Reddit mentions of Tripp Lite 4U Hinged Wall Mount Patch Panel Bracket (N060-004)

Damn I didn't see the second and third pictures duh! So if you use that panel I showed you from amazon (or one like it, there's a lot of wires there) this may be a better choice.

https://www.amazon.com/TRENDnet-Unshielded-Wallmount-Compatible-TC-P24C6/dp/B0000AZK72/ref=sr_1_7?keywords=patch+panel+wall+mount&qid=1550278079&s=gateway&sr=8-7

This panel will work with cat5 or cat6, I can't tell what type of wiring you have there but you'll need that

You'll also need some way to mount it on the wall, I used one of these:

https://www.amazon.com/Tripp-Lite-Hinged-Bracket-N060-004/dp/B000E887XU/ref=sr_1_4?keywords=patch+panel+wall+mount&qid=1550278079&s=gateway&sr=8-4

Now with the patch panel, you don't need to put ends on the wire. You use a punch down tool and they go into little clip type things. It makes more sense if you look at the pictures. Here is a punch down tool:

https://www.amazon.com/TRENDnet-Punch-Krone-Blade-TC-PDT/dp/B0000AZK4D/ref=sr_1_5?keywords=punch+down+tool&qid=1550278185&s=gateway&sr=8-5

you're gonna need some patch cables to run from the patch panel to a switch. You're also gonna need a switch down there to connect all the ethernet cables together.

To mount the switch, you're gonna need a rack mount (to look the nicest, and a 19" rack switch).

A nice mount I used is this: https://www.amazon.com/NavePoint-Vertical-Mountable-Server-Hardware/dp/B01M151AOJ/ref=sr_1_4?keywords=vertical+rack+mount&qid=1550278400&s=gateway&sr=8-4

and then a switch, something like this (which I picked more or less at random) https://www.amazon.com/Linksys-LGS124-Rackmount-Unmanaged-Enclosure/dp/B00H1OQBLA/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=rack+mount+switch&qid=1550278467&s=gateway&sr=8-3 will do the job quite well. It's a gigabit unamanaged switch. You can spend a lot more if you want to, but this will probably do the job.

So from there, you need a cable from switch to that box in the first picture with the ethernet ports on the back.

That will give you wired internet in the whole house. Adding access points from there is trivial.

I know it's a lot of information, feel free to ask anything.

Edit: That verizon box in picture 3 looks like it might be more than just a modem, it might be a modem/router. If that's the case you can plug that into the switch. But if it's just a modem, that won't work even tho the ethernet port will physically connect. The best way to tell is that if it only has one ethernet port, then it's just a modem, if it has more than 1 then it's a modem/router.

The Short answer: Buy a PoE switch or a switch and a bunch of PoE injectors. It doesn't matter how you mount them but a rack is easy, just buy what's cheap. Don't expose any of the cameras externally, provide hard-copy as requested by LEO.

The Longer answer:

> So first, I assume I need to buy a rack for the wire closet to hold a managed switch, the DVR for the cameras and whatever else. What should I get? Open sides? Closed sides? How much power? I don't know anything about racks.

Assuming you have a finished or semi-finished (dry) basement, an open rack is fine. This model is inexpensive at $42 and has a hinged configuration to make wiring easy. 4U will give you 1U of patch, 1U of switch, and 2U for a shelf for the modem or other things. If you want to expand more the price stays pretty reasonable. You might want a power conditioner there if you don't have a UPS on the gear, for example.

> From what I have heard, there should be multiple VLANs. One for the outside cameras which the police and neighbors are always asking for, one for the common areas of the house, and one for the bedrooms which should probably not even be connected to the Internet like the rest of the cameras. I have heard that you can buy managed switches that support hardwired VLAN functionality.

Are you planning to expose cameras in a live feed? I wouldn't. There's no benefit to you, only risk of privacy violation and potential security risk if there's a flaw in the camera's software. What are you using to record these cameras? All of the cameras should go to that, and then you use whatever DVR software that solution provides to connect remotely if you'd like. If police or other want copies of footage you can provide it as an export if you'd like or tell them to pound sand if you don't.

That being said, if you want to make a separate VLAN or subnet for your cameras that's fine - a separate subnet may be easier for you since it doesn't require managed switches to work, but you'd need a router that can handle that kind of traffic (unless you want to use static IPs for cameras). VLANs work fine with a managed switch.

> If this is the case, what PoE managed switch(es) should I buy?

You have two main options here - you can use just about any managed switch and use PoE Injectors or you can buy a Managed switch with PoE built-in. The injector method is typically less expensive - you can use it with any switch - but IMO they're less reliable and more difficult to maintain. The built-in units are more expensive but you get much easier power and cable management. The ones I linked are examples but what you need exactly depends on what model cameras you have.

> Will a Verizon FiOS router support VLAN functionality, or should I replace it with a new router, or a downstream router? If so, what router?

It's highly unlikely it would. You can do port-based VLAN in the managed switch and just pass untagged packets outbound but you'll likely need a better router. I don't have a suggestion on this, it depends on what direction you take things in.


> If you have any suggestions as to the DVR (NVR) for the cameras, which one do you think I should get?

The DVR / NVR is a recorder, it takes the raw data stream from the cameras and records it in a format that you can use to review later. It can also do things like pan/tilt/zoom control on compatible cameras, combined remote feeds to apps or via browser, and adding time & date stamping to footage.

I'm a fan of using Synology DiskStations for NVR use but they are more expensive than alternatives. Ubiquiti has some interesting solutions but afaik they only work with Ubiquiti cameras. You're looking at a lot of channels to record on simultaneously, it might be cheaper to buy two smaller units. Not sure.

edit /u/Oceana3 post done ;)

Not OP, but here's one on Amazon: http://smile.amazon.com/dp/B000E887XU