Networking Solutions

CR8Z

CR8Z

Bald fat guy.
-bZ- Member
Okay, so here's what I want to do.

I want to run several wired devices throughout the house, with maybe one or two wireless access points.

Specifically, 2 PCs, 1 PS3, 1 Wireless router/access point, (possibly 2 wireless access points/routers), Another possible PC (media PC) as time/money allows.

At most, this network will be running 4 or 5 things at once; 4 PCs and a few phones simultaneously.

My real question revolves around, do I need a switch or a hub, can I run a router through a switch, and what's my best possible solution?

Anybody with any ideas would be awesome if they could respond.
 
I have wired up two offices and one hotel so far and have a bit of experience doing this type of thing as well. It really all depends on the distance between all of your devices, the number of all of your devices, and how good of a job you want to do. If this is your apt, you don't have the same options as if this was your house. If you own your own home, you can go the extra mile and install wall plates and run your wires through your walls. That type of thing will increase your home's resell value as well. But it is also a lot of work, whereas exposed wires and wireless is a quick fix. This could be a big project. Do you own a wall snake, drill, jigsaw, a box roll of GOOD cat 5, RJ45 wall plates, RJ45 crimping tool, packet of RJ45 clips? Are you going to run line past 100 meters from your switch? A professional solution requires you to use a repeater after this, but in the real world, you can cheat a bit here. Unless you live in a mansion, or a guest home, you shouldn't have a problem here.

Draw yourslef a map with distances first! If you want ideas after that, show your map around then. It makes things a lot easier with a guide. Where on the line do you want the 3 pc's, ps3, and router? You can go main to router then use those hubs to connect all you want. If you go two router option, you need to know which device will go to which router. How many hubs are on these routers?

I always found running wire to be fun. It is like real work for dorks like me.
 
I do own my own home, no distance is greater than 100', I've already run the CAT5 from one end of the house to the other. I know exactly how I want to set it up, with the exception that I'm not sure if I want 1 or 2 wireless access points. But I guess that depends on the signal strength of the wireless signal when I move it to the attic in a more central location.

I will not be running CAT5 through the walls and fixing wall plates, although that is something I would like to do in the future. But I just don't need it right now.

There are 2 PCs, 1 printer and 1 PS3 that I want hardwire into the network. Everything else can be wireless.

Previously, I had two routers run in series with two separate wireless networks so that I had a strong signal at either end of the house. That was a bitch to set up. I was wondering if it would be easier to set up a router to a switch. So the coupling would be ISP->MODEM->SWITCH->ROUTER

Then I would want to connect a couple devices into the swith and into the router.

When do I want a switch versus a hub versus a router?
 
They are all the same by degrees. Just different levels of management.

Just go isp to wireless router with a 4 port, use the ports on the back to go line to your 3 pc's and ps3.

Then you can place a wireless repeater to boost your signal. No wires and you get your wireless coverage.
 
What you want to do is ISP->MODEM->ROUTER->SWITCH.

Your router is most likely going to be your DHCP/DNS and your NAT as well. So you want your router before the switch. This is the setup I would go with. Hook all your wired devices to your switch and there you go. You mentioned phones, are they VOIP phones? If so then you are going to want to do some sort of QOS or VLAN situation to separate the VOIP traffic from the data traffic. You can do that with either a managed switch or through the router, I would recommend putting DD-WRT on the router, it is fantastic firmware and very versatile.

As far as WAP's go, if all depends on where you need wireless access and how big your house is. I would say 1 WAP for every 80-90 FT radius. That should be sufficient for Excellent to Good signal. Also like poppas said you can add a second WAP as a repeater if need be.

I do networking for a living so if you have any questions let me know.

Switch vs hub vs router

A hub is the most basic of the 3 and all it does is take a signal from one of the ports and transmits it to all the ports. This creates a lot of unneeded traffic on the network.

A switch is more intelligent in that it takes a signal from one port and knows through a routing table exactly which port in needs to send it to, reducing the amount of traffic on the network. You can get a managed switch which is even more intelligent and you can create VLAN's and separate traffic, you can make it so some ports don't even know the others exist.

A router is the most intelligent of the 3 and is meant to be a gateway device. A gateway device is something that is between your network and the internet. A router at least in home networking use NAT technology. What that means is it takes your home networking IP ex: 192.168.1.100 and translates it into your external IP address that you get from your ISP. It can do a host of other things like DNS and DHCP and if you add 3rd party firmware like DD-WRT you can even add VPN and a host of other things.
 
Bon3z said:
you sumbitches got way to much time on your hands typing all that.
Click to expand...
im to lazy to even read it. glhf hope it workd for ya cr8z. Plaino wrote the most so he seems nerdier....go with him... :wink:
 
Yes plaino knows his stuff. I would listen to him. I lost interest when you told me you weren't going to cut holes in your walls. :)
 
i did a similar thing on my hotel i used the 6 linksys wrt54gl with dd-wrt firmware and a cisco managed switch last year seems to be working well so far, those router are neutral and cheap, i bought aslo a

Linksys E4200 but cant install the dd-wrt firm on this 1 , there still many bugs

so i haven't seem any difference in coverage except perhaps that this one has N wireless and the wrt54gl is a b/g only
 
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