network/IT guys: (1 Viewer)

[moleculo]

so my house came wired with CAT5(E?) throughout. I'd like to take advantage of this for multiple PC's around the house, as well as plugging in AV stuff for streaming, maybe a NAS, maybe a networked printer. I do want to have wifi as well, but I think it might be best to not rely on it.

Coming into my house is cable broadband into a cable modem (which also has a VOIP phone line - I'm old school, maintaining a land-line). Right now, that plugs into one of about a dozen ethernet cables, which goes upstairs to my wireless router and then into my PC. I don't have anything else plugged into the router besides my PC. So, basically, I have a whole bunch of ethernet cables throughout that aren't being used.

My router kind of sucks. Constantly dropping connections, instable, etc. At the bare minimum, I need a new wireless router.

So - talk to me. What do I need to set this house up properly?

My assumption is cable modem into an 8-port network switch, with distribution throughout the house. One port from the switch goes to a wireless router, centrally located in the house, but not necessarily next to my PC. I'm concerned that with a system set up like that, there is no hardware firewall (unless the cable modem has one? how do I know?).

Is a hardware firewall even important?

What else do I need to be concerned about?

Suggestions on inexpensive hardware?

TIA

 

[stbugs]

Hardware firewall seems a bit much for the house, but what you can do is this:

cable modem -> wireless router -> ethernet cable -> switch -> all the ethernet cables from the rest of the house

I am not a network security expert, but I would think you could have some security/firewall setup in a good router. Most PCs can setup firewalls/security as well. The ethernet into the router means that all of the hard wired connections are basically connected to the cable modem, but also behind the router. I actually have almost everything hard wired in my house. I didn't run ethernet (too expensive through builder and I wasn't allowed to run it myself - my buddy who worked for Verizon and I wired our houses we built in VA years ago), but I have those powerline ethernet adapters that plug into an outlet and get 200 MBps, so they are much better than wireless even though wireless speeds are supposedly better. The real world wireless is never as good as hard wired. My kids' PS4, wife's laptop and all smart TVs are hooked into the powerlines and they run great. My office desk is right next to the router, so it is fast enough.

One note is that I assume all the ethernet cables run to some box in the house somewhere (couldn't tell where from your description) and hopefully the cable is as well, because that would make a nice spot to put the router, modem and switch. That said, the cable modem could be at the end off one of the ethernet runs and then the router/switch could go to the end of that run and all the other runs go into the switch.

By the way, we can always get together with our third wheel for a game and beer near your house (the new Hickory works) and we'll fix your setup.

ETA: I am in the market for a new AC router. I bought a Linksys one from Costco and will fast/supporting lots of connections (iPads, iPhones), but it drops all the time and that was probably why it was on sale. Still have the box, but I am waiting for the Netgear ones with much higher ratings get discounted before I return it.

 

[hxperson]

I agree you should go Modem > router > cable > switch > various house cables. With this setup you can put the modem and router in any room you want in the house, as long as there is a cable outlet.

If you don't connect the various house cables directly to the wirelees router, then the devices on your wireless network will have a hard time seeing the devices on your wired network. They would essentially be on two different networks. That would render a device like a wired NAS pretty useless. You will also likely need switches for any room where you'd want to connect a wired device.

If you are worried about Wifi connectivity, you should first get a new router if the old one is insufficient - preferably one of the top notch ones from Asus, Netgear, or Dlink. Then see if you can set your current modem to bridge mode (may not be in the stock firmware but you can usually install Tomato or Dd-WRT for it to get that functionality) and plug that into the switch of a room near a suspected dead zone. That combo should solve most of your issues.

 

[moleculo]

OK, so the router should go first then. Interesting. Not sure how I'm gonna make this work.

All of the network stuff terminates on my utility room in the basement. I just stuck my current router down there to test it out, and I can barely get signal from my bedroom (opposite corner of house, 2nd floor). Of course, its possible a new router would have better range.

I guess I'm gonna have to look up "bridge mode" and WiFi extenders.

 

[captain_amazing]

[SIZE=12pt]A couple things (agree with most of what the two other posters have said):[/SIZE]

• [SIZE=12pt]I'm assuming that you do have CAT5E run if you have ethernet cable in your house, but double-check if it is CAT5 or CAT5E. Big difference, as CAT5 maxes out at 100MBPS whereas CAT5E maxes out at 1000MBPS. This can significantly impact an internal network, especially if you have a NAS or media server you're streaming from. If your running CAT5 and not CAT5E, I'd highly recommend rerunning CAT5E or better (I'd go with CAT6E and future-proof yourself).[/SIZE]
• [SIZE=12pt]Some modems would allow you to run DHCP right off of it, allowing you to put a wireless router in AP mode. But the most common setup is to disable DHCP in your modem and put it into a bridge mode (some types of modems call that setting differently) and run DHCP off of a decent router. Depending on how many open ports you have on the router and how many jacks you need to feed in your house, you could just feed everything from your router to the jacks, but you'll probably need an unmanaged 6 or 8 port switch. [/SIZE]
• [SIZE=12pt]You certainly don't need a hardware firewall separate from your router, as most routers have firewall capabilities that are sufficient for consumers. If you're running a webserver or email server at home or something along those lines, then that's a different story. You could buy a non-wireless router if the location where most of your equipment is is not ideal for a wireless signal (aka basement, far end of house, etc.), and then just buy an AP (or two) and place it somewhere centrally located in your house.[/SIZE]
• [SIZE=12pt]Another important detail that some overlook is whether your modem and TV/other cable devices are sharing the same line into your house. If so, you'll want to be sure that the modem is on the first split, as opposed to several down the line, so that it is receiving the highest quality signal.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Here's what I'd recommend, with the info in the OP:[/SIZE]

1. [SIZE=12pt]Make sure you have a decent Docsis 3.0 modem. I'm guessing you do, but that's a good place to start.[/SIZE]
2. [SIZE=12pt]Get yourself a decent wireless router (or non-wireless router and APs as mentioned above). I've always been a HUGE fan of the D-Link DIR 655, but I recently upgraded to a Netgear R6300, and it's running wonderfully. Just make sure you get something that is providing AC and dual-band. Also, if you plan to access your NAS or other home devices remotely, and want to utilize DDNS to do so, then you'll want to consider that as well when buying a router. [/SIZE]
3. [SIZE=12pt]A simple unmanaged switch will do just fine - I have a netgear switch too, and it runs great (can't recall the model). Just don't get anything managed/smart - you don't need and and you'll only end up paying more for one.[/SIZE]

That's really about it. Let me know if you have any questions. Also, the whole signal dropping thing could be the cause of a variety of factors, so replacing a WAP with another one won't necessarily correct the issue, unless you know the hardware is faulty. Some times, dropping signals like that could be an incorrectly configured network (IP address conflicts, packets getting dropped, high latency, etc.). IT could also be finicky devices that don't like a certain security setting or some other kind of setting. Another thing that could help is manually setting a channel for the witless signal, rather than allowing it to auto pick one. If you can scan the channels in your area to see what everyone else has there's set to, just choose one that isn't being used or has low utilization.

 

[gianmarco]

OK, so the router should go first then. Interesting. Not sure how I'm gonna make this work.

All of the network stuff terminates on my utility room in the basement. I just stuck my current router down there to test it out, and I can barely get signal from my bedroom (opposite corner of house, 2nd floor). Of course, its possible a new router would have better range.

I guess I'm gonna have to look up "bridge mode" and WiFi extenders.

I just picked this one up after moving into our new house. It is a large house and I get signal everywhere with solid speeds. There are 4 TVs, 2-3 tablets, 2 phones, computer, Roku, Firestick, printer, and 2-3 other devices that all connect without issue.

http://www.amazon.com/TP-LINK-TL-WDR3500-Wireless-Router-300Mbps/dp/B0098QV038/ref=sr_1_1?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1451414038&sr=1-1&keywords=wdr3500

 

[MaxThreshold]

If your a TMobile customer, you can get their TM-AC1900 Personal CellSpot FOR FREE which is nothing more than a re-branded ASUS RT-AC68U Router. I've had mine for over a year now and it's awesome.

It's literally free as long as you are a tmobile customer. Didn't have to pay anything for it. Did I say it was free?

Another link.

 

[Hawks64]

If your a TMobile customer, you can get their TM-AC1900 Personal CellSpot FOR FREE which is nothing more than a re-branded ASUS RT-AC68U Router. I've had mine for over a year now and it's awesome.

It's literally free as long as you are a tmobile customer. Didn't have to pay anything for it. Did I say it was free?

Another link.

That's a great router, have mine and love it. Very stable with a large number of devices on it streaming, speeds are very consistent as well.

 

[moleculo]

You can add an additional inexpensive wireless AP on the same SSID in a different part of the house. Make sure they are on different wireless channels. If one is on 6 put the other on 11 or something. Turn DHCP off on the additional AP.

I think this might be the answer is WiFi performance isn't up to snuff when I install the router in the utility room.

I see I can get an AP for $22:http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833704052

 

[moleculo]

If your a TMobile customer, you can get their TM-AC1900 Personal CellSpot FOR FREE which is nothing more than a re-branded ASUS RT-AC68U Router. I've had mine for over a year now and it's awesome.

It's literally free as long as you are a tmobile customer. Didn't have to pay anything for it. Did I say it was free?

Another link.

That's a great router, have mine and love it. Very stable with a large number of devices on it streaming, speeds are very consistent as well.

That's funny. My current router came from T-Mobile when they offered VOIP. it's about 5+ years old: Linksys wrtu54g - G-band. Unfortunately, I'm no longer a T-mobile customer.

 

[Osaurus]

You can add an additional inexpensive wireless AP on the same SSID in a different part of the house. Make sure they are on different wireless channels. If one is on 6 put the other on 11 or something. Turn DHCP off on the additional AP.

I think this might be the answer is WiFi performance isn't up to snuff when I install the router in the utility room.

I see I can get an AP for $22:http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833704052

This is what I did. 2nd router as access point behind ip range on primary router with dhcp off. Works so well.