I'm Bad at Networks, How should I set this up

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Aireoth

Supreme [H]ardness
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Oct 12, 2005
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Good Morning [H] (or afternoon, evening and goodnight),

I'm renovating my home, rebuilding the basement, and now is a good time to upgrade/fix my network. I'm pretty rough in my network knowledge, but would like to do this right.

I have a 100mbs cable connection (can upgrade it to 150) and run 5 hardwired connections, and 7 wifi devices. The asus router I use struggles to keep up sometimes, and is particularly hard on my PS4.

I'd like to upgrade the system, switch over 2 of the wifi devices to hardwired, making 7 hardwired and 5 wifi devices (phones and tablets mostly).

My home is wired with Cat 6 cabling, and is 1200sq/ft on the main floor, 1000sq/ft on the second floor, and the basement will be roughly 800 sq/ft once done. Router is currently at the back of the house (worst spot ever) but I'll be moving the wifi component to the middle of the house.

From the back of the house, the wifi just barely reaches the front, so middle should be fine.

What kind of system do I need, I'm guessing switch + router? Should I be separating my WIFI from the main network as it only runs mobile devices and the guest devices (I heard that the slowest thing connected slows the network)?

Thanks for your help!
 
can't really go wrong with a edgerouter ER-X, an edgeswitch of some type (or cheaper switch if you don't need the features) and a ubiquiti ac-lite wireless access point

put the access point as centrally as you can, probably best on the top floor if that's possible, you might desire to have a 2nd in your basement

for this to work, you have to not be afraid of getting your hands dirty with configuration, but you'll be richly rewarded if you put in the effort...
 
goodcooper said:
can't really go wrong with a edgerouter ER-X, an edgeswitch of some type (or cheaper switch if you don't need the features) and a ubiquiti ac-lite wireless access point

put the access point as centrally as you can, probably best on the top floor if that's possible, you might desire to have a 2nd in your basement

for this to work, you have to not be afraid of getting your hands dirty with configuration, but you'll be richly rewarded if you put in the effort...
Click to expand...

Is there a good guide for configuration?
 
Depending on your level of remodeling, run conduit where ever you can. Makes adding a extra wire/fiber much easier. Pick a spot for your main hub closet and add an power outlet there. Get rid of the need for extension cords. Consider a POE capable switch there and use that to power your remote APs and switches. Get rid of the need for wall warts. If you power your POE switch with a UPS, your internal network will be mostly immune to minor power flickers or such and can work for a while during brief power outages.

I prefer to keep WiFi separate from my primary network. Makes security easier. Give the guests an IP range that can't access your internal network. You can give your wifi devices a reserved IP that can go internal if there is a need. Plan for a separate IOT network if you think you might go that way at some point.
 
I would not get the unifi router unless you enjoy tinkering. The ideal setup would 2 to 3 unifi aps a unifi poe switch and a unifi security gateway. A bit overkill but it will be rock solid. PS the ps4 if on Wi-Fi always sucks no matter what.
 
Vengance_01 said:
I would not get the unifi router unless you enjoy tinkering. The ideal setup would 2 to 3 unifi aps a unifi poe switch and a unifi security gateway. A bit overkill but it will be rock solid. PS the ps4 if on Wi-Fi always sucks no matter what.
Click to expand...
Not to threadjack, but I received a Mikrotik router for Christmas. I also have Unifi AC AP's.

Should I return the Mikrotik and get the Security Gateway?
 
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Kelvarr said:
Not to threadjack, but I received a Mikrotik router for Christmas. I also have Unifi AC AP's.

Should I return the Mikrotik and get the Security Gateway?
Click to expand...
What is your POE Switch? You need a switch as the Security Gateway needs a switch as well. I would recommend getting the Security Gateway and Unifi POE based switch with enough ports to cover all your devices :)
 
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Vengance_01 said:
What is your POE Switch? You need a switch as the Security Gateway needs a switch as well. I would recommend getting the Security Gateway and Unifi POE based switch with enough ports to cover all your devices :)
Click to expand...

No POE switch yet. I literally just got the AP's, as in, they showed up today. I was planning on using the POE injectors with my current 8-port unmanaged gigabit switch in the short term while I found a POE switch.

I just didn't know if the USG was worth 2x the cost of the Mikrotik.
 
Kelvarr said:
No POE switch yet. I literally just got the AP's, as in, they showed up today. I was planning on using the POE injectors with my current 8-port unmanaged gigabit switch in the short term while I found a POE switch.

I just didn't know if the USG was worth 2x the cost of the Mikrotik.
Click to expand...
You just gain more visibility but what you have should work fine. I use an old Netgear router with Wireless disabled, cheap 8 port switch and POE injectors. Setup works perfectly :)
 
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