First-timer to house networking

[camjocotem]

Hi there, UK-goer here.

 

Hoping to have add an attic network switch to feed out to my house's second floor rooms but am not sure if there's any best-practices.

Things I'm concerned about:

• Would a simple 8 port switch like this be fine in attic conditions? (Very dusty, can presumably get very hot/cold)
• While I've never experienced one, do I need to be concerned of anything catching fire?
• Any recommendations on a better managed switch to make use of Cat6 cabling?
• Is it worth putting a NAS server in the attic? (Again concerns of dust)
• Is it necessary to get a rack? (even a 6u one)

We're going to have one cable going from the router on the ground floor to switch in attic.

From the attic switch it'll ideally plug into a NAS also in the attic but also into a PoE switch which will be used for 2 outdoor cameras (may get a 3rd camera at some point)

 

Tldr; my main concerns are keeping the equipment working fine and not burning anything down

Edited April 23, 2021 by camjocotem
other reason

[Falcon1986]

@camjocotem

 

Heat is the enemy of any electronic. It may impair maximum performance and shorten the live of the device itself, especially if the switch is going to be constantly busy.

 

However, many pieces of network hardware are built to work in extremes of temperature. You’ll have to check the specifications to see if your attic temperature falls in that range on the worst of days. What are the highest and lowest temperatures that you record in the attic?

 

There are passively cooled and actively cooled switches out there. Obviously, the actively cooled ones with fans will perform slightly better in warmer environments, but if you have a lot of dust in that environment, that might make the situation worse as dust will collect on surfaces and impair heat dissipation.

 

You can find “industrial” switches which are built into cases that essentially function like a giant heat sink. Ubiquiti makes one, but there are others out there from different vendors. Obviously, they’re not going to be cheap.

 

I’d be more concerned about heat and the NAS, especially if the NAS has mechanical storage drives.