New House Wiring / Home Network Setup Suggestions

Katalysis

[H]ard|Gawd
Joined
Aug 8, 2008
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Looking for some suggestions on the best way to set up this network.

Short version: I have Cat5e wired through the house to the basement where the lines terminate. Can/should I install an unmanaged switch in the basement and put a four-port router/switch elsewhere in the network for the rooms where I need more than one RJ45 port?

Long version:

My wife and I just bought a house. It was just built last year, but rather than install RJ45 wall covers, the prior owners or builder went with coax / RJ11 wall plates. They did, thankfully, run Cat5e to all the outlets, so I will be installing new plates for coax/RJ45. I currently have cable internet and DirecTV. Fiber optic is being installed on my street, so I will be ditching Comcast to go with the fiber company, which means I an run the whole network with RJ45 and leave the coax for my DirecTV.

The Cat5e lines terminate in the basement, and are presently uncapped, so I will strip, crimp, and cap them. There will probably be 8 physical cables, max.

The only issue I have is where to put my wireless router. I have a DirecTV genie box, PS3, 360, and Wii in one room, so I need some sort of additional switch because there is only one Cat5e run to that room. Would I be ok running the switch to the uplink port on the router and then plugging all the devices into the router's 4 ports?

I assume I am doing this wrong and need to the switch to be behind the router, right? Otherwise, there is nothing routing the internet. So, what I actually need to do is have the income line go to the uplink on the router, run the router to the switch, and then I would need a secondary switch for the genie, PS3, and 360?
 
Stick the modem/fiber box in the basement along with the router and switch and just get a small 5 port switch for the living room. Easiest and cheapest.
 
As for wireless in your home, the wireless router's signal is unlikely to penetrate in to all rooms so you may need an additional access point to service the furthest areas. I'm assuming your home though is rather large and possibly two story.
 
Both great ideas. I run my router in my basement, I have a 24 port switch uplinked into one router port and then EVERYTHING goes into my 24 port switch. In my opinion you will always want more than one access point in a multi-story house, so you can get multiple wireless routers (run them in AP mode) and hook them into the switch in the basement using your existing wiring. This gives you not only better wireless access throughout the house, but also extra ports wherever these routers are located.

Don't forget with multiple AP's, use different channels, but the same SSID.
 
Both great ideas. I run my router in my basement, I have a 24 port switch uplinked into one router port and then EVERYTHING goes into my 24 port switch. In my opinion you will always want more than one access point in a multi-story house, so you can get multiple wireless routers (run them in AP mode) and hook them into the switch in the basement using your existing wiring. This gives you not only better wireless access throughout the house, but also extra ports wherever these routers are located.

Don't forget with multiple AP's, use different channels, but the same SSID.

This.... I have an AP up the antenna tower outside though because I want wifi not just in my entire house but down the road where I'm at fairly often. My wifi/router is in the basement and the AP up the tower covers the upstairs nicely.
 
Pretty much same situation for me (2 story house with cat5e in the walls going to rj-11 plates). I swapped wall plates, stuck a patch panel in the basement, built a shelf that holds my 8 port gig switch and modem (cable came in the same location). I mounted my old dir-655 router in a central location in the basement, ran a cat5 line from the modem to the router, and then a cat5 line from the router back to the switch. Works like a champ even with the one AP in the basement. I have a little 5 port switch in the living room for slingbox/bluray player/receiver. Range works fine but we really dont use the upstairs at all yet (no kids), but I plan on upgrading to a asus rt-n66u which should cover the whole house (not that the dlink isnt able to). It may be best though to go with 2 APs (one in the basement and a 2nd upstairs). Really depends on the environment (number of neighboring SSIDs etc). Jealous of the fiber. One day.....
 
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