Tax return sanity check.

IkeaGnome · April 21, 2021

So I've been toying around with the idea of hard wiring ethernet through the house since I bought it 2 years ago. I'm about ready to pull the trigger on parts for this. I'd like to run CAT6 just for the later on upgradability and the hopes that we actually get fiber from our ISP like they're saying. Supposedly in the next 4 years or so it should be ran to my house. The other reason for CAT 6 is my NAS. I'm running Unraid, and it's more of a server to host for friends for simpler games, and a media server.

I would like to run the LP access point from Unifi. I am also toying with the idea of a possible second one down the line to get WiFi into the garage.

My idea is a homerun from the bottom middle of the picture where my ethernet comes in from the ISP, to the closet with the switch. The room with that closet has a total of 6 ethernet ports. His and hers computers, and 2 in the closet more or less as a spot to be able to plug stuff in as needed until my Unraid goes rack mount then it'll go in there. For now it'll be near my desk plugged into the same port as my computer. With those two potentially having the NAS go back and forth between them periodically, would it make more sense to run two separate cables to those wall plates?

The living room has 4 connectors. Currently we have a TV in there, but have been toying with the idea of getting rid of that and just putting a projector in. Hang it from the ceiling and have a drop down screen over the 3 closets on the wall to the left of the living room. That plate wouldn't actually be in the floor.

That being said, Unifi doesn't currently have their 24 POE switch in stock. What would be a good budget alternative?

Would a secure gateway make sense for me?

Is there anything big I missed? For now the switch and possible gateway would be on a table in the closet. They would end up rack mounted in that closet eventually though.

Spoiler

Falcon1986 · April 24, 2021

On 4/21/2021 at 10:46 AM, IkeaGnome said:

I would like to run the LP access point from Unifi.

You mean 'LR' for long range? Ubiquiti's current lineup has the UAP-AC-LR (WiFi 5) and the U6-LR-US (WiFi 6). The latter is quite a performer.

On 4/21/2021 at 10:46 AM, IkeaGnome said:

would it make more sense to run two separate cables to those wall plates?

If you can afford it and there is enough space to run ethernet in parallel, I'd say go for it. Some people run link aggregation between their NAS and switch for extra bandwidth headroom within the LAN.

On 4/21/2021 at 10:46 AM, IkeaGnome said:

That being said, Unifi doesn't currently have their 24 POE switch in stock. What would be a good budget alternative?

You don't have to buy directly from Ubiquiti. Actually, if you can find a reseller in your area, you might get a better deal from them. That's because resellers usually get discounts for buying hardware in bulk which they can pass on to their customers.

If one isn't available, there are always alternate online resellers. Newegg and BHPhotoVideo usually have Ubiquiti stock. You can also check out BalticNetworks.com which not only sells individual items, but also in larger volumes.

On 4/21/2021 at 10:46 AM, IkeaGnome said:

Would a secure gateway make sense for me?

Should you want full management and integration of your UniFi network using the controller, the UDM-Pro is a great option. But you can always do what you want. pfSense- and Untangle-based appliances have quite a bit of features that you can look in to. Plus you can run them on your own hardware or get a pre-built system (e.g. Netgate, Protectli, etc.).

On 4/21/2021 at 10:46 AM, IkeaGnome said:

Is there anything big I missed?

I think you have a good plan and layout. Keep us updated on your progress.

IkeaGnome · April 24, 2021

12 minutes ago, Falcon1986 said:

You mean 'LR' for long range? Ubiquiti's current lineup has the UAP-AC-LR (WiFi 5) and the U6-LR-US (WiFi 6). The latter is quite a performer.

I did mean LR. The UAP-AC-LR to be exact. I'm not too worried about having WiFi 6 yet. At the end of the day, I'm limited by my ISP to about 800Mbps. No Gigabit here yet. Since the access point would pretty much only be used for outward traffic, I'm fine with that. Part of my hopes with it is property coverage. Detached shop, metal siding, insulation and then metal interior siding. I haven't been able to get WiFi out there except for in the narrow area that you can see from the house facing door. I'd like to run ethernet out there and another AP, but my driveway is paved and is still too new to tear up to run a cable.

16 minutes ago, Falcon1986 said:

If you can afford it and there is enough space to run ethernet in parallel, I'd say go for it. Some people run link aggregation between their NAS and switch for extra bandwidth headroom within the LAN.

There's plenty of room to run parallel. A 1000' spool should give me plenty for that as well. I purposefully did the lines in the UniFi tool at odd shapes to over estimate distance. Even with that I'm at less than half a spool. I was also planning on doing link aggregation. To add to this, I'm just going to run the wires through the retrofit gang boxes, down into the crawl space, then back up under the back wall of the closet. I've got plenty of space for running parallel. The only one that would be different is the AP. I'd run that through the attic and down to the ceiling.

20 minutes ago, Falcon1986 said:

You don't have to buy directly from Ubiquiti. Actually, if you can find a reseller in your area, you might get a better deal from them. That's because resellers usually get discounts for buying hardware in bulk which they can pass on to their customers.

If one isn't available, there are always alternate online resellers. Newegg and BHPhotoVideo usually have Ubiquiti stock. You can also check out BalticNetworks.com which not only sells individual items, but also in larger volumes.

Resellers is where I get put in a rough spot. Alaska. Currently, I've got everything in an Amazon cart waiting for me to get a little closer to being home to order. That being said, even just a quick look shows them selling the AP for less than Amazon. For us up here, Amazon tends to be easiest. Most places wont ship up here etc or when they do, it's an arm and a leg. It's hard to beat free 2 day shipping. I'm going to give Baltic Networks a look for sure!

24 minutes ago, Falcon1986 said:

integration

This was one of the reasons why I was looking so hard at Ubiquiti and Unifi in general. I'd like to do some smart home stuff, without having it hard linked to Amazon or Google. My NAS runs on Unraid, and has more than enough overhead for a VM or two. The idea of being able to later on have a camera or two and locally save video feed without hard linked to Google or the others. I've also decided since the OP to move my NAS over to rack mount and get a little rack. So it's going to be a large overhaul project.

29 minutes ago, Falcon1986 said:

I think you have a good plan and layout. Keep us updated on your progress.

Glad to hear it at least looks like a good plan and layout. I bought the house 2 summers ago and have started a thread or two on here, but then other projects got in the way.