Picking network setup for first apartment

[ShadeWolf]

So I'm graduating college and moving for work and looking at what sort of network setup I want for a 1-2 bedroom apartment. I was thinking about setting up an old pc as a router like LTT did in an old video. Part of it for the benefits it might have for speeds/performance but part of it simply because it sounds like a cool tech project even if it's a little impractical/overkill.

 

I don't anticipate having amazing speeds in an apartment but was wondering what types of hardware people might recommend? I'll need a 2 port network pcie card, a switch and an access point but not sure what exactly I'm looking for?

 

Is any 2 port gigabit pcie card fine?

Is any 3-5 port gigabit switch fine?

What should I be looking at for an access point?

[SpookyCitrus]

What types of connections/isp you have in that complex will factor into this as well. The simplest, and most inexpensive way is to just go with what the isp provides, if you're not expecting much out of it anyway, no need to spend extra time and money on doing all that. 

 

The way I usually do it myself if I want full controllability is to buy a modem, router, and access point and set it up myself.

 

While setting up an old computer and doing what they did in the video is cool, it's not really worth it. They are better ways.

[ShadeWolf]

25 minutes ago, SpookyCitrus said:

What types of connections/isp you have in that complex will factor into this as well. The simplest, and most inexpensive way is to just go with what the isp provides, if you're not expecting much out of it anyway, no need to spend extra time and money on doing all that. 

 

The way I usually do it myself if I want full controllability is to buy a modem, router, and access point and set it up myself.

 

While setting up an old computer and doing what they did in the video is cool, it's not really worth it. They are better ways.

Fair enough, what hardware would you recommend going that route?

[GOTSpectrum]

24 minutes ago, SpookyCitrus said:

What types of connections/isp you have in that complex will factor into this as well. The simplest, and most inexpensive way is to just go with what the isp provides, if you're not expecting much out of it anyway, no need to spend extra time and money on doing all that. 

 

The way I usually do it myself if I want full controllability is to buy a modem, router, and access point and set it up myself.

 

While setting up an old computer and doing what they did in the video is cool, it's not really worth it. They are better ways.

Not only it is not often worth it, but IIRC they even mentioned a big drawback in the video. The power consumption. Old PCs are not very efficient for packet switching and routing, that's why we have ASICs for that task in modern-day networking equipment. 

Yes it is cool, but if you are that interested in playing with networking buy some old gear and set up a home lab. Something you can switch off to conserve power. 

[pcislocked]

try to learn what kind of WAN speeds you're going to get first - because going with a wifi 6E AP, 10Gbps and a 8 core pfsense box etcetc... won't be meaningful if you're going to get 250mbps dsl or something

[Bdavis]

An old thin client with a pci-e slot is a good route to go. I found one at a second hand pc shop for $25.

 

I highly recommend Intel nics as they tend to be reliable and have good driver support. 2 ports is plenty for most use cases.

 

Any gigabit switch will be decent. I like getting one with POE to power access points and cameras, but it's not necessary.

 

Ubiquiti access points are my go to. The u6 lite is a pretty good bargain at $100. I've heard decent things about TP-Link APs also. Used enterprise APs on ebay are a good way to go if you're on a shoestring budget.