Need help with home network setup/hardware.

[mrymr]

Hello! I'm new here and need some help with setting up a homenetwork,

So i'm going to get 100/100 Fiber the next month and are wondering what kind of setup will I need? 

The network will consist of a server, desktop pc, HTPC and various devices over Wifi. What kind of router do I need and do I need to get a switch? What are some important things to think about when setting up a home network?

 

Very grateful for any advice given.

[Vitalius]

Don't use Powerline unless it's for way out there, low bandwidth required, applications.

Get a high quality router. Expensive, but worth it imo. I own the ASUS RT-AC68U. The 66U is great too though and even then, you don't have to go this high end. 

A switch is only necessary if you have more Wired devices than your router can manage on it's own or if you already have one and it's old (i.e. 100/10 ports rather than gigabit ports). 

An important thing to consider is whether there is a bottleneck between your components. 

For example, I have 500 Mb/s Powerline. Most powerline adapters only have a 100/10 ethernet port on them. The connections have to leave the Powerline network somewhere, and wherever that is has to be >500 Mb/s to not have a bottleneck, so I specifically bought 1 adapter that had a Gigabit (1000) port on it for connection to my Router. 

Now, I told you not to use Powerline for anything bandwidth heavy because it's iffy at best honestly. I mean it works, but if you regularly move large files around, it sucks. So it sucks for me. 

Apply that to your network. You don't want a switch with 100/10 ports, and you don't want a router with them either. Although your internet connection by itself could barely, theoretically, fill them, imagine what happens when you are downloading something at 100 Mb/s and then you stream something from your NAS at the same time. It will be a bottleneck and the connection will get slower.

[mrymr]

Don't use Powerline unless it's for way out there, low bandwidth required, applications.

Get a high quality router. Expensive, but worth it imo. I own the ASUS RT-AC68U. The 66U is great too though and even then, you don't have to go this high end. 

A switch is only necessary if you have more Wired devices than your router can manage on it's own or if you already have one and it's old (i.e. 100/10 ports rather than gigabit ports). 

 

Okay sounds good. Since I will be transferring files between devices on the network should I look for something specific? The server will work as a fileserver and stream media to the HTPC and the desktop PC.

[Vitalius]

Okay sounds good. Since I will be transferring files between devices on the network should I look for something specific? The server will work as a fileserver and stream media to the HTPC and the desktop PC.

I updated my post by editing it. Check it for an example of something to consider. 

Not really. Any good router should be fine. 

[mrymr]

I updated my post by editing it. Check it for an example of something to consider. 

Not really. Any good router should be fine. 

 

Ok looks like I will have to do some reading about the  RT-AC66U and it's competitors . Thank you very much for your help! 

[seiny]

I updated my post by editing it. Check it for an example of something to consider. 

Not really. Any good router should be fine. 

Are you a networking guy?

[Vitalius]

Are you a networking guy?

Somewhat yeah. I work as an IT guy for a small company and handle a loooot of network stuff.

[skywake]

Wireless: You need wireless, you probably want good wireless anyways. However don't expect a new router/AP to solve all your issues. I've lost count of the number of times in the past I was sick of bad wireless performance and spent good money on wireless for only marginal improvements. If speed is your problem and you know specifically how much faster the new router will run in real world tests then awesome. If you know your router is near death then that's fine to. However if you're chasing after range then don't bother. Wireless range sucks. Look at other options like powerline, ethernet or maybe even just the placement of the router.

 

Powerline: All things being equal Powerline is great for streaming media to any fixed point throughout your house. Realistically the real world throughput will be ~40-50Mbps with either AV200 or AV500 with almost any sensible distance you throw at it. AV500 goes faster but what's the point of these adapters with two on the same powerboard? AV500 will drop to the same speeds as AV200 as soon as you place them a couple of rooms apart. Anyways, for streaming media these things will do their job especially given that you'll likely use it as a point to point link. The problem with wireless is mostly range and interference, that's where powerline takes over.

 

Ethernet: Is a pain to run through the house but it does what it says. Gigabit is Gigabit. Period. Also even with it being a pain it's still cheaper than the other options.

 

Ideal setup: Find a central location to sit your wireless access point, router and other hardware. Run Ethernet through the walls to everywhere you think you'll sit a PC, TV or any other fixed internet connected device. If there's anywhere where Ethernet is difficult to run or if you want to setup a temporary connection out to your patio sometimes then use powerline for that. Run all of your cables into one switch, don't daisy chain. Get some network storage because NAS is awesome.

[mrymr]

Wireless: You need wireless, you probably want good wireless anyways. However don't expect a new router/AP to solve all your issues. I've lost count of the number of times in the past I was sick of bad wireless performance and spent good money on wireless for only marginal improvements. If speed is your problem and you know specifically how much faster the new router will run in real world tests then awesome. If you know your router is near death then that's fine to. However if you're chasing after range then don't bother. Wireless range sucks. Look at other options like powerline, ethernet or maybe even just the placement of the router.

 

Powerline: All things being equal Powerline is great for streaming media to any fixed point throughout your house. Realistically the real world throughput will be ~40-50Mbps with either AV200 or AV500 with almost any sensible distance you throw at it. AV500 goes faster but what's the point of these adapters with two on the same powerboard? AV500 will drop to the same speeds as AV200 as soon as you place them a couple of rooms apart. Anyways, for streaming media these things will do their job especially given that you'll likely use it as a point to point link. The problem with wireless is mostly range and interference, that's where powerline takes over.

 

Ethernet: Is a pain to run through the house but it does what it says. Gigabit is Gigabit. Period. Also even with it being a pain it's still cheaper than the other options.

 

Ideal setup: Find a central location to sit your wireless access point, router and other hardware. Run Ethernet through the walls to everywhere you think you'll sit a PC, TV or any other fixed internet connected device. If there's anywhere where Ethernet is difficult to run or if you want to setup a temporary connection out to your patio sometimes then use powerline for that. Run all of your cables into one switch, don't daisy chain. Get some network storage because NAS is awesome.

 

 

Thanks for the awesome info! It's for an apartment so I dont think the wifi will be that much of a problem. All machines that need really fast transfer rates will go trough ethernet, the server, dekstop PC and HTPC.

And yes i'm looking into putting up a NAS with ubuntu/samba  , I like to DIY as much as possible  .