networking House Networking Options

[MattWeiler]

We've been having some issues with our home network lately and I'm starting to upgrade it.

I'm just looking for some feedback from the community on what you guys think I should get to suite my needs.

 

 

Existing Network

Until recently, I was using an Asus AC-3200 router for my home networking needs.

I set my ISPs modem into bridge mode.

 

I recently removed the Asus AC-3200 from my network and re-enabled the routing and access point features of my ISPs modem/router.

But since this won't due for the long term as the ISPs modem/router struggles to supply internet to all of our devices.

 

I've just ordered a new wired router and access point (I should get them early this coming week):

https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B007B60SCG/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=A3DWYIK6Y9EEQB&psc=1

https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B015PRCBBI/ref=ox_sc_act_title_2?smid=AWVJU9ISTX9YJ&psc=1

 

 

The Issues

I've had the Asus AC-3200 router for just over 2 years but for the past 2 months it's been crapping out on me far too often.

The router would just stop providing a network connection but everything would look fine in the web management tool.

Restarting it would normally get it back up and running, but only for a little while.

 

 

Our Connected Devices

We have 2x PCs, 1 NAS/Plex Server, 3x laptops, and many other connected devices (thermostat, 3x smoke detectors, printer, 2x google home mini and 3x phones) in our house.

Also, I'm planning to get 3-4 IP cameras in the near future.

 

My NAS/Plex Server is running 24/7 and I want good speeds out of this beast.

https://ca.pcpartpicker.com/b/TkvV3C

 

 

My Plan

I want to install a 10Gb switch in my network and have everything, including the wireless access point(s), run from the switch.

I might get another wireless access point, it depends on how well the 1 that I've ordered can handle the load.

I was thinking about getting an wireless access point that would just be used for the IOT devices.

 

The wired router will just feed the switch.

In my house the only devices that I want to have connected via a 10Gb connection are my main PC and my NAS/Plex Server; the rest of my devices will never need those kind of intranet speeds.

 

The switch that I was looking at is:

https://www.amazon.ca/Netgear-Unmanaged-10-Gigabit-Multi-Gigabit-GS110MX-100NAS/dp/B076642YPN/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1532882508&sr=1-1&keywords=10gb+switch&dpID=31JUF3%2B0tvL&preST=_SX300_QL70_&dpSrc=srch

This switch only has 2 10Gb ports, but that would work fine for me since I only want my NAS and main PC connected at those speeds.

 

The 10Gb NIC that I was looking at is (planning to get 2 - 1 for the NAS and 1 for my main PC):

https://www.amazon.ca/Asus-XG-C100C-Network-Adapter-Single/dp/B072N84DG6/ref=sr_1_4?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1532882508&sr=1-4&keywords=10gb+switch&dpID=41zOefaipLL&preST=_SX300_QL70_&dpSrc=srch

I'll need 2 since I want 1 for my NAS and 1 for my main PC.

 

 

Questions

What do you guys think of the switch and NIC that I've selected?

Do you guys have any other recommendations?

[Electronics Wizardy]

Id go with something with sfp+ ports for 10gbe, lower power, cheaper nics.

 

Managed switches are nice.

 

Id get something like this for the switch https://www.amazon.com/TP-Link-JetStream-24-Port-Ethernet-T1700G-28TQ/dp/B01CHP5IAC/ref=sr_1_5?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1532887560&sr=1-5&keywords=sfp%2B+switch&dpID=41cigpYGimL&preST=_SX300_QL70_&dpSrc=srch

 

 

 

[Alex Atkin UK]

Are you sure its worth going 10GiG?  Unless your NAS is using RAID and you are constantly moving your video collection between devices (which also have RAID), its not going to really offer any benefit.

 

You'd need several clients pulling off very high bitrate 4K content at the same time to need it.

 

I know its tempting to go "I'm rebuilding so I will go for the best", but if you wait to go 10GiG until you ACTUALLY need it, odds are it will be WAY cheaper by then.

[Levisallanon]

18 hours ago, MattWeiler said:

The Issues

I've had the Asus AC-3200 router for just over 2 years but for the past 2 months it's been crapping out on me far too often.

The router would just stop providing a network connection but everything would look fine in the web management tool.

Restarting it would normally get it back up and running, but only for a little while.

Would all the devices lose connection or only some? This router was only providing wifi coverage or also the lan connections?

18 hours ago, MattWeiler said:

I've just ordered a new wired router and access point (I should get them early this coming week):

https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B007B60SCG/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=A3DWYIK6Y9EEQB&psc=1

https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B015PRCBBI/ref=ox_sc_act_title_2?smid=AWVJU9ISTX9YJ&psc=1

Think you bought a router with options you are never going to use. Especially because you seem to be going with a Ubiquity access point I would have gone for one of their routers, but I don't know if your ISP has a list which you can pick from? Still it seems like it's quite an okay router.
I do wonder since you bought an ubiquity access point, where will you be running the controller? Will you run this on your plex server or will you be using a cloud account?

18 hours ago, MattWeiler said:

My Plan

I want to install a 10Gb switch in my network and have everything, including the wireless access point(s), run from the switch.

I might get another wireless access point, it depends on how well the 1 that I've ordered can handle the load.

I was thinking about getting an wireless access point that would just be used for the IOT devices.

 

The wired router will just feed the switch.

In my house the only devices that I want to have connected via a 10Gb connection are my main PC and my NAS/Plex Server; the rest of my devices will never need those kind of intranet speeds.

 

The switch that I was looking at is:

https://www.amazon.ca/Netgear-Unmanaged-10-Gigabit-Multi-Gigabit-GS110MX-100NAS/dp/B076642YPN/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1532882508&sr=1-1&keywords=10gb+switch&dpID=31JUF3%2B0tvL&preST=_SX300_QL70_&dpSrc=srch

This switch only has 2 10Gb ports, but that would work fine for me since I only want my NAS and main PC connected at those speeds.

 

The 10Gb NIC that I was looking at is (planning to get 2 - 1 for the NAS and 1 for my main PC):

https://www.amazon.ca/Asus-XG-C100C-Network-Adapter-Single/dp/B072N84DG6/ref=sr_1_4?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1532882508&sr=1-4&keywords=10gb+switch&dpID=41zOefaipLL&preST=_SX300_QL70_&dpSrc=srch

I'll need 2 since I want 1 for my NAS and 1 for my main PC.

Some general feedback on the plan:
- A 10Gb switch is nice but your AP doesn't support 10 Gb nor does your router. Looking at your devices it seems to me that only the plex server and the pc's will be using this wired 10 Gb connection. Also I wonder if the cabling in your house is actually Cat6 or higher. if not it won't even support 10Gb. If you are using your plex server a lot from multiple devices at once it might be usefull. From what I understand plex uses a maximum bitrate which results in a bandwith use of 40 Mbs. So if you want to saturate a 1 Gb connection with plex you need 25 devices simultanously streaming HD video from it already. So I don't think you will saturate the plex server even with a 1 gb connection (unless you are using even higher bitrates as I could find with a simple google search).
- Keep in mind the ubiquity AP's are powers with PoE so you do need to place for the PoE injector somewhere along the way|
- Ubiquity devices can provide multiple SSID's per AP, so you could just set up another vlan and SSID for the IOT Devices
- Do note that if you want to use multiple AP's from ubiquity they need to be appart enough.

So in conclusion I think you can save yourself a lot of money by going with gigabit instead of 10gb.

[MattWeiler]

23 hours ago, Electronics Wizardy said:

Id go with something with sfp+ ports for 10gbe, lower power, cheaper nics.

 

Managed switches are nice.

 

Id get something like this for the switch https://www.amazon.com/TP-Link-JetStream-24-Port-Ethernet-T1700G-28TQ/dp/B01CHP5IAC/ref=sr_1_5?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1532887560&sr=1-5&keywords=sfp%2B+switch&dpID=41cigpYGimL&preST=_SX300_QL70_&dpSrc=srch

 

 

 

About 2 years ago I did buy 2 sfp+ NICs and a single cable for them when my NAS was sitting right next to my main PC.

You're definitely right that it's a lot cheaper that way and it was fun setting-up a separate network between those 2 PCs.

 

But we recently moved from our condo into a new house, and now my NAS is in the basement while my main PC is on the 2nd floor.

That sfp+ cable that I have isn't long enough and really isn't for in-wall installations.

 

I did however buy a 1000' spool of CAT6A cable which I've already ran through the walls and it can support 10Gb speeds.

I don't need to go 10Gb right now, but when I do buy a switch (which doesn't have to be too soon), I want it to be capable for my needs/wants.

[MattWeiler]

5 hours ago, Alex Atkin UK said:

Are you sure its worth going 10GiG?  Unless your NAS is using RAID and you are constantly moving your video collection between devices (which also have RAID), its not going to really offer any benefit.

 

You'd need several clients pulling off very high bitrate 4K content at the same time to need it.

 

I know its tempting to go "I'm rebuilding so I will go for the best", but if you wait to go 10GiG until you ACTUALLY need it, odds are it will be WAY cheaper by then.

To be honest, the storage medium that I'm using in my NAS wouldn't have a chance at maxing out the 10Gb speeds, but it's just something that I want to do not that I need to do.

 

I'm not planning to buy the switch right now, but I would like to get a decent switch in the next 12 months or so.

The wired router and AP that I ordered should be able to take care of my immediate needs. Although I may need 1 additional AP, but we'll see how the 1 handles the load.

[MattWeiler]

4 hours ago, Levisallanon said:

Would all the devices lose connection or only some? This router was only providing wifi coverage or also the lan connections?

Think you bought a router with options you are never going to use. Especially because you seem to be going with a Ubiquity access point I would have gone for one of their routers, but I don't know if your ISP has a list which you can pick from? Still it seems like it's quite an okay router.
I do wonder since you bought an ubiquity access point, where will you be running the controller? Will you run this on your plex server or will you be using a cloud account?

Some general feedback on the plan:
- A 10Gb switch is nice but your AP doesn't support 10 Gb nor does your router. Looking at your devices it seems to me that only the plex server and the pc's will be using this wired 10 Gb connection. Also I wonder if the cabling in your house is actually Cat6 or higher. if not it won't even support 10Gb. If you are using your plex server a lot from multiple devices at once it might be usefull. From what I understand plex uses a maximum bitrate which results in a bandwith use of 40 Mbs. So if you want to saturate a 1 Gb connection with plex you need 25 devices simultanously streaming HD video from it already. So I don't think you will saturate the plex server even with a 1 gb connection (unless you are using even higher bitrates as I could find with a simple google search).
- Keep in mind the ubiquity AP's are powers with PoE so you do need to place for the PoE injector somewhere along the way|
- Ubiquity devices can provide multiple SSID's per AP, so you could just set up another vlan and SSID for the IOT Devices
- Do note that if you want to use multiple AP's from ubiquity they need to be appart enough.

So in conclusion I think you can save yourself a lot of money by going with gigabit instead of 10gb.

Thanks for all your feedback

 

My existing router was providing WIFI and LAN coverage.

My setup was just my ISP modem (in bridge mode) feeding my router.

 

When I would loose connections, it would only be to some devices at first, but then the router would stop serving internet to all devices after approx 10-60 mins.

A reboot would get things up and running again, but overall it was not a very good experience.

 

I was having a hell of a time finding a decent wired router; frankly Ubiquity's offerings are too expensive.

I understand that the router that I got has features that I'll never use, but it seems like a solid router based on the reviews.

 

In fairness, I've never had a Ubiquity device before, my understanding is that you only need to configure it once from a PC and then it should run on it's own.

If I do need to have a controller running for it, I'll run that on my NAS.

 

You're correct, the only devices that I want to have a 10Gb connection are the NAS and main PC.

This would ensure that my NAS should never have network congestion issues.

Also, I'm planning to put-in some IP cameras in the future and just install a few WD purple drives in my NAS for the video recording.

 

We recently moved into our new house and I bought a 1000' spool of CAT6A cable which I've been running throughout the house.

 

When it comes to Plex, you can configure the maximum bitrate for clients within the same network and for remote clients.

For my internal clients, I have the setting to full RAW quality, this can be a lot of data with my 4K content.

I do limit external clients to 8Mbps, but my external clients are just my brother, his gf and my dad; so my 30Mbps upload speed has been enough so far.

 

My plan was to put the PoE injector in the basement with the router and have a short ethernet cable run from the router to the PoE injector and then onto the AP.

From what I've read, there is no distance restriction for the power being transmitted over PoE cables (the distance restriction is for the data).

 

I was planning to setup a VLAN for my IOT devices, hoping that will let me manage things better.

 

What kind of distance would I need to have between 2 Ubiquity APs?

 

I agree that I definable don't need 10Gb speeds in my network, and I could save a lot of money by sticking with 1Gb speeds, it's more just for fun if I can do so while keeping the prices reasonable (very subjective).

But I am glad that I put in CAT6A cables so that if I do decide to go 1Gb for now, I can always just replace some networking devices and be ready for 10Gb speeds in the future

[MattWeiler]

It's funny, while I wait for my new router and AP, I'm using my ISPs modem/router as an all-in-one solution.

 

After 1 weekend of moderate use, I'm working from home today, and the modem/router crapped out

I had to power cycle it and now it's running again.

 

I can't wait to get my new devices and put my modem back into bridge mode.

[Levisallanon]

16 minutes ago, MattWeiler said:

When I would loose connections, it would only be to some devices at first, but then the router would stop serving internet to all devices after approx 10-60 mins.

A reboot would get things up and running again, but overall it was not a very good experience.

Sounds to me like an IP problem
Could it be possible you are leasing the network or broadcast address? For example if your network is:
192.168.1.0 and subnet is 255.255.255.0
is there a device with the ip 192.168.1.0 or 192.168.1.255 this could cause the kind of problems you are describing.

17 minutes ago, MattWeiler said:

I agree that I definable don't need 10Gb speeds in my network, and I could save a lot of money by sticking with 1Gb speeds, it's more just for fun if I can do so while keeping the prices reasonable (very subjective).

But I am glad that I put in CAT6A cables so that if I do decide to go 1Gb for now, I can always just replace some networking devices and be ready for 10Gb speeds in the future

That's good. If you know you are doing OP stuff but you are doing it for fun or to learn there is no problem. Just checking you don't spend more then needed if you don't want to ;).

18 minutes ago, MattWeiler said:

In fairness, I've never had a Ubiquity device before, my understanding is that you only need to configure it once from a PC and then it should run on it's own.

If I do need to have a controller running for it, I'll run that on my NAS.

If you just use the AP for simple things you can do without, but if you want to for example have a guest portal or store statistics about what devices connected etc you want to have a controller running. If you are using a synology nas there is a repository somewhere (google for it) you can add to have the ubiquity controller software run on the synolgy nas instanty. If your nas is running linux or windows you should be able to just find repo's or applications to install it too.

23 minutes ago, MattWeiler said:

What kind of distance would I need to have between 2 Ubiquity APs?

Here you can find some information about that:
https://community.ubnt.com/t5/UniFi-Wireless/Correct-spacing-of-AP-AC-Lite-units/td-p/2266412

[MattWeiler]

1 hour ago, Levisallanon said:

Sounds to me like an IP problem
Could it be possible you are leasing the network or broadcast address? For example if your network is:
192.168.1.0 and subnet is 255.255.255.0
is there a device with the ip 192.168.1.0 or 192.168.1.255 this could cause the kind of problems you are describing.

That's good. If you know you are doing OP stuff but you are doing it for fun or to learn there is no problem. Just checking you don't spend more then needed if you don't want to ;).

If you just use the AP for simple things you can do without, but if you want to for example have a guest portal or store statistics about what devices connected etc you want to have a controller running. If you are using a synology nas there is a repository somewhere (google for it) you can add to have the ubiquity controller software run on the synolgy nas instanty. If your nas is running linux or windows you should be able to just find repo's or applications to install it too.

Here you can find some information about that:
https://community.ubnt.com/t5/UniFi-Wireless/Correct-spacing-of-AP-AC-Lite-units/td-p/2266412

I only assigned static IPs to a few of my devices, the rest were automatically assigned IPs.

All of my devices had IPs in the rage of 192.168.1.1 - 192.168.1.200.

I should note that this router worked flawlessly for approx 2 years and only started doing this recently.

 

lol, ya I don't mind spending some money to learn and have fun

 

That's perfect, I don't need any analytical usage data... I'm just planning to setup 1 VLAN for guests, 1 for IoT devices and one for my other devices.

My NAS is a home built system, but I don't think I have to worry about running the controller software; but if I do, I'll do so on my NAS.

 

Thanks for the link, that looks like it'll be very helpful.

Once I get it, I'll see what kind of signal I get with my 1 new AP and decide from there if I need another.

My house is a 2000 sqft 2 story house with a basement.

I'm planning to put the AP in the center of the ceiling of the main floor.

 

It's my understanding that the Ubiquity APs can handle a large number of devices, so I'm hoping my little collection of devices won't overwhelm it.

 

 

Thanks for all the info