Reddit mentions of TRENDnet 8-Port Gigabit GREENnet PoE+ Switch,TPE-TG44G, 4 x Gigabit PoE/PoE+ Up to 30 Watts/Port, 4 x Gigabit, 61W Power Budget, 16 Gbps Switch Capacity, Ethernet Unmanaged Switch, Lifetime Protection

Thank you so much for the advice. Looking through specs on this stuff is daunting, and I definitely missed the difference between the ER-X and ER-4. For $52, I'll probably still start with the ER-X, then I'll upgrade if someone finally brings us internet access worth writing home about.

I was thinking I wouldn't need PoE Injectors, but I suppose the ER-X will need one for itself to then passthrough. Is that right or do they both need it because they use too much power for the passthrough to be sufficient?

My current modem is a Netgear CM600. I also have a SB6141. Looks like neither is ready for gigabit, but they are probably not the bottleneck for me at the moment. Will plan to hold off until needed.

For the switch, wouldn't I want something with PoE built-in, like this, since I have plans for a few things that would take advantage of it?

> If it's temporary, just tape the cables to the walls/ceilings, you'll be okay.

Ha! When I fell through the ceiling, my wife insisted we rush to get the re-painting done while we were in the hospital for our twins' arrival, because she couldn't have her ceiling unpainted for months. It's not even worth asking if I can tape cables to the ceiling. Might get away with it for a weekend as a test or something.

​

Sorry this got really long. I thought I would try to be as detailed as possible in case you wanted to go this route. Also, I assumed cost wasn't an issue, so I went with the best (within reason) options. If the cost it too high, you could change the access points, not get the extra HP switch linked at the bottom or do a few other things to save money. If you have more questions, post back and I'll help if I can.





I have done a bunch of wireless networks and I found it to be the easiest setup for getting multiple access points to all work together on one network.

If you have ever configured the wireless settings on a router before, you should be fine. If not, it still won't be too hard.

A few things to know about wireless you might not:

• A SSID is the same as a wireless network name
  
• WPA2 encryption is generally the way to go for most people
  
• In the US, although there are 11 wireless channels, only 3 don't overlap/interfere with each other: 1, 6, 11
  
• If you setup multiple access points, you want them to have different channels, but the same SSID, password, and encryption type. This should allow most devices to switch automatically to the nearest access point without the user having to do anything.
  
  Depending on the construction and size of the house, you likely can get away with just 1 AP per floor. If you need to add more later, you always can. Each AP should be able to handle about 30-40 devices well, more if it has too. I would set it up like this:
  
  Buy 1 of these switches:
  
  http://smile.amazon.com/TRENDnet-8-Port-Gigabit-GREENnet-TPE-TG44g/dp/B008VK2XXS/
  
  and 3 Ubquiti Pros (there are 3 in this one box, so you would need 1 of the link here):
  
  http://smile.amazon.com/Ubiquiti-Networks-Enterprise-System-UAP-PRO-3/dp/B00DJERLFG/
  
  On the switch above, there are 8 ports, 4 have a thing called PoE, 4 are "regular" (ports 1-4 are PoE, 5-8 are not). Run 1 network cable from one of the 4 yellow network ports on your N900 router to one of the non-PoE ports on the TRENDNet switch (say port 8). Then using the patch panel and cables already run in the house, run a network cable from ports 1,2, and 3 in the TRENDNet switch, to the ports on the patch panel that go to the wall ports nearest where you want the access points to go (shoot for the middle of each floor for best coverage).
  
  If the patch panel isn't labeled, or you don't know what goes where, you will have to test them out. You can do this with trial and error, or buy a cable tester like this:
  
  http://smile.amazon.com/Generic-TET-028-2MX-p-Network-Cable-Tester/dp/B00118038Y/
  
  With that cable tester, you take one side and run a cable from one half f the tester to the wall port you want to use for the access point, then plug the other side in the patch panel, trying different locations until it lights up. When it does, you know you have the right one.
  
  Ok, so now you have the N900 connected by 1 cable to the TRENDnet switch, then PoE ports 1,2, and 3 hooked to patch panel in the places that go to the wall jacks where you want your access points. Now you will take another network cable and run it from that wall jack into the "main" network port on the access point. That TRENDnet will supply the power, so you don't have to plug it in to a wall outlet for power (that is what PoE is, Power over Ethernet).
  
  Give the access point a bit (maybe a minute or two at the most) and it should start blinking/glowing blue. The access points are made to be mounted to a wall or ceiling, which will get you the best coverage, but if you can't put holes in the wall or don't feel comfortable doing it, you could even just set them on a tall book case or something (that will reduce your range though).
  
  Now, go here: http://www.ubnt.com/download/?group=unifi-ap and download the UniFi Controller software for PC or Mac (whichever you have). Run it and install it.
  
  Here is a guide that likely explains better than I could (with pictures) the next steps from there (start at page 3):
  
  http://dl.ubnt.com/guides/UniFi/UniFi_Controller_UG.pdf
  
  Honestly, the initial setup should be enough, more likely than not. If you or someone has an android phone, install Wifi Analyzer:
  
  https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.farproc.wifi.analyzer
  
  and walk around the house looking at signal strength after the install is done. If you have I'd say -75dbi or lower (lower numbers mean stronger signal) everywhere you go, then you are done. If somewhere the signal is a lot weaker than that (or doesn't show up), you can just buy another access point, use port 4 on your TRENDNet, hook it up in the weak spot, go into the UniFi software and add it into your network.
  
  That should pretty much be it. There are a lot of really advanced settings you can mess with in the UniFi software, but for a home-type setting, you probably won't need it.
  
  As one other suggestion, consider replacing your current switch with something like this (this is a 24 port, don't know how many ports you need):
  
  http://smile.amazon.com/HP-1810-24G-Gigabit-Rack-Mountable-J9803A/dp/B009HQAMBA/
  
  You would then run 1 cable from your N900 to that switch, and then plug the rest of your non-access point ports in your patch panel into it. Encourage anyone that has a wired connection in their room/desk and that has a desktop or even a laptop to plug into the wired when at all possible. If needs be, even split out 1 cable run to their rooms using a switch like this:
  
  http://smile.amazon.com/TRENDnet-Unmanaged-Gigabit-GREENnet-TEG-S50g/dp/B001QUA6R0/
  
  to get as many people off of wireless as possible. The reason being, think of it like this:
  
  Each access point has 1 Gigabit connection (1000 Mpbs speed for simplicity). That 1000 speed connection is being shared by as many as 30-40 devices (maybe more), so each device gets at best 1000/40 = 25 Mbps.
  
  When someone uses their own cable run and doesn't use the wireless, they get their own 1000 Mbps connection, instead of having to share one with a bunch of other people.