Help: Redoing home networking

[ChalkChalkson]

Hey guys!

I have been tasked with redoing the networking of the house that I live in. It currently has 0 preexisting wiring, so I will have to improvise on that front. Currently, we are using powerline adapters with varying success. Our WiFi is also a tad spotty even though we are using 2 access points (one in the top floor, one in the basement). We got 2 power users in the house and 2 regular users, as well as 2 TVs and NAS that could benefit from Gb ethernet a lot.

 

My current plan was to:

1. Run Cat6 to all the places that I can get wires to (at least one per floor)
2. Replace the shitty router my ISP gave me with a proper one and just use the ISP box as a bridge/modem
3. Put an access point/switch combo in each floor
4. Use powerline to get to the locations I can't get to with Cat6

What I would love to hear from you:

• What do I need to be careful about to ensure that all the users that can get it, get Gb
• What is a good router? What should I look for? Any specific suggestions
• Is a mesh setup (like the AI Mesh thing from the videos a while ago) worth it for home use? Could just setting all the SSIDs and PWs the same get a similar result? What access points should I get?
• Anything else I need to worry about?

Thank you guys so much for helping

[Gwersebe]

I would use a mesh system because multiple networks with the same ssid can cause issues. I have had a good experience with my google wifi system (3 Access Points) I have a cable connecting all of them for the backhaul and I fully get my 200 down everywhere I go in my house. The linksys system is also supposed to be pretty good but a little more expensive. Only thing about google wifi is that the advanced options are pretty limited so If you are into really customizing stuff eg: packet size, channel width, etc, I would choose something with more advanced features.

[ChalkChalkson]

On 10.8.2018 at 3:33 AM, Gwersebe said:

I would use a mesh system because multiple networks with the same ssid can cause issues. I have had a good experience with my google wifi system (3 Access Points) I have a cable connecting all of them for the backhaul and I fully get my 200 down everywhere I go in my house. The linksys system is also supposed to be pretty good but a little more expensive. Only thing about google wifi is that the advanced options are pretty limited so If you are into really customizing stuff eg: packet size, channel width, etc, I would choose something with more advanced features.

Thanks for responding!

Unfortunately, I ended up buying 3 ASUS routers just a few hours before you did  

So yeah, I am going with a mesh setup. Routers are already configured, too ASUS really did a good job streamlining the process (though it is a little counter-intuitive that when plugging into one router via ethernet and configuring it as a node via router.asus.com after the setup is complete that address sends you to the router instead of the node you just configured).

The wiring also went terribly, the cable I ordered ended up being solid core and not fitting the rj45 plugs, so I'll probably have free floating jacks on the ground floor and the person building that house did his best to close every gap in the walls, so I had to take half the roof apart to get a cable across... 

 

But hey, if a project doesn't end up going wrong in every way it can, it is not really a project, is it? And being enthusiasts we're supposed to enjoy that kind of crap, so hey, it'll probably work some day