www.amazon.com/Tripp-Lite-Wallmount-Ethernet-N050-012/dp/B000067SC6

If not full article-worthy, any tips would be much appreciated. Thanks!

> ow bad your current wireless TP-Link is

Daaaamn dude, how do I say this... THANK YOU this was very informative and complete like really thanks for taking the time.

I guess I'll be looking in betweek the HP 1810 and the Netgear although I had an eye on the managed ones, like the TP Link TL-SG108E
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00K4DS5KU/ref=ox_sc_act_title_2?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

You mention noise, it is an issue, I'll probably have the switch just behind my tv, there are no many places to hide it in here.

About the switch unmanaged and managed I wanted to tinker with it, always wanted to learn a bit more of networking.

As for the WiFi it's ok, but just ok. I live in an apartment and is crowded AF with wifi signals, I check to see the congestion every few months to change the channel and it helps a bit, but I would like to use 5Ghz instead.

Again thanks for the advice and the links I'll be taking a look, thank you!

• 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.
  

If your PC is a desktop, you can buy an HDMI-to-whatever input your monitor has adapter and switch the cable out to play X-box. If it's a Laptop (no video input) or you just don't like that option, there are a few choices.

1. With multiple LAN adapters on the PC (WiFi and wired) you should be able to
   a) connect the PC to the internet via WiFi
   b) connect the PC to the Xbox via cable (I highly recommend getting an inexpensive Ethernet switch here to plug in between the two)
   c) from network and sharing center choose "change adapter settings" right click the WiFi adapter and choose properties, then the "sharing" tab and select "allow other other network users to connect through this computer's internet connection" this should allow the Xbox to go through to the internet.
   
   

2. if there's a wired connection to the network that has the internet you can spend a few more dollars and buy a managed switch (https://amzn.com/B00N0OHEMA), which would allow you to plug the PC and the Xbox both in to the switch, connect it to the internet plug and program it so that the xbox and the PC can talk to each other and the internet, but not allow other traffic into either.
   
   
3. If it's a wired connection you could also buy a wireless access point or wireless router set to access point mode, and set up a mini WiFi network that only you have access to.
   
   
4. Get a Wifi Range extender (https://amzn.com/B01HPDWVD8), connect it to the WiFi internet source, connect the PC and the Xbox to it, either with Wireless (should have it's own SID) or with available Ethernet ports.
   
   Most of these will take a little configuration effort, you'll want to make sure both the PC and the Xbox are getting their IP addresses from the same place (not one from the school and one from your router) and you want to make your little Local network is isolated from the rest so you don't go assigning IP addresses to other students, but with hardware available these days it should be pretty simple and straight forward. I have not tested and do not endorse any of the products I have linked here, just chose them as examples of the type of device to look for and to show that there are inexpensive options out there.
   
   Good luck!

This is going to be very dependent on how deep into the weeds you want to be getting with your setup. We've got one key, being "needs to do gigabit internet". Another is you seem to be looking for gigabit/AC wireless. You also mention needing an AP on the far side of the house.

Do you expect that the router will have wifi capabilities on it's own? Some of the options that I know will handle gigabit throughput don't have built-in wireless.

The "easy" answer - meaning, if you just want good stuff that works well enough and don't want to learn all there is to know about networking before you get your LAN running - is to go with Ubiquiti gear. An EdgeRouter Lite will do gigabit for your router (as long as you don't get fancy, like trying to do QoS/rate shaping) for about $90.

You would then need at least one AP to handle the wireless, for which a UAP-AC-Lite would probably work okay - that's about $80.

For getting the ball rolling, just about any 8 port "dumb" switch would do, but you can get a TP-Link TL-SG108 gigabit switch for $30 on Amazon right now. You'd almost certainly want to replace that eventually, but it won't be useless and it's a good price.

Eventually you could look at getting a 16 port Ubiquiti switch and another AP or two if you have a large area to cover, and there's options for unified configuration setups I believe.

If you really want to get snazzy, spring for the Unifi Security Gateway which is the same hardware as the EdgeRouter Lite, but works with the Unifi controller software. Get that, as many APs as you need, and a Unifi switch and you can (eventually) run a VM for your Unifi controller to configure all of it through one, locally controlled web page.

Nomachine is brilliant for this and "just works" in my experience and it's free. There are mac packages too. https://www.nomachine.com/ Although updates, configuration, rebooting, etc can all be done with ssh too.

Have you ever considered a pfSense router/firewall? I had an old celeron based pc sitting around unused so I installed pfsense on it, along with a $5 dual port gigabit NIC. It's served as a hardy, highly secure and configurable router for my house for the last 5 years with no issues. Then I bought a separate switch and also a separate Wifi access point. The huge advantage is I can swap out any single part and don't have to upgrade it all. For instance if I want wifi6 I can just swap out my current AP without having to touch anything else. Currently using the EAP245 5ghz AP from TPlink

$Free Pfsense BSD security router installed on any old pc https://www.pfsense.org/

$5 or $10 dual gigabyte NIC from eBay (usually pulled from server farm equipment so they're business class)

$27 Nice unmanaged switch https://www.amazon.com/Ethernet-Unmanaged-Shielded-Replacement-TL-SG108E/dp/B00K4DS5KU

$99 Business class Wifi AP https://www.amazon.com/TP-Link-Wireless-Supports-Technology-EAP245/dp/B01N0XZ1TU or

$? Business class wifi6 Access point (might want to wait till 2020) https://www.linksys.com/us/c/business-wireless-access-points/ or https://www.engeniustech.com/engenius-products/802-11ax-4x4-managed-indoor-wireless-access-point/

Maybe add some wifi extenders to work with the AP if you need more coverage.

> 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.

)

1 - Yes

2 - I would use two lite's.

3 - Yes, but like a smart switch supporting vlans and multiple SSIDS

4 - This.

5 - Yes. They are documented well.

Is it unstable? Or is just a bit lower than before. Also having it go through the modem from Fios may add latency, especially only about 4-6 miliseconds. Cheap switches work wonders. The CEO recommended this here. I also read that it may take up to 24-48 hours to learn its surroundings best.

​

I'd honestly recommend replacing the Fios solution entirely if possible. Hooking up directly to a ONT and see if that yields the performance you were looking for? I'd honestly call Eero. One of the best support lines out there with tons of knowledge about everything networking and wifi.

Yeah that's what i was assuming, that router should be just fine. You can always get a switch later if you want more ports, i use TP-Link myself (2 in my house and one in my parents)

You can try the NanoStations, i personally never used them. Now to be clear i get great WiFi reception at my garage about 120ft away. Could probably go father but the yard ends about 160, its just my garage is old Brick block and right on the corner is there my electrical panel is so i get TERRIBLE interference once "inside" the garage. But outside its fast and strong as if i was in the house....But if you were to get 2 AC-LR, one would be your main Access point and the second would be called a "mesh"(repeater) and it would just repeat whatever the settings are on your Main one and just almost double your distance.

I have setup 3 of these (familys house) and love each one and never have any problems out of them. Once setup they just work without hesitation and one added feature you might of seen was they offer 3 WiFi "groups", one of mine is set to guest so i can limit the speeds of people i let connect and also they can't see other stuff connected on my network :)

Let me see if I can suss out your details:

1. You have a single onHub router, wired into your cable modem (or Fios or whatever)
   
   
2. You're unhappy with its wifi performance
   
   
3. You want to run an ethernet cable from your router to your TV but the Onhub doesn't have an extra port
   
   
   If everything I said is correct, you can solve #3 for $20 and keep your Onhub with a simple switch like this one.
   
   If you also want to "fix" #2, the Nighthawk is fine. My quick google's make me horrified to think that you can't even manually select Wifi channels on the Google Wifi products, so you might actually need a new router for this (even if the hardware on the Onhub is fine). You'll need to be clearer about what exactly is bothering you for your wifi performance to be sure what you would be best served with, it's possible even the ac2300 is more expensive than you want. You certainly don't need Ubiquiti (I say that as a person that jumped from a Nighthawk to UBNT last year and absolutely love UBNT, but my use cases are more complex than yours).

You probably need to take a step back and reconsider what you are hoping to accomplish, and re-calibrate your expectations.

If you simply want to see what kind of wildlife is tipping over your garbage bins, something like a game camera might do the job: http://www.amazon.com/Primos-Trail-Camera-Black-63051/dp/B017WAVIU6

With that said, if you really want a video surveillance system, the first step is determining the bare minimum number of cameras you need. You can always start out with a couple of cameras, and expand your system later.

A $200 budget can probably get you into a one or maybe a two-camera system, if you are resourceful and computer-savvy.

For example:

Camera ($90):
http://www.amazon.com/Hkivison-DS-2CD2335-I-replace-DS-2CD2332-I-security/dp/B0177U7ZK8

PoE injector ($40):
http://www.amazon.com/WS-POE-8-48v60w-Passive-Ethernet-Injector-Cameras/dp/B0086SQDMM

Blue Iris software ($59) or iSpy ($0)
http://blueirissoftware.com/
https://www.ispyconnect.com/

In addition to the above, you'll need an Ethernet switch, Ethernet cables, and a PC to run Blue Iris or iSpy.

There are other camera options out there - this is just one that I have some personal experience with and can recommend. But $70 - $90 is pretty much the low-end when it comes to decent outdoor IP security cameras with low-light capabilities.

I now use cheap gigabit switches. I tend to use whatever I can find on sale.

So for the remote ones I get 5 port ones that are made out of metal and get for $20 - $25 each on sale.

Down the basement and in the computer room I use 24 port switches that were more expensive but not home and do NOT remember the brand.

But I look at switches as a commodity and brand means little. Kind of the polar opposite for mesh.

The five porters look like

https://www.amazon.com/NETGEAR-Ethernet-Unmanaged-Protection-GS105NA/dp/B0000BVYT3

But I do NOT believe they are actually Netgear. But this does look exactly like them.

I usually buy a couple when I find them on sale and keep extras in the closet so we have when needed. BF is the best time to stock up for the year.

Nothing will beat a wired connection. And you will never get that download speed on wifi... You have no access to your basement or attic to run ethernet? 100 feet is cheap.... Pair it with a 5 port gb switch for your desk would be a nice upgrade if needed...


With ~40 feet of distance, and everything in between like walls and doors, even with the best USB or PCI adapter, there will be signal loss.

A good way to test and see connectivity is to use your cell phone where your PC is located... speedof.me in your web browser, or the Speed Test Ookla app... Also, I know on android, you can see the properties of the access point you are connected to and see the current speed you care connected at, ( n130, dual band n300, ac900~ish)

The Gigabyte GC-WB867D-I you linked would be a decent choice, especially being it has a better positionable antenna... Anything PCI and that type of antenna would be better than usb.

TP Link could work as well

Yes as you said below, you really don't want a "mesh" network. That means something totally different.

You just want PoE access points that can do hand-of, which UniFI can do for sure. I use UniFI at my house and it's 100% worth it. Either of these will work:

https://www.amazon.com/Ubiquiti-Compact-802-11ac-Enterprise-UAP-NanoHD-US/dp/B07DWW3P6K/

https://www.amazon.com/Ubiquiti-Networks-UAP-AC-PRO-Access-Included/dp/B079DSW6XX/

but the first one (the NanoHD) is newer and supports 802.11ac wave2.

With unifi you really should go all-in with unifi equipment. That's when the system works best. I'd recommend this PoE switch:

https://www.amazon.com/Ubiquiti-Networks-Managed-Gigabit-US-8-150W/dp/B01DKXT4CI/

You get 8 ports of PoE ethernet and two SFP ports. You can turn the SFP ports into two more RJ45 gigabit ethernet ports (without PoE) with these:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01JUBXDPI/

Alternatively, if you need many more ports or want something rack-moutable, I'd use this switch:

https://www.amazon.com/Ubiquiti-Networks-US-16-150W-UniFi-Switch/dp/B01E46ATQ0/

You'll also need a computer that's always on somewhere in your house to run the UniFI controller software. The controller is how you configure and track everything. It's really light-weight, so it can just run in the background on a desktop or some old Mac or PC.

Alternatively you can just plug a "UniFI Cloud Key" controller into one of your PoE ports:

https://www.amazon.com/Ubiquiti-Secure-Controller-stand-Alone-Hardware/dp/B07BB4RGQD/

One caveat, if you use the cloud key make sure you back up your unifi database (on the controller) often. I've had them fail on me more than I like.

Finally, if you don't like any of those you can use a hosted instance of the cloud controller but it's $199 a year:

https://community.ubnt.com/t5/UniFi-Wireless/Announcing-UniFi-s-newest-Cloud-management-offering/td-p/1912538

I can't tell for sure from the photos, but that cable is probably at least CAT5e or better, which is just fine for 1GB ethernet in the house.

You need to cut off the phone jacks and install CAT5e or better RJ-45 jacks with a punch down tool. Do this conversion at every place where you want network. Then in the basement you need to punch down the other end of each cable separately to a CAT5e or better patch panel. Then you need to run short CAT5e or better patch cords from the patch panel to an Ethernet switch. Finally you need to connect your router to the switch, either directly, or through one of the network jacks you installed in the house.

Those APs are meh at best. Look into Ubiquiti's line of products, easy to deploy and excellent stability and range.

They (Ubiquiti) also have the ERL which is hands down the best router for the money. Advanced features for advanced set ups. But it's not for the newby so if setting it up scares you, I'd suggest you look into Asus. The N66U or AC66U are good stable devices with third party firmware support.

You might also need a switch for all the equipment.

You linked to a load balancing router which I doubt you'll need (do you have more then one ISP at home?!). And the APs linked are 802.11G. This is an old standard. Then most common standard today is 802.11N and the newest that came out last year and is being adopted by most is 802.11AC. I would stay away from G, not only is it slow but it's single band too. There's a nice guide for this and more on the side bar.

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.

I like pmarinel's suggestion and I'm just going to piggy back on his response.

Since Xfinity is your provider, you can use an Arris Surfboard modem to give internet to your router to distribute to your house and through that you can save on not having to pay monthly rental fee's to Xfinity to use their modem.

I would find the coax cable that is most central to your apt (and also has one of the network ports in the wall near it), plug my surfboard modem into that coax, plug my surfboard modem into the WAN/Internet of my router, and then have one of the LAN ports of my router plugged into the wall network port leading to the box you have in the photo, and then plug ports 1, 2, 3, 4 of that black patch box into an unmanaged switch such as this that you can leave in there. Doing all of that would mean your WiFi network would be distributing throughout your apartment from a central location (even coverage), and all network ports in your house would be wired to that same network, and best of all you don't have to waste money paying for Xfinity's monthly equipment rental fees.

If you want suggestions for WiFi routers, let me know and send you a few recommendations. If you apartment is large and you're worried about WiFi from a single device not covering your home well enough, I heard Google Mesh networks are pretty good for that.

Just buy a roll of this and run it to the room you would like to use it in.

To make it pretty, I would run the 100ft cable to the back of this

Get two more smaller Ethernet cables, run one from the outlet into this switch (any port on it) if you want more ports in the other room, and then the other short cable from the switch to your PC.

This would be the best, most professional way of getting Ethernet into your room. It'll be much more stable and provide better performance than a WiFi dongle.

Even beyond the CAT6s ability to physically handle the load, are smaller switches more "efficient" as far as managing all that traffic compared to larger switches? I curently have a TRENDnet 8-port GREENnet switch and am pretty happy with it. Especially the unmanaged part, total plug and play which is awesome!

For issues like that at home I just toss a little GS108T switch at it. It's managed, not as well as an enterprise grade switch, but good enough for home.

The make a model that provides PoE, but if you need that I would then consider a Ubiquiti switch which has the bonus of superior management.

"My question is, is there a way to take that one Ethernet connection that is going straight to the PC and put it into a splitter or something that allows me to have multiple Ethernet ports so I could hook up one to the desktop"

You can get a Switch. Yes like the person below stated. Think of it this way, if you want more then ONE computer to that area, why not have this person run 4 lines and then get a 4 Gang Wall Plate to the end of it.

So :

MODEM in room to >>>> Switch 4 port >>>> CABLE LINES RUN TO ROOM TO >>>>> $ Gang Wall Plate and 4 rj45 ends.

Also use for Cat 6 cable.

Best of both worlds, since most ISP router modems have like 4 ports in the back for multiple connections. Also if you hire this CABLE LAYER, tell him you will buy the cable (like the one above) and save yourself a surcharge. U bet you'd pay 150$ a box or more if they come in with it.

Then there's not really a way to do what you are asking without purchasing or acquiring an additional piece of equipment such as a router or switch/hub.

http://www.amazon.com/TP-LINK-5-Port-Ethernet-Desktop-TL-SF1005D/dp/B000FNFSPY/ref=sr_1_1?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1463160785&sr=1-1&keywords=4+port+ethernet+switch

Plug this device into your modem, then plug the computers into it as well.

Here's where you may run into a problem though. The modem you purchased is a straight up modem and has no DHCP or firewall/router capabilities listed. This is a security concern. Not only that, but unless your ISP will allow you to pull down multiple IP addresses only one computer will ever connect at a time.

But the setup is possible and you'd have to use Internet Connection Sharing in Windows. It is just not advisable.

What you would want to get is an actual router, something like this:

http://www.amazon.com/TP-LINK-5-Port-Ethernet-Desktop-TL-SF1005D/dp/B000FNFSPY/ref=sr_1_1?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1463160785&sr=1-1&keywords=4+port+ethernet+switch

However, that model I listed is only a 100mb so if you have really faster internet, this might bottleneck your connection and you might need to get a 1000mb (1gig) router. You would want something that handles DHCP.

What you need to specify for a better answer:

Can you spend any money and if so, what is the budget?

What is your internet speed?

Like u/washu_k mentioned, a patch panel would be the best solution so the cables don't get damaged from moving things around. If you do decide to crimp this ends into RJ-45 connectors you can use this image to determine how the wires should be placed. You'll also need to buy a crimping tool. They're fairly easy to use but you may want to practice on a small patch cable first.

​

https://showmecables-static.scdn3.secure.raxcdn.com/media/wysiwyg/RJ45-Pinout-T568A.jpg

​

If you're only goes to have a few devices connected to the switch a small 8 port switch would work. They're only slightly more than a 5 port switch and gives you 3 more ports for future expansion. Assuming you just want to connect all computers to the same network, an unmanaged switch is a good choice. The one below should be a good choice for simple home use.

​

https://smile.amazon.com/TP-Link-Ethernet-Optimization-Unmanaged-TL-SG108/dp/B00A121WN6/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=8+port+switch&qid=1551299690&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.

I use UniFi cameras. Got a couple UVC-Micro's, and recently bought 2 of the new UVC-G3's that I haven't gotten around to using yet. I really like the software.

The Micro's are wireless, so no need for PoE.
UVC-G3 only works with 24V Passive PoE (injector included), but the UVC-G3-DOMEalso supports 802.3af PoE (or 24V Passive). Not sure why the UVC-G3 can't do 802.3af, but either way, injectors are included or you can get one of the 24/48 port switches that support PoE, or their Switch 8. If you're only looking at 1-3 cameras, I'd just use the injectors and keep them close to your switch (i.e., in your rack or whatever you have).

No idea what the IR range is with the UVC-G3, but they do have a range extender (UVC-G3-LED) that is rated for up to 82ft. Ring is kinda pricy, IMO. Most of my Micro's are indoors, but I do have one on the porch that does pretty decent at night, but will soon be replaced with a UVC-G3.

Overall I'm happy with them. I have several Ubiquiti products, and never really had any showstopper issues with any of them.

I think staying with 6 is fine. Most people will say if you are wiring now to go with 6a because the cost is similar but I find it is thicker and harder to bend. If you really want to future proof then you could go with 6a but right know 10Gbps is a little excessive.


AP wise you call Ubiquity expensive but the newest UAP-AC-PRO is the same price as the Linksys and will be much better, it is hard to find now because of limited supply. Sorry Its actually $20 more



I would spend a little extra for the Edgerouter Lite over the X but they are similar.



Unless I missed it I don't think you mentioned how many wall jacks you will have. So I will assume 24 drops. A good 24 port non POE switch is This normally $160 is on sale for $100
And This for POE only 8 ports though

EDIT

Sorry didn't release the netgear switch wasn't all POE you might be better off with a cheap 8-10 Port switch and POE Injectors


Like /u/topcat5 said you can get UAP-AC-LITE for $90.

Don't worry about the number of ports on the router. You should get a switch to provide the ethernet ports that you need. A perfectly good 8-port gigabit switch is like $20. example

For the router and APs, in your budget, you could get a Unifi security gateway ($140) and 2 Unifi UAP-AC-Lites ($70 each). That would be a super capable and very easy to manage set up. It's possible to go cheaper on the router, like using a EdgeRouter-X ($60) instead of the USG, which is perfectly capable for home use, but not as smooth to configure as the Unifi line.

If you want the best possible wifi setup I highly suggest separate router and access points. /r/HomeNetworking is a great sub to ask about your specific setup.

Though this is all you would need to have a very powerful home network. You can extend the wifi range by adding additional access points.

• Router/Firewall: https://www.ubnt.com/unifi-routing/usg/
  
  
• WiFi Access Point: https://www.ubnt.com/unifi/unifi-ap-ac-lite/ (Go with the Unifi AP AC Pro if you have Apple products)
  
  
• Switch: https://www.amazon.com/TP-Link-TL-SG108-Gigabit-Ethernet-Unmanaged/dp/B00A121WN6/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1502977885&sr=8-2&keywords=tp+link+switch
  
  Setup would look like this Router > Switch > Access Point.
  
  This setup could route 800-900Mbps.

Dude. Go for the ethernet through power lines adapter first(btw this is more commonly called a powerline adapter).

This one has 500 mbps, which is considerably higher bandwidth than wifi. It will also give you lower latency, and a generally more stable connection. Take it from me, I have had some TERRIBLE experiences with wifi repeaters. Powerline ftw.

Or you could go all out and get the best of both worlds. Buy one of these, another router, and a powerline adapter. Then what you do is you set it up downstairs (where you normally have your router), and have it go, modem -> ethernet switch -> old router. Then plug one end of the powerline adapter into the switch.

Then plug in the powerline adapter into the wall upstairs where you want wifi. Plug in your new router to it. Set the SSID (the wifi name of your router), as the same name as the router you have downstairs. BAM. You now have STRONG wifi anywhere in the house. Devices will automatically connect to the router with the stronger signal. It will only appear as one wifi network on phones, tablets, etc.

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...

You're welcome.

Oh, Power over Ethernet (PoE)? Well, I'm just learning about it myself actually. What you need to know is to accomplish PoE, for say, a security camera, you'll need a PoE Switch like this one. The power this switch gets is able to send power through the ethernet cables (cat6 in your case) to the device. So, it basically works like this:
Ac Adaptor plug > A powered PoE switch > Cat6 (now powered) > Poe Device (like a security camera).

What kind of speeds are you talking about? In my dorm, we had super fast (at the time 100Mbit). If you plugged in a crappy $40 router from the store, the WAN port was only 10Mbit. If, however we bought a $40 switch, all the ports were 100mbit(or, if you splurged, 1000Mbit)

It's very likely that you simply are plugged in to a gigabit network and don't need a router at all. What happens if you plug your computer straight into the network port on the wall? Do you get the super fast speeds? If so, go buy a network switch and not a router. Something like this might fix it: http://www.amazon.com/TRENDnet-Unmanaged-Gigabit-GREENnet-TEG-S80g/dp/B001QUA6RA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1395339417&sr=8-1

If you're really feeling adventurous, try finding something that supports jumbo packets and enabling that on your computer.

Basically, your dorm just has a very large local network. You only need a home router if you are only assigned one IP address. It's very likely they'll give you as many dedicated IP addresses as you need, so the overhead of mapping multiple devices to one IP address is unnecessary.

This is one of the setups I have configured with BlueIris Software:

7x 4MP POE Outdoor Cameras | 15fps (Around $80-$100/ea. on ebay)

4x 1MP Wireless Foscam IP Cameras (Indoor)| 15fps

1x POE passive Injector [WS-POE-8-48v60w Link

1x 16 port gigabit unmanaged D-Link Switch

1x Alienware Alpa (with an i7-4790T CPU...it's actually overkill). According to Blue Iris it's using around 25% CPU. For your setup you can actually use an i5 or even an i3 1st generation without issues.

1x 6TB WD Purple External Drive via USB3.0


I don't have 24/7 recording, but motion sensing recording. 6 Months of motion sensing recording used up around 1.5TB of storage.

• I have the recordings save onto the internal SSD (Samsung Pro 850 256GB) of the PC and have BlueIris move the files to the external drive.
  
  
• Indoor cameras gets plugged in when leaving the house for an extended period of time. Because if someone manages to break into the house you'd want a clear shot of the person.
  
  
  If space is an issue I recommend splitting up which cameras must have 24/7 recording and the others just motion sensing.
  
  
  
  

I bought these a while ago https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B01BECPIMC/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1501463241&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=powerline+adapter&dpPl=1&dpID=310MTp27FbL&ref=plSrch

They were pretty good, tbh.

To get extra Ethernet connections I bought https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B000FNFSPY/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1501463310&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=ethernet+switch&dpPl=1&dpID=31MyMUZYhhL&ref=plSrch

Worked like a charm.

Or you can spend a bit more money and buy something like https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B01LXOZ4EN/ref=mp_s_a_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1501463241&sr=8-4&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=powerline+adapter&dpPl=1&dpID=41sCqAJab6L&ref=plSrch

Totally worth the investment. And if anyone else in the house wants to use it they can just buy a solo adaptor.

Hi!

In my opinion, you should try getting a good LAN switch device with multiple ports. This switch from TP-Link is common and should be just fine. You should choose one with enough ports for your project if you need more, as the one linked only has 5 ports.

You should be alright with any decent LAN switch you can find online!

Good luck with your project! :)

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).

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?

The HDMI extender will likely use one of the cat6 cables. It may have terminals for 1 cat6 (8 conductors) cable on a terminal strip, or it may have an 8p8c socket to receive an RJ-45 connector.

If it has an RJ-45 socket, terminate one of the cat6 cables using an RJ-45 connector on each end appropriate to the conductor type (stranded like speaker wire vs. solid like Romex). The conductor type will be written on the cable jacket, or will be visible if you strip a bit of insulator from one of the eight conductors inside. You'll need a crimping tool. Using the wrong type of RJ-45 connector (solid vs stranded) may lead to reliability issues.

The order of the solid/striped coloured conductors matters. You'll probably want to terminate the cable as a straight through ethernet cable (pick one of the two standards, T-568A or T-568B and stick with it), but check the extender's manual to see if it expects something odd, like a cross-over cable. If the extender did not come with a printed manual, Google the model number for a manual for configuration and other details.

One of the two parts of the extender might be labelled as needing to be connected to the HDMI source (your receiver in the closet), even though HDMI is supposed to be bi-directional. The extender ends will likely also need power.

In your closet, connect the receiver to the transmitting end of the extender using an HDMI cable of the required specifications. Behind your TV, connect the TV to the receiving end of the extender using another HDMI cable.

The other cat6 cable will be to deliver Internet access to your TV via ethernet to your wired home network. Terminate each end using an RJ-45 connector as above, as a straight through ethernet cable. Connect the TV end to the TV, and the other end to your broadband router, DSL/cable modem, or network switch. The broadband router might be located in a different area of your home (through some in-wall cat6). There may be a network switch in your closet which also distributes Internet access to your receiver, Xbox, etc. If your TV has Wi-Fi and your signal is strong, you may not need to use this second ethernet cable for smart TV functions, but a wired connection tends to be more reliable than a wireless connection.

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.

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.

​

I don't know how to help with your contacting for one from the University, but if you do follow through with purchasing one from Amazon, I highly recommend this Netgear Switch. TP-Link makes a cheaper one, but if you don't mind $5 Netgear is a good safe bet. Metal housing is sturdy, you'll have this sucker for life.

Link here.

I ended up going with this. It is a Gigabit switch, so that's good! Most of the time it'll probably be one PC or the other in use. My secondary is going to be primarily used by my girlfriend for school work (which she usually gets done while I'm at work), and occasionally by my friends to join me in games like League of Legends and Overwatch.

I appreciate your responses! Have a great day!

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.

For $30, the TPlink TL-SG108E is a pretty good value. It's built fairly well, and has a 5 year warranty.

For $15 more ($45) you can get the Netgear GS108 I've used this switch, and the smaller 5 port version in a ton of places, and have never had 1 fail on me. These things are tanks, and should be perfect. But if you're on a budget, go for the TP link.

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.

Intuit says QuickBooks is not to be run over a wireless network. Anyone that accesses the QBW needs to be physically connected or they need to RDP to the workstation/server hosting the QBW.

If you're interested in controlling your network edge (you should be) then find a router like a SonicWALL TZ500 or better that offers a comprehensive gateway protection (AV/IPS/content filtering/etc.) If that isn't in the cards maybe a Ubiquity router is a solid plan B.

You're not doing anything that would make me push you to some kind of special Ethernet. Honestly, CAT5E is fine. CAT6 is better, but better in ways you're not going to experience at this scale. That said the cost delta is little so do whatever and you'll be fine there.

You'll need a gigabit switch. It can be simple for now.

https://www.amazon.com/NETGEAR-ProSAFE-Gigabit-Desktop-GS108-400NAS/dp/B00MPVR50A/ref=sr_1_1?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1478050211&sr=1-1&keywords=gigabit+switch&refinements=p_n_intended_use_browse-bin%3A9647498011

Even if you implement QoS, it can only be applied to outbound traffic. This may help with games/voip to an extent but not too much for other things. As others said, you need to let QoS know your bandwidth too. Your router sees that you have a 100 or 1000Mb/s internet connection. The policing for your circuit is done on the ISP side; either in your modem or at an ISP facility depending on how your service is delivered. Don't set it at 5Mb/s either, set it for 4.8 or something like that.

edit: if you can find a router or device that can limit traffic on a particular SSID or interface, that would be the best solution. I know this Netgear switch can do some sort of bandwidth policing, though I haven't ever tested it. I have used them as a cheap network tap since they can do software based span ports.

No problem, I hope it's helpful.

That is a shitload of cables. I can't tell from the pictures, but hopefully they're labeled in some fashion (bedroom 1, kitchen, whatever) so that you know which cables lead to where in your apartment. The blue cables are likely the cables you need, but to be sure, just open up one of the wall ports in another room and look at the cable and confirm that (and the termination pattern while you're at it).

Regarding the incoming signal cable, are you using cable internet or DSL or fiber? Actually, if you tell us the brand and model of your modem, that'll answer that question (and a few others) pretty quickly.

Regarding switches, this Netgear unmanaged gigabit switch worked fine for me, and there's different versions with as few as 5 ports and as many as 24 (just get whatever can accomodate as many ports as you're trying to get networked). The switch in the picture below is a different one (a managed switch), but for your needs this one (or one like it) is more than sufficient.

Patch panel...I'd just browse Amazon and find something that has as many ports as you need. Unfortunately, you have a weird-ass distribution enclosure that doesn't easily accept rack-mount patch panels (which make things way way easier). I, too, have a weird-ass distribution enclosure (picture below).

Here's a picture of my network setup.

• Modem to the outside world is on the bottom left (connected to the outside world via the white cable into the red port) -- the coax cable coming out the bottom of the box is my TV signal, so ignore that for this conversation)
  
• Modem is connected via yellow cable to my router (white box, lower left in enclosure with big glowing blue square)
  
• Router is connected via the green cable to my switch (box wall-mounted below the enclosure)
  
• Router connects via all the other cables (orange and purple) to the patch panel (top right box in the enclosure)
  
• Patch panel connects to all the cables distributed throughout my house -- they're behind the patch panel, so you can't see them, which is the point of the patch panel (makes more a clean install and makes patching ports really simple). The patch panel I have is this one. It might fit your panel, but I can't guarantee it. It's also way more expensive than most patch panels, because LeGrand likes to charge a huge premium for their stupid proprietary crap (and I'm a sucker for clean installs).

Its...basically a switch but I would call it a completely retarded switch lol. No settings or anything.

One of the reviews had a smart idea:

>Best to start with no power to switch or modem; do ALL your connecting; turn on the power to switch and modem; restart your computer. It will take a few minutes for it to "learn". And if you add anything after that point be sure to restart the switch power again.

As dumb as it is, it might not do well with devices being connected while its on. Have you tried that?

If you want a better but cheap $30 switch (a real switch) this would work:

https://www.amazon.com/TP-LINK-TL-SG108E-8-Port-Gigabit-Tag-Based/dp/B00N0OHEMA?th=1

A better option for a bit more would be this one:

https://www.amazon.com/NETGEAR-ProSafe-5-Port-Gigabit-Unmanaged/dp/B002YK8WMC/

Either one should work but the netgear one is better than the tp link one. As is generally the case between those two companies.

Edit:

If it was me, I'd go with this one. By far the best in the $50 ish price-range:

https://www.amazon.com/Linksys-Business-LGS308-Gigabit-Ethernet/dp/B00IXNQ6XQ/

> Is it worth it to get an AP and connect it to the switch? instead of using the integrated with the router (the one I have)
>

It depends how bad your current wireless TP-Link is. Is the wireless signal flaky (does it drop randomly or disconnect your laptop randomly)? Any issues? Signal problems? Random shutoffs?

If so, then replace it, if not then you could try using it as an AP.

In my experience TP-Link gear is a good value if you don't need reliability. I had bad luck with my TP-Link DSL modem frequently overheating and/or being unresponsive on the web gui.

>https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00K4DS5KU/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER
>
Is it worth it to get an AP and connect it to the switch? instead of using the integrated with the router (the one I have)
>

Definitely eBay. You can get a UAP-AC-Lite for $60ish on eBay, and that leaves $40 for a switch which is more than enough.

Is noise a problem? As the noisier switches tend to be dirt cheap. Foundry FLS648 is $49 used or less, sometimes as low as $20. It's noisy though.

If you need a quiet switch it's more expensive, but you could always get a Netgear switch if your okay with it sort of flaking out every day or two randomly, those are around $20 new on amazon.

https://www.amazon.com/NETGEAR-ProSAFE-Gigabit-Desktop-GS108-400NAS/dp/B00MPVR50A

A friend of mine once said if you avoid getting the Netgear switches with a web gui, and instead get the dumb/unmanaged L2 only version of the ProSafe line, that it's not bad.

Personally though this is what I use and recommend: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Brocade-Foundry-FLS648-Switch-4-SFP-48-1-Gig-T-Ports-no-rack-mounts-ASIS-/162057859029?hash=item25bb66afd5:g:B8EAAOSwKfVXI7TL

The seller would probably accept $49, but if not here is another cheap L2-only switch:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/HP-1810-8-J9800A-Ethernet-Switch-/201721628473?hash=item2ef78bc739:g:748AAOSwPCVYB72f

It's the HP 1810, it's ok. Not as reliable as the FLS648, some people have had them fail on /r/homenetworking and /r/homelab, but a lot of people have had great luck with them, and they are dirt cheap ($25-$35). You could always buy one every year in case one fails :D.

Another option is: http://www.ebay.com/itm/HP-JE005A-V1910-16G-16-Port-10-100-100-Port-w-4-Port-SFP-Managed-Switch-/282251385279?hash=item41b77e59bf:g:O~AAAOSwOdpX0dho

HP's 1910 is much more reliable than their older 1810 model, and has some L3 capabilities.

Here's an old pic of the FLS648 in action.

Now that you mention it, I'd be curious too. I'll tally it up and get back to you all.

Edit: here it is!


Thing |Price | Quantity
---|---|----
Belkin Power Strip | 30 | 1
Raspberry Pi 3 B+ | 38.30 | 2
Miuzei Raspberry Pi Cooling Case Kit | 25.99 | 2
Netgear 8 Port Gigabit Switch | 17.99 | 1
WD 2 TB External Hard Drive | 59.99 | 4
KingDian 8GB SSD | 10 | 1
Mitac PD12TI CC Mini-ITX Motherboard w/ Intel Atom D2500 CPU | 149.99 | 1
Mini-Box picoPSU-80 80w 12v PSU | 28.95 | 1
Sabrent 12v AC power supply | 10.98 | 1


Total: $616.45

I was doing pretty good until I got to the damn WD hard drives. I suspect I paid way too much for how good they are. Probably could have saved some money by making an enclosure and using real hard drives or something

I've had the Netgear switches and love them. You could just get the 5 port one that would give you a total of 8 free ports between it and your current router or spend a little bit more for the 8 port version giving you plenty of room for future expansion. I own both and my 5 port GS105 has been running pretty much non-stop for 10 years.

Great. Now detail how you built the dashboard - GitHub links are welcomed. :)

I would also recommend this for people that want a cleaner look and can use POE over plain ol' CAT6 in the wall:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0086SQDMM?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=ox_sc_sfl_title_4&smid=A2SZCFXJT89WME

EDIT: Oops, i meant this link instead: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00AH5XCLC?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=ox_sc_sfl_title_9&smid=A2SZCFXJT89WME

The other one is one that ended up not using.

I feel it would be acceptable to use the switch you specified and the AP I mentioned, assuming this is just for casual use. What I mean by that is, I assume the PC and the wireless users are just browsing the web randomly, sending a few emails, doing tweets, browsing Facebook, watching occasional YouTube, etc. If that's the expected usage, it should be fine. If this is an important business operation point (bulk email distribution, hosting of a church web site, live streaming of weekly services, etc.) then you may want to consider a better switch to ensure that it will provide rock solid reliability.

Note that the switch is only 5 ports, and right away you'll be using 3 ports (PC, WAP, connection to main router). For roughly the same price, I have used this model in the past (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001QUA6RA/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1), and it has 8 ports, so if you ever add another PC or network-enabled-TV in the future, you'll have a few spare ports.

For SSID, yes you want to make it the same properties as what already exists (name, password, authentication type, etc.). The idea would be that people who are connected would automatically connect to the stronger AP when they move around. Understand that the topic of AP selection by the device is a complex topic. Generally speaking it works, but there are subtleties that make it a little finicky. The only thing that should be different on the APs is the channel (the frequency of the wireless transmitter). They want to be different channels, and they each want to be a channel that is not used by a neighbor. See the comments by /u/OfensiveBias.

For IP addresses, this can get deep but I'll keep it brief. There is a public IP address that your router uses to communicate with your internet provider (Cablevision, TimeWarner, Verizon, AT&T, etc.). That address is assigned by the provider, and it will remain as it is. But the network inside the building, like the PC and the WAP, has an IP address in a different range called "private". It will be something like 192.168.x.x or 10.x.x.x. These addresses are assigned by you (or managed by the router). So the idea is, let's say your router is currently 192.168.1.1, and your PC is 192.168.1.10, and any wireless users are assigned in the range 192.168.1.100 - 192.168.1.150. You could configure the AP as 192.168.1.5 for example. It will come with a default address, and you need to configure your PC to something in the same range in order to initially connect to it, but then you can change it to match what your church inside network is already using. Once that's done, any wireless devices will simply pass through the access point on their way to the router to the internet.

I didn't intend to provide this much detail, so hope this helps rather than confuses.

I had this same problem. The thing is, for whatever reason, certain routers don't play nice enough with the Centurylink ONT. I had to purchase a cheap managed switch to add the VLAN tagging.

Switch: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00N0OHEMA/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Setup: http://www.dd-wrt.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=300259&highlight=calix

Setup (snipit, I believe this thread was trying to use the same router as you):

"Yes that's pretty much it and the C9 will do PPPoE.

switch port 1 -> ONT

switch port 2 -> C9

Port 1: Tagged member vlan 201 (only) + PVID 201

Port 2: Untagged member vlan 201 (only) + PVID 201


If using the other switch ports for your local network just make sure they never become members of 201 "

Note: if you do end up buying this model switch, make sure you choose the option to reboot it and save config. Regular saving never held the setting for me.

As per others most unmanaged ones are pretty synonymous. I like the metal trendnet ones.

https://www.amazon.com/TRENDnet-Unmanaged-Gigabit-GREENnet-TEG-S80g/dp/B001QUA6RA

>Can i still access my windows network shares when one pc is connected directly through the router and one through the switch? Thanks!!

Sure, although realistically you'd want all of your connections on the switch with one link to the router. This way all clients have full gigabit to each other instead of straddling a couple onto the router as well and being limited to that single 1 Gbps interface between the switch and router.

An ethernet switch will do what you need. It looks like a router but it's specifically for instances where you need to share a single ethernet cable from a router with two or more devices. They are pretty cheap. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000FNFSPY/ref=cm_sw_r_other_awd_-COywbDM7ESXM

Just plug all three cables in and the switch will take care of the rest.

Personally, I prefer using a purpose built device for my needs. When I want Wifi, I prefer to use a Ubiquiti Unifi AP. It's built for wireless and that's it's primary (and almost) exclusive use.

Short(er) range
or
Long(ish) range

The Verizon router will handle your wired devices and routing/firewall just fine. I might suggest a Gigabit switch to expand your available wired ports as-needed.

So far you've listed Wii U, Playstation, Xbox and Computer... there's 4 ports, but you'd need another port for the wifi ap if you go with my preferred solution.

I'd probably go with a green dlink 8 port gigabit switch to give you enough room for all of your listed devices and still have 2-3 left over ports for what ever you decide to expand to down the road.

Hope this helps!

Here is the post for archival purposes:

Author: Svecistan

Content:

>Me and a buddy are about to buy five L3+'s within the next couple of days. We are just figuring out how to run everything at our house. We are going to buy the power supplies from bitmain for each of the miners and I'm not 100% sure how I am going to provide power to all 5 PSU's.

>We are going to be setting them up in the basement with winter coming it will be quite cold down there, and there is also the circuit breaker down there. There are only a couple outlets and I'm not sure how many machines I can run off a single outlet. Is there a way to provide steady power without having problems?

>The second smaller issue is getting an internet connection to all five devices. The router and modem in the house are on the top floor. I have a good internet connection averaging 100mb/s down, and a strong router which still provides decent connection in the basement. Would it be easier to set them up on a wifi connection with something like this? And then a wifi adapter going into one of the ports. I may be able to get an ethernet connection down there. If that is possible, what should I then use to connect all the miners?

Awesome, thanks. Out of curiosity, do you know what kind of speed I will need with/in the switch to not slow me down too much?

I get something like 24Mb/s. Would a cheap splitter cause a bottleneck? Or will they all cover that?

I was looking at something like this:

http://www.amazon.com/TP-LINK-TL-SF1005D-5-port-100Mbps-Desktop/dp/B000FNFSPY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1412096871&sr=8-1&keywords=ethernet+switch

Excuse the ignorance but what is the advantage of this switch over something like TP-Link 8-Port Gigabit PoE Web Managed Easy Smart Switch with 4-PoE Ports (TL-SG108PE) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01BW0AD1W/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_dF9mybDG17P48?

In addition what is the difference once this switch compared to another one of ubiquitis switches? Ubiquiti Networks 8-Port UniFi Switch, Managed PoE+ Gigabit Switch with SFP, 150W (US-8-150W) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01DKXT4CI/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_ZG9myb310YM0B

Wireless? Go wired.

I recommend Google Wifi Hub, connected to a Switch if you have more than one speaker.

I have my rear speakers connected to hub and switch. And luckily have ethernet wall plugs for the Playbar and sub under the TV. Same setup for bedroom, kitchen, and basement. Never had a single hiccup in sound.

This is the switch I use.. (maybe an 8 port for under TV if you have other devices like gaming systems. Wired is 1000x better.

NETGEAR 5-Port Gigabit Ethernet Smart Managed Plus Switch (GS105Ev2) - Desktop, and ProSAFE Lifetime Protection

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00HGLVZLY/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_U4G0Cb6VX6PB6

I would get something a little easier to configure. Cisco switches are mainly configured through the command line and unless you're willing to put the time in to learn the commands it could be a little daunting.

Get something more prosumer like Ubiquiti, it's not quite enterprise level and much easier to configure. How many ports do you need? 48? Or do you think you could get by with 24? There is a big difference in price. If you only need 24, something like this would serve you well. The 48 port is about twice as much.

Thanks for the suggestion. I was hoping to get a switch that has a few more ports, though. I was looking at this

Seems pretty decent, are there any significant benefits getting the mikrotik over this?

USB hubs do something entirely different than Ethernet hubs do. There are no easy ways to use a USB hub to network computers.

Perhaps what you're looking for is an Ethernet switch instead?

It might be important, depending on how literally you meant "have the same packets sent out each port", to note that while hubs do literally do that, switches (as normally set up) do not.

A hub waits for one of the devices plugged into it to start transmitting; then it repeats exactly what it receives on each other port. For this reason, hubs are always half-duplex (data can only move in one direction at a time, from one source to every other device). (This causes some performance issues related related to collisions, sort of like when you and somebody else keep trying to talk and then stopping when you hear the other person.)

Switches, on the other hand, do something called MAC learning; when traffic arrives, they look at the sender (sort of like glancing at the upper-left corner of an envelope) and remember which of their ports that sender is connected to. Then, when they see traffic being sent to that device, they only have to send it out the one port. This process of receiving a packet and sending it only towards its destination is called forwarding.

You'll notice that there's a chicken-and-egg problem here: what do they do with a message (packet) if they haven't seen the destination address before? Well, they fall back to doing what hubs do: they send the packet out each other port, which is called flooding (as opposed to forwarding).

If you really need this behavior, there are nicer switches (on the order of $200 or $300) that would let you either disable MAC learning (thus always flooding every packet, similar to what a hub would do).

If you can be more specific about exactly what you're trying to achieve, maybe we can be more helpful!

I mean, don't unmanaged ports literally run off like 12V DC? can you just find a different plug for it that'll convert 240VAC to 12VDC? Nothing with 8 ports is going to have a C13/14


https://www.amazon.com/NETGEAR-Ethernet-Unmanaged-Lifetime-Protection/dp/B00MPVR50A


Then get a different adapter for it? Eh?


https://www.sfcable.com/1ft-18-awg-nema-5-15r-to-c14-monitor-power-adapter-cord.html?gdffi=afde19f4670e4f608861514cfe93a30d&gdfms=3911580D2AF64F7E9F9D8DA1401FB3B3&gclid=CjwKCAiAt8TUBRAKEiwAOI9pAEwbffy65JZVipI6zhab6xB8xX33EeadnmLVKAB0_EDMEJzO87GgLRoCQ1IQAvD_BwE


(I guess this cord says 125VAC, but come on, it won't struggle with 6W being pulled through it)



https://www.amazon.com/Five-Star-Cable-100-240V-Switching/dp/B00PZ8OT9K


So you got yourself a C14 plug (that's what the PDU you link has) to a 5-15R plug (meh) and then an adapter that is good for 240V (hell, the one that comes with it might even say 240VAC on the side of it, I'll check mine when I get home later)


This was 5 minutes of Google, if you go this route do your own homework and buy only what you feel comfortable using

Well, for the "where should I connect stuff" question, I would put the FIOS modem/router (gateway) into bridge mode, and only connect the eero to it, nothing else. That's how I have my eero connected for AT&T fiber here, the fiber gateway is in IP Passthrough mode, which is a bridge mode. And only the "gateway" eero is plugged into it. Make sure that the eero is in router (not bridge) mode. The way that you connect more hard-wired devices to the eero is by connecting an unmanaged network switch to whichever eero node(s) is closest to the clients that you need to hard-wire. Here's the network switch that I've seen recommended and am using:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001EVGIYG/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Then you can connect your hard-wired devices to that switch. Not very expensive, and is working well. This is a pretty flexible approach...I have the above 8-way switch connect to my gateway eero node, and another 5-way switch connected to the remote eero node located with our upstairs TV.

At this point, your eero system is doing all the routing and wireless mesh work, which is what you want.

No comment on the blinking yellow light, though...like the eero person posting above said, call support :-).

As requested, here's the composition of the rack:

• NavePoint 12U Network Rack
  
• TP-Link TL-SG1024: 24 port rackmount switch
  
• TP-Link TL-SG1016PE: 16 port rackmount power over ethernet switch (needed for the Wi-Fi access points)
  
• TP-Link TL-R600VPN: Rackmount router w/ dual-WAN and VPN
  
• Rackmount Power w/ surge protection
  
• Rack shelf: Used to hold modem and NAS
  
• Patch Panel: 24-port Cat6 patch panel (wires go in the pack via punchdown connection, and you run patch cables to the switches)
  
• 12" Patch cables: For connecting between the patch panel, swicthes, other on-rack devices
  
• Synology 416play NAS: Movies, music, pictures, etc. 32 TB in all.
  
  Elsewhere in the house/other useful parts:
  
  
• Keystone Cat6 jacks: one per bedroom, 4 in my home office, 4 in the media room (not built yet), 3 in the family room
  
• 1-, 2-, 3-, and 4-hole keystone wall plates: Buy the number of holes you want and just pop in the keystone jacks
  
• Blank keystone inserts: For when you have too many holes in the keystone plates
  
• Ubiquiti AC Pro x 3: Wi-Fi access points, roughly center of the house on each floor (basement, first, second)
  
• Punchdown tool: For doing the punchdown connections on the patch panel and on each of the keystone Cat6 plugs in each room
  
• Extra rack screws and washers
  
• J-Hook: There are two hooks on each wall, holding service loops for the Cat6 and Coax, respectively.
  
  Useful things I learned:
  
  
• I was originally going to run the wires myself, but never could find the time. Also Cat6 is expensive when not purchased in wholesale quantities (< 10,000 ft). So we hired a local electrician to run the actual wires. It took two of them about 1.5 days to run everything. This was well worth the money, since the project would have taken many months to do in the evenings/on weekends with a toddler running around.
  
• I did all the wall terminations. Since they were punchdowns, it was easy and took one evening after work. The electricians would have charged me another half-day of labor.
  
• I did all the network rack work. This also took one evening after work.
  
• Do NOT buy electrical/networking equipment from a big box hardware store. Always go to a specialized retailer, like an electrician supply store. Their prices will be 1/20th that of the big box store, you won't have to have anything shipped, and their employees actually know what they are talking about. So if you're looking for something that you don't know the name of, you can usually describe it.
  
• Newer construction may have fire breaks/blocks/stops which prevent fire and gases from traveling up the inside of the walls. This makes fire move more slowly and give you more time to evacuate. However, it also means you might need to drill holes/patch walls in order to run wires vertically.
  
• Put in a service loop. If you ever need to re-terminate for any reason (like replacing a patch panel), it will give you extra cable to work with. Do the same thing inside your walls behind the wall plates, since you might have to do the same thing there as well.
  
• Buy networking gear that is rated for the same speed (i.e., gigabit). Your network will only be as fast as the slowest part of it.
  
• Watch out for network loops. This is really easy to do and will cause your router to crash or perform suboptimally. I spent >2 hours debugging on of these as a result of connecting my router to itself by way of both switches.

If your modem has 4 available Ethernet ports then it's probably a modem/router combo. A normal modem only has one port.

If you don't wanna move anything you can buy a cheap 4-5 port network switch and plug it into one of your router ports to expand it and use one of the ports on that switch for the adapter.

I prefer just using the PowerLine kits to get a good wired source to where you need it then plugging a access point into that. Wireless extenders are only as good as your existing wireless signal which in your case seem poor in that area.

Here's an idea of parts to get a reliable wireless signal to another side of house.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B004UBU8IE/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1481239630&sr=8-1&pi=SY200_QL40&keywords=access+point&dpPl=1&dpID=41poupiCvrL&ref=plSrch

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000FNFSPY/ref=pd_aw_fbt_147_img_2?ie=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=C3PA3MS98K61AQAC2BMP

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00AWRUICG/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1481239732&sr=8-1&pi=SY200_QL40&keywords=powerline+adapter&dpPl=1&dpID=31IYBNuPwFL&ref=plSrch

5 port switch to your router, from the switch to the PowerLine adapter. From the other powerline adapter in your target room/area to the access point. Then setup the access point and name it "Other side of house wifi" lol


This should give you a great full bar wifi source without uprooting your existing setup.

Kudos on thinking ahead on this kind of stuff.

It's a more "advanced" router / firewall but the Mikrotik equipment is very powerful, especially for how much it costs. It's not a router common in a home setting, but lots of ISP's use the higher end models for the backbone of their networks.

This will outperform any off the shelf router you can buy at the stores:
https://www.amazon.com/Mikrotik-RB750Gr3-5-port-Ethernet-Gigabit/dp/B01MSUMVUB/

Since you have a month before the event this would give you time to get familiar with the router and make any changes you need.

The router doesn't have wireless, but my suggestion is to always use a separate AP for wireless anyways. Get a Unifi AP::

https://www.amazon.com/Ubiquiti-Unifi-Ap-AC-Lite-UAPACLITEUS/dp/B015PR20GY/

Now your thinking "I said there's going to be 6-8 people, and that router only has 4 lan ports!" Correct, you should use a switch:

https://www.amazon.com/TP-Link-Ethernet-Replacement-Unmanaged-TL-SG108/dp/B00A121WN6

The main benefit of running all these things separate from each other is you don't have to have them central to your gaming. The router can stay with the modem and just 1 cable has to run out to the switch.

Now if you are going to do this more often or want higher end gear, let me know and i'll offer up a different set of suggestions.

I disagree with WiFi. Always run things wired when you can. You can get switches cheap, This one on amazon for example:

TP-LINK TL-SG1008D 10/100/1000Mbps 8-Port Gigabit Desktop Switch, 10Gbps Switching Capacity https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001EVGIYG/ref=cm_sw_r_an_am_at_ws_us?ie=UTF8

Yes I know the pis are only 100 and this is gigabit but 100 switches are only a little cheaper or even more expensive. And this way you can always use the switch in the future. I have 3 switches in my little home network.

As for cabling you can get flat cat6 cable very cheap on amazon as well.

SF Cable, 6 ft Premium UltraFlat CAT6 550 MHZ Flat Patch Cable Black https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004ICQNHA/ref=cm_sw_r_an_am_at_ws_us?ie=UTF8

They make various lengths and none are more then about $10, choose the option that has you pay for shipping its a little cheaper. All if my cables with the exception of one is these flat cat 6 cables, by going with cat 6 you once again future proof yourself. (The cable that isn't is a shielded cat 7 cable that goes outside, out one window and down a floor and in another) I love the fact that its flat and can be easily tucked into carpet edges and even go through doors when taped down and still be able to close the door with no issues.

Depends on what else you are doing. The TL-WR841N only has 100Mbps ports, so you'd be limited to that speed, but that's more than enough for the steam link.

As long as you're only using the LAN ports on the tplink, you'l get wirespeed at 100Mbps.

On the other hand, you can get an 8 port gig switch for under $20 for some extra peace of mind, so I would personally. ;-)

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0000BVYT3/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_I1PhDb42NG8FY

Something like this would work (its what i use). A gigabit switch wont slow you down at all and should be pretty future proof. You just run one cable from your modem to the switch (input 1) and then plug your PCs into the other inputs. I would recommend running 2 cables though, if you're already running one, putting a back up cable in isnt much more trouble and will save you a lot of time if your primary cable gets cut or chewed up or anything like that, your backup would already be installed.

You'll need a router one way or another to connect multiple devices to a single internet connection, so no, you can't directly connect it to your PC.

I don't know what kind of setup you have, but here's mine in case it helps. I have a wifi router that I use for my home network. My miners connect to from the garage wirelessly, using a TP-Link N300 travel router (https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00TQEX8BO/ref=yo_ii_img?ie=UTF8&psc=1) in bridge mode connected to a TP-Link 5 port switch (https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000FNFSPY/ref=yo_ii_img?ie=UTF8&psc=1). If you have a wireless router and a single miner that is out of wired range, you can connect the N300 directly to the miner with an ethernet cable and put it in bridge mode to get the miner on the network wirelessly. If it's within wired range you'd just connect it directly to the router.

My setup was pretty much plug and play with DHCP, but YMMV.

I assume you want a cheap, easy managed switch so I would recommend this one. It's nothing great but the fact that it is managed and under $30, it's a good deal. If you need something larger than 5 ports, it has an 8 port option as well.

If you want something a little better, look at the Ubiquiti line.

Make sure you know what type of POE you need. Some devices (usually wifi APs) want 24V POE, and others need 802.3af/at (which is 48v). Since you already have a POE switch that is 802.3af/at compliant, I assume your IP cameras are also 802.3af/at compliant, so you should be good.

It's preferably to have one switch rather than two (better performance, less devices / points-of-failure), but it also comes down to preferences & budget. I recently picked up a used Nortel Baystack 5520 for dirt cheap (<$50), which is a datacenter-class 48 port gigabit ethernet switch. But it's also super loud (compared to consumer gear), and pretty power hungry. So - depends on your priorities!

(I'm not using the Nortel as my main networking switch - it's just something I'm using to learn layer 3 networking).

Another option would be a non-POE switch, but then pick up a POE midspan. We used these at work for our POE phones before we switched providers (the new provider leases us Cisco SG200 POE switches instead).

Nope, the other orientation is just too short.
It's sounds stupid but I think that needs to be the course of action. I'm just worried about the overheating when I stack them on top
Also, I wouldn't worry about tv cables, come to think of it, as tv comes over the network anyway for me.

So my shopping list is something like that:

https://www.amazon.com/Eleidgs-5-5x2-1mm-Female-Lights-Camera/dp/B01N05C85K/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=dc+y+cable&qid=1556370092&s=gateway&sr=8-3

2 x https://www.amazon.com/TP-Link-Ethernet-Optimization-Unmanaged-TL-SG108/dp/B00A121WN6/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=TL-SG1008D&qid=1556370937&s=gateway&sr=8-3

plus some mounting equipment. I would assume something U-shape like this |____| where two switches fit inside of the sides and on top of eachother sideways

A single S5 is going to be much more power efficient than running three S3s. If you have free/very cheap power then go with the S3s, otherwise get an S5.

Two 750w power supplies should work fine, just make sure that you have enough PCI-E ports, and that you don't connect the same blade to two separate power supplies.

You can run them off one Ethernet port from your router if you get a basic network switch like this or this.

Hope this helped!

If you can't run a line from the Ethernet cable in the basement to your game room, a separate router would be the best bet. Any dual band ac router will work. You can pick one up for about $60.

If you can, the best solution would be to use a mini switch to connect to the line in the basement and then run a line to the game room.

NETGEAR 5-Port Gigabit Ethernet Unmanaged Switch, Desktop, Internet Splitter, Sturdy Metal, Fanless, Plug-and-Play (GS305) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00QR6XFHQ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_zTY6AbSQT52MW

Or

TP-Link 5 Port Gigabit Ethernet Network Switch | Ethernet Splitter | Sturdy Metal w/ Shielded Ports | Life Time Warranty| Plug-and-Play | Traffic Optimization | Unmanaged (TL-SG105) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00A128S24/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_JUY6AbFBF1RXR

Netgears do have good reputation, I have that same model I believe, that runs 24/7 and has been for the past couple of years, 3 maybe

Edit:
Sorry I didn’t see where you needed an 8 porter. But nonetheless, these are great switches that I’m sure you can find in 5,8,10,24 ports

An easy way to set it up is to get this smart switch and connect it to your router. I find it extremely cheap cost wise, and it supports untagged VLAN traffic to specific ports. That means your device won't have to know it's on a VLAN and this switch will do the tagging for you.

If using wireless, then just use the wireless router.

If you want it to be hardwired, then you need 4 open Ethernet ports, 4 Ethernet cables, and something assigning IP addresses. In most cases, your wireless router at home is already assigning IP addresses via DHCP. Don't worry, this won't get any more technical.

Your router likely has Ethernet ports. 1 for the modem. This one is likely on the side, and my be a different color. Leave this one alone. Next, you likely have 4 other ports. If all of these are empty, or you can unplug something, then all you need are 4 Ethernet cables that are long enough and you are good to go.

If your router doesn't have 4 open ports, then you'd want an Ethernet switch with 5 or more ports. A 10/100 switch is plenty fast. Getting a Gigabit or 10/100/1000 switch would be overkill, but perfectly fine. Here is an example of a cheap switch. Now, you'll want 5 Ethernet cables. 1 to go from the wireless router to the switch, and 4 to go to the Xboxes. The length of each depends on your setup.

K.I.S.S. Is my motto. If you dont need anything more than basic switch functionality your best bet is a plug and play non-managed switch. You can get a nice Netgear 8-port off Amazon for $19.99.

​

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00KFD0SEA/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Do you know which Ubiquiti router would accomplish this? Would the Ubiquiti Unifi Security Gateway be the cheapest option?

Would this managed switch work as well? It seems to be quite a bit cheaper than the USG.

Also, by this does it mean it's not possible with my current setup?

Thanks!

If you don't mind going the pre-owned (read: Used) route, the Juniper EX2200 is quite a good option. This one in particular comes with 48 ports and full manageability (IIRC L2+?) for around $100 - and did I mention that it's a real enterprise-grade switch too?

But if you'd prefer something new and more easily manageable, either go with netgear stuff, or this TP-Link managed switch , or the HP 1920-8G . They're all solid options :)

hoe-lee shit I wish I would have known that. Thanks alot for clarifying that.

So, question then-- this the router I was using. Everything seems to be working fine as of now, however I am only using (2) 4mp 1080p cameras due to my processor only being an i3. I am building a new computer with an i5 processor with 32GB of ram. However, I would sure as hell like to head off another bottleneck issue before it happens. I am using this passive switch and this POE switch. Would you expect problems with the POE switch and just change to a multiport passive POE injector like this one. If you could share your opinion, I would sure be thankful.

> While you can technically split an Ethernet connection, a switch is a cleaner solution.

I know nothing about switches, so I googled it. It turns out I meant a switch, not a splitter. Here's an example: https://www.amazon.com/TP-Link-5-Port-Ethernet-Desktop-TL-SF1005D/dp/B000FNFSPY/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1499784992&sr=8-2&keywords=ethernet+splitter+1+to+4

>For WiFi just look for devices with 5Ghz and support for things like band steering and MIMO (multiple input/multiple output streams, basically improving speeds).

So, if I look for at least those minimum specs, it shouldn't matter what I get then? I'm not a power user and I don't upload much beyond consumer level stuff. I'm just trying to update my router so I don't have drops and I won't have reset it regularly.

That guy is just trying to upsell you. Switches are designed exactly for that scenario, three switches are not too many. I have six and I have NEVER had an issue.

However, I would say that it is infinitely easier and cheaper to run lines before the drywall goes up. Run lines and ports to places you MAY think you want a port. In your case, I would put one on each end of each bedroom, two in the living room, and two in the lower level, then put the central wiring in your master closet. That's where it typically goes so you can hide the wiring in something like this and it will looks nice and tidy.

That's 10 ports, which may seem like a lot, but nothing is forcing you to connect them all at once. An 8 Port Switch like this one is extremely cheap and will keep everything nice and tidy.

You've got two real options:

First is a switch like this for like ten bucks

This technically puts you on whatever network the campus' router is putting you on. They could keep everything isolated on a per port basis... or they could have you networked to internal resources... or even to the entire dorm. You could probably tell by opening up network places and seeing if anything pops up.

Second is a router. I'd say get a wireless one and then you'd be able to share your own wireless SSID to your phones/tablets/laptops or whatever. For 30$ you can get this Asus one. I like Asus because it's pretty easy to configure their stuff and you're able to use it as an AP, Repeater, Router or a plain old switch if you want to.

I'd suggest a router so you'll have your own firewall and you'll be able to setup your own wireless network in your dorm.