Network Upgrade Help and Advice

[Harctona]

I'm new to the forums, and am not even sure I should post this here, but here goes anyway;

 

My current home networking solution is just the stock thing that the ISP provided, and has been fine so far, but recently my parents have opened the house up as a bed and breakfast and well, with about 18 devices hitting it at once, it's beginning to crack. With the signal dropping out all the time and speeds being awful. Over Ethernet everything if fine, 80 Mbps down and 25 up, but the WiFi has always been lacking, getting about a tenth of that on my phone.

 

I'm also worried about security, as my parents do their banking over the same WiFi that countless people have access to, would it be better to get two separate networks, or is there another way?

 

TL;DR:

 

I need a new networking solution to accommodate 15+ devices (mainly phones) and I know nothing about this stuff.

Security advice for basically public WiFi.

I really know squat about all this so any help would be wonderful. 

[x3x53530]

Your going to want a WiFi setup that has MIMO (Multiple In, Multiple Out) or MU-MIMO (Multiple User). These routers can handle more devices with ease. Many of these routers have Guest Networking as well. Your family can use the regular network and your guest will use the guest network to connect to the internet. This will keep the two networks separated and can be secured with different passwords. Just use WPA2 Personal setting and it will be fine. 

 

I am using an ASUS RT-AC87U with open source firmware as an access point for my WiFi. It works great for my setup. Your just going to need to know your budget as to what you can get.

[Harctona]

4 minutes ago, x3x53530 said:

Your going to want a WiFi setup that has MIMO (Multiple In, Multiple Out) or MU-MIMO (Multiple User). These routers can handle more devices with ease. Many of these routers have Guest Networking as well. Your family can use the regular network and your guest will use the guest network to connect to the internet. This will keep the two networks separated and can be secured with different passwords. Just use WPA2 Personal setting and it will be fine. 

 

I am using an ASUS RT-AC87U with open source firmware as an access point for my WiFi. It works great for my setup. Your just going to need to know your budget as to what you can get.

Thanks, that helps a lot. I'm going to feel like a complete moron here, but could you also explain what the difference is between a router, modem and access point is and if/how they interact and what I'm going to need? 

 

I really am a noob here. 

[x3x53530]

The router directs network traffic between different networks. Like traffic on 192.168.1.0/24 network to say 10.0.0.0/8 network. It is what allows your PC to get to the internet.

 

The modem is used to transmit your network traffic from you place to your ISP. Modems are required if you have DSL, Cable or old style dialup internet. At my place I have a fiber connection that doesn't use a modem.

 

The access point is a WiFi transceiver that connects wireless devices to the wired network. It doesn't have routing capability. A separate router is needed elsewhere on the network. 

 

At my old house I had cable internet. This used a cable modem that I connected my router to. My router at the time also had WiFi built in. This is the most common way a home network is setup. Today I have a router/firewall connected to the ONT where the fiber enters the building. Then my switch is connected to the router/firewall and the access point is connected to the switch. Most of my network is wired hence the need for the switch to provide more ethernet connections.

[Harctona]

@x3x53530

 

Looking at the 'HomeHub' the ISP provided, it is connected to the wall with a DSL cable. So my question now is, what would I require to set up a Multi User system with this cable and what hardware would you specifically recommend? (if anything)

 

Thanks in advance,

[x3x53530]

From what you are saying, you have a DSL modem connected with a RJ11 Phone cable (small plug with 4 wires) to the wall. This device acts as a modem and router with WiFi. Most of the time you can plug a different router into the ethernet port and just turn off the WiFi on the ISP's device. Your just disabling the routing and WiFi function and using it as only a modem. 

 

You should be able to lookup the brand and model number on the device on the ISP's website or google to find a manual on how to do just that. 

[Harctona]

@x3x53530

 

Awesome, sounds simple enough. What router and firmware would you recommend for what I'm needing? 

 

[skywake]

@Harctona

It's kinda the thing I'm suggesting to a few people lately for multiple problems but for good reason. I'd recommend you have a look at Ubiquiti's access points. Firstly because you can setup a second SSID specifically for guests with their own password. From what I understand (I haven't had a need to test it) it'll limit their access so that they can only go online. From there you can also limit their speed (which I have tested) or manage each of their devices in various other ways.

 

If coverage and speed is an issue then get more than one. Potentially the higher end ones if you're happy to spend that much. Because 18 devices isn't really that many in the grand scheme of things. The bigger issue would be your inability to limit the speed of your guests and of course the security concerns. If you can drop their speed down to ~20Mbps or so and isolate them from your network? If you can do that AND give yourself better WiFi? Everyone wins.

[Harctona]

@skywake

 

Is there a specific access point you'd recommend and how would it work with the setup I already have?

[beavo451]

Ubiquiti UAP-AC-PRO. They have their own controller that you use to manage them. You would just plug them into your network and go.

[x3x53530]

On my ASUS RT-AC87U I am using the ASUSWRT-MERLIN firmware. If you want to limit guest speed than you will have to get something that can do just that. Most consumer grade routers can't limit speeds. Mine can only limit the amount of time they can be on the internet.

 

Ubiquiti is a good upgrade from most consumer products like others have mentioned. They are not as expensive as enterprise brands such as Cisco or Juniper but give you many of the same features.

[Harctona]

@x3x53530 @beavo451 @skywake

 

So based on what you've all been saying; would getting this do the trick? 

 

Based on what I understand so far, I'd need to plug this into the ISP supplied hub, and disable wireless for said hub? 

[x3x53530]

Yes, your ISP's device won't need the wireless on since the AP will provide that. Just find a good place to mount it and connect it to your ISP's modem. Depending on the number of ports the modem has and your current network setup, you may need add a network switch between the modem and the rest of the network to expand the ports available. Then plug the AP into the switch and any other devices that you want to use a wired connection. 

 

This is like my home setup. My router/firewall only has one port for the inside network, but I needed 10 ports to connect all the wired devices including the AP.

 

That Ubiquiti AP is good. It comes with a power injector so the AP only needs the ethernet cable plugged into it for networking and power together. You just plug one cable to the ISP's modem (or switch if you use one) and the injector. Then plug one cable to the injector and the AP. By coming with a power injector it saves money on having to buy a switch that supports PoE (Power over Ethernet).

[Harctona]

Awesome, thanks so much for all your help. 

 

I hope this goes well, although i'll probably be back with more problems.

 

Thanks again

[beavo451]

I would get 2 APs. Put them at opposite ends to ensure solid coverage.

[Harctona]

@beavo451

 

Don't really have $420 to spend on solid coverage, range isn't really a problem

[skywake]

@Harctona

Yes, that should do the job. Also I wouldn't worry about buying a second one immediately because you can always add more later. Though I would look at the rest of their range while I was at it and see what other options there are before you go ahead. You might be better off with some other access point or combination of them. It really depends on what your layout is and how much effort it would be to connect them all together via cable.

 

But the AC-Pro is a good choice, it has a few extra features not found on some of the cheaper ones. It's also faster which is nice. Worst case scenario it's overkill which is a nice problem to have given your issue is your current setup being inadequate!

[Harctona]

Thank you all so much for your help. The security and speeds of my network are now incredibly reliable. I bought the AC-Pro and everything works great. Limiting speeds of users and not to mention a custom guest login portal. 

 

I'm so grateful for all your help and suggestions,

Harctona