build me a network

[Quinten Verhelst]

Hi,

 

Im currently planning a network overhaul. Im switching to ubuiquiti

At the moment I'm using the ISP provided modem/router combo which is attached to a netgear 24port switch.

Connected to that switch is a TP-Link archer C7 access point.

 

The plan is as follows.

I would need to use the ISP modem wich I could connect to my new router (I'm looking at the unifi security gateway pro)

From there i would run 2 SFP+ cables; one to my netgear switch which has all my pc's and servers connected and one to an unify POE switch.(https://www.ubnt.com/unifi-switching/unifi-switch-8-150w/)

 

Then I will update my access points to unifi AP-PRO (8 of them). These will be connected to the unify switch

I read that these AP's need a controller but I assume that the router has that stuff built in?

 

Any suggestions or am I missing something here?

Also Is this a practical network because I want to manage almost all my wifi AP's and clients from 1 location.

 

Thanks!

[Windows7ge]

You could go this route but it'd put your Wi-Fi network on a different network to your wired network. If that's not an issue then OK.

 

If you plan on buying two switches one for wired non-PoE then PoE you might find it more cost effective to buy a partial PoE switch then setting up vlans to separate the networks.

 

Otherwise I don't have much more criticism. Yes you could use a cloud key to manage the AP's but I believe their are more options available.

 

Other people will add more opinions.

[Electronics Wizardy]

How fast is your network connection and what are you doing with it? That router is probably overkill.

 

I think you still need a seprate controller for the aps, I don't think its included.

 

How big is your area?

 

AP-PRO is the older model, you probably want a ap-ac-pro

 

 

[LogicWeasel]

52 minutes ago, Quinten Verhelst said:

Then I will update my access points to unifi AP-PRO (8 of them). These will be connected to the unify switch

I read that these AP's need a controller but I assume that the router has that stuff built in?

I agree with other comments, the controller for APs is typically very proprietary or a specific standard, it's not as simple as a router handling IP traffic. The controller would be able to force settings changes at the firmware level for management and can deploy a custom image or configuration package to each AP it manages. 

 

If you're going to get fancy enterprise-grade APs you need Enterprise-grade hardware.  If you want standalone AP's you can just configure individually though a web page interface (or maybe a software utility from Ubiquity) than get normal APs (they likely have a business-class offering, just less fancy).  The main reason enterprises spring for the thin-client APs are due to sheer volume of management (think large office buildings) or very particular security settings they need to enforce (and the rate that updates are pushed-down, such as cycling their WiFi passwords).

[Quinten Verhelst]

18 hours ago, Electronics Wizardy said:

How fast is your network connection and what are you doing with it? That router is probably overkill.

 

I think you still need a seprate controller for the aps, I don't think its included.

 

How big is your area?

 

AP-PRO is the older model, you probably want a ap-ac-pro

 

 

 

18 hours ago, LogicWeasel said:

I agree with other comments, the controller for APs is typically very proprietary or a specific standard, it's not as simple as a router handling IP traffic. The controller would be able to force settings changes at the firmware level for management and can deploy a custom image or configuration package to each AP it manages. 

 

If you're going to get fancy enterprise-grade APs you need Enterprise-grade hardware.  If you want standalone AP's you can just configure individually though a web page interface (or maybe a software utility from Ubiquity) than get normal APs (they likely have a business-class offering, just less fancy).  The main reason enterprises spring for the thin-client APs are due to sheer volume of management (think large office buildings) or very particular security settings they need to enforce (and the rate that updates are pushed-down, such as cycling their WiFi passwords).

I have a symmetric gigabit line, VOIP telephone and a handful of people who need access to a couple of servers. Also via a VPN connection.

 

The problem is that I have a couple of HDMI to ehernet adapters attached to my network so some ports are constantly transmitting at 300 - 400 mbps

 

The surface is around 250m x 100m

[Electronics Wizardy]

5 hours ago, Quinten Verhelst said:

 

I have a symmetric gigabit line, VOIP telephone and a handful of people who need access to a couple of servers. Also via a VPN connection.

 

The problem is that I have a couple of HDMI to ehernet adapters attached to my network so some ports are constantly transmitting at 300 - 400 mbps

 

The surface is around 250m x 100m

Yea 8 aps seems about right.

 

Yep that probably the router you want due to the vpn.

 

Those hdmi adapters are just using rj45, there not using ethernet or any ip standards, and cant be connected to a network.

[LogicWeasel]

5 hours ago, Quinten Verhelst said:

The problem is that I have a couple of HDMI to ehernet adapters attached to my network so some ports are constantly transmitting at 300 - 400 mbps

Why are the systems using those HDMI adapters?  Can you not at least swap them to USB - to Ethernet adapters to run gigabit over usb 3.0 or so?

[scottyseng]

Yeah, as mentioned above, the router is not the controller. UniFi controller has to be installed on a PC, Phone, or Cloud Key (basically a mini PC). You don't need it running 24/7, but it's nice to have to see stats.

If you are looking at the USG Pro, possibly consider the Edgerouter 4. I used to have a USG Pro but it had problems (I had some bad luck) so I refunded it and bought an Edgerouter 4.

[Quinten Verhelst]

31 minutes ago, LogicWeasel said:

Why are the systems using those HDMI adapters?  Can you not at least swap them to USB - to Ethernet adapters to run gigabit over usb 3.0 or so?

 

34 minutes ago, Electronics Wizardy said:

Yea 8 aps seems about right.

 

Yep that probably the router you want due to the vpn.

 

Those hdmi adapters are just using rj45, there not using ethernet or any ip standards, and cant be connected to a network.

I have 2 surveillance servers, one on each end of the complex. Since we want to see the image everywhere we pulled a fiber optic cable in between those 2 points, and a small switch on both ends. So we split our hdmi signal coming from the recorder, 1 hdmi goes to a tv, and the other to an hdmi to ehernet converter. So we can send the HDMI signal over a 200m fiber cable. We do this both ways. Since we connected the switch on one end to the network this allows us to simply add another hdmi reciever and see the hdmi stream anywhere on the network. But to do this they use broadcast packages. Which causes A LOT of overhead that I need to cover