First Shot at Home Network, Suggestions Appreciated

[ChappyEight]

I'm hoping I'm in the proper sub-forum here. If not, please feel free to relocate.

I'm trying to plan out a relatively extensive mixed network for our new home. I've not done this before, but I'm not completely technologically illiterate. That said, when it comes to networking, I'm just now learning. Here's what I'm planning to do:

• 
  ■ Hardwiring the home with Cat6a (UTP).
  ■ Looking to eventually include wired network, wireless AP's, VOIP, plex server, POE cameras w/ NVR (Blue Iris), and maybe some home automation. For now, I'm only looking to include wiring the home, 3 AP's, and VOIP.

So, here's what I'm thinking:

• 
  ■ Proposed Network Setup: Modem (Netgear CM600) --> Router (Ubiquiti EdgeRouter Lite ERLITE-3) --> Switch (Netgear GS752TP) --> Patch Panel (Intellinet 48-Port 2U Cat6) --> Access Points (UAP AC Pro)/Ubiquiti Cloud Key/Wall Outlets
  ■ Proposed VoIP Setup (after router): Switch (Netgear GS510TPP) --> Ooma Telo --> VoIP devices (undecided)

Does it seem as though this setup will work as designed? Do you have any suggestions/substitutions for the selected hardware?

TL;DR
Looking for confirmation of network setup and any suggestions/substitutions to what I've proposed. I have no brand loyalty/desires.

Thanks in advance for your help.

- Chappy

 

[anotherdrew]

How big is this house? How many people are going to live in it? Are you going to run a business out of the house? Is the house built already?

If the house is built, that is a lot of wire to run. Running wire in attics is easy, down walls is harder, between floors is no fun (unless you have a chase).

I live in a 3000 sq ft house and 1 ceiling mount AP covers the entire thing. Admittedly, it's a very open floor plan. in most places the signal only has to go through 1 wall ... at most 2.

Why the patch panel after the switch? Seems like overkill, unless you have a specific reason (switch in inaccessible location?).

Why managed switches?

48 port switch? 3 APs, 3 servers (plex, file, NVR), 10 wall ports (a guess), and 32 cameras? Again, seems like overkill. I have an 8 port switch at my router. A 2nd 8 port in my office (3 computers, 2 printers, and a tivo box). A 4 port switch in my son's room. A 4 port switch in the "media center". Because equipment that you want to use Ethernet with tend to be clustered, I expect 1 or 2 wall ports per room (maybe 3 in an office) and smaller switches in the rooms. I guess I am assuming most of your home automation will be wireless.

For the VoIP, do you already have wire all over the house for phone or would you use a cordless phone with a single base station and a handful of remotes?

Sounds like a fun project, just seems like your spending a lot of money on equipment unless you are planning to use your house differently than most of us (ie, working from home).

 

[kanewolf]

I don't have an Ooma box, but I don't know if it works with VOIP handsets or traditional POTS. I have a Vonage adapter and it uses POTS phones. IP handsets are usually used with a call manager software rather than an adapter like Ooma.

If you don't have too many POE devices, then a POE enabled switch is significantly more expensive than a non-POE. A 48 port switch does seem like overkill. unless you are bringing 4 ethernet ports per room it is probably a waste. A small 4 - 8 port switch in a room for ALL the wired devices connected back to a core switch is usually a better design.

 

[ChappyEight]

Appreciate you guys chiming in. You're 100% correct that it's absolutely overkill. This is more as a hobby/fun type situation than it is out of necessity. The idea was to run 4 ports or so per room and, at most, probably 10-12 POE cameras (that's where the big switch came from). I figured, and could be wrong, that if I was fishing one wire it wouldn't take much more effort to run another wire in the same location. The house is just under 3000SF.

Great thought on the handsets for the VoIP. I'm admittedly dense in that area so I just assumed Ooma used VoIP handsets but, I honestly don't know and will need to research that further. I intended to have two VoIP cordless handsets, one for each floor. So, that in mind, do you have a suggestion for how to better get setup with VoIP phone service? Again, I'll admit my ignorance here.

To your point about the number of AP's I probably will just go with one upstairs for now and see how it covers because I have easy access from the attic.

As for running the wire, the second floor should be a piece of cake. The first floor has me less excited...

 

[anotherdrew]

If you know it's overkill and you're ok with that, then more power to you! Better toys usually equal more fun!

The only thing I question is the patch panel ... seems like duplication to me.

I'm guessing you are going to have a rack (super cool), so I would consider moving up to a rack mountable router. Also 3 ports on your router is potentially limiting. You are already talking about 1 port for phones and 1 for internet ... why not one for cameras (especially if you want to do remote viewing ... your going to want a DMZ for your NVR server), with each going to it's own switch. A 4-5 port router would give you options for future expansion.

I also have Vonage (I have family in Europe and calling them for no extra charge is great). It my understanding that Ooma business connects to VoIP handsets, but the Ooma home is more limited. I'm sure they have an 800 number with more information.

Since you are going to be dropping wire down walls, you will be drilling hoes in the top plate. Most local code requires filling those holes. A lot of people use expanding foam. I like to use calk. It's a bit more work getting a good seal, but it's not flammable and the chemicals inside are a lot less scary. Cleanup is a lot easier too.

 

[kanewolf]

You also want a UPS for your network "closet". With POE, maybe the DVR, etc you will want a good sized one to allow your network to function as long as possible. You probably want an ethernet port on the UPS to allow something on your network to monitor it.
Also don't forget about time. You want something that is an always-on device to sync with the NTP pool servers and provide NTP services to your network. As large as your network will be, you also want a syslog server to collect logging.

 

[ChappyEight]

If you know it's overkill and you're ok with that, then more power to you! Better toys usually equal more fun!

I agree! I'm a wannabe tech geek, so this is partially for fun, partially for education to eventually help others (my church, family, etc.), and partially to keep the wife and kids happy with their Plex and other streaming means.

I'm guessing you are going to have a rack (super cool)...

Yep, planning for a semi-small rack (probably don't need a full-on freestanding rack...yet). The biggest hurdle I have regarding wiring is that the new house has the phone/coax patch cable mounted in the wall in the garage right next to the electrical panel. So, it makes me nervous putting the rack out in the garage due to the temperature swings we can have here in Indy.

...so I would consider moving up to a rack mountable router. Also 3 ports on your router is potentially limiting. You are already talking about 1 port for phones and 1 for internet ... why not one for cameras (especially if you want to do remote viewing ... your going to want a DMZ for your NVR server), with each going to it's own switch. A 4-5 port router would give you options for future expansion.

Okay, now you've got my attention. This is something I honestly hadn't considered. Correct me if I'm wrong, but it sounds like you're suggesting going with 3 smaller switches in lieu of the one gigantor 48 port switch; essentially a switch for each of my 3 primary functions that would have space for all the devices/keystones for that function (cameras, wall jacks, phones) and a port for whichever server is serving those needs (NVR, Plex Media Server, etc.). Did I process that correctly?

After a 2 minute Amazon search, this little guy came up but, boy is he spendy! I'm assuming there are some less expensive but still quality pieces out there? I'm open to suggestion if you're willing.

Since you are going to be dropping wire down walls, you will be drilling hoes in the top plate. Most local code requires filling those holes. A lot of people use expanding foam. I like to use calk. It's a bit more work getting a good seal, but it's not flammable and the chemicals inside are a lot less scary. Cleanup is a lot easier too.

This is a great reminder. Thankfully, I'm an architect professionally so the building stuff doesn't really scare me too much. That said, I really have no idea how I'm going to ceiling mount a WAP in the first floor of this two story home...

You also want a UPS for your network "closet". With POE, maybe the DVR, etc you will want a good sized one to allow your network to function as long as possible. You probably want an ethernet port on the UPS to allow something on your network to monitor it.

Great reminder. I was thinking, since they're pretty expensive, to go with a single unit like this to begin with. Then, as the network expands and builds, I could potentially add a second UPS in addition to an Automatic Transfer Switch. Again, overkill, but cool. That said, I don't see much out there about ATS' so it may be a bad idea. Just rattling it around in my brain. Also, I have no idea if that UPS is any good or not or if there are better options out there. That's an area I've not been able to explore just yet, so I'm open to suggestion.

Also don't forget about time. You want something that is an always-on device to sync with the NTP pool servers and provide NTP services to your network. As large as your network will be, you also want a syslog server to collect logging.

Okay, regarding NTP and syslog server, I'm absolutely a dolt. Any reading you could point me to would be most appreciated as I do not expect you to teach me on a forum. I'm hoping when I can nail down which hardware I'd like to pick up, I can draw out a map of the network for a, sort of, final check before actually purchasing.

----------------

My hope here is to get the cabling runs as necessary and get the primary mixed network up and running and my existing plex server back online at the new place (it's a repurposed old PC running UnRaid so I'll probably look about swapping the drives into a rack mounted case). Then, I figure I can tackle one thing at a time after that (security, VoIP, syslog server, etc.) and tinker on it... forever.

Again, can't thank you guys enough for helping this novice out. I assure you I have no pretensions here. I tried to piece something together before posting simply because it's much easier to critique a proposed network setup than for me to just ask everyone to design it for me. So, I am ready and willing to admit my lack of knowledge in a lot of these areas.

Thanks,
Chappy

(Edit: Added kanewolf's quotes...)

 

[anotherdrew]

You could build an insulated closet in the garage. I bet the equipment would put off enough heat to keep it above 40 even when it's freezing outside. How hot does it get in summer?

I like the Zyxel routers (I have the USG 40), but they really are security appliances heavily weighted toward VPN. The USG 60 is rack mountable.

The Edgerouter-6p (https://www.ubnt.com/edgemax/edgerouter-6p/) looks very interesting. New product and not widely available. $180 MSRP ???

And yes, my thought was smaller switches. I'm bigger on many small devices, than 1 big one. Others disagree. I would also do unmanaged switches for the phones and the cameras and a managed switch for your internet distribution.

 

[ChappyEight]

You could build an insulated closet in the garage. I bet the equipment would put off enough heat to keep it above 40 even when it's freezing outside. How hot does it get in summer?

This comment spurred me to revisit the pics of the home and it seems that 2 of the 4 garage walls are already insulated. The third might be, and the fourth wall is the garage door (which I can insulate). So, the garage may actually be a viable option after all. The only downside is that it's at the very end of the home.

I like the Zyxel routers (I have the USG 40), but they really are security appliances heavily weighted toward VPN. The USG 60 is rack mountable. The Edgerouter-6p (https://www.ubnt.com/edgemax/edgerouter-6p/) looks very interesting. New product and not widely available. $180 MSRP ???

I'm definitely going to checkout the edgerouter. I suppose at some point I just need to make the best decision I can and see what happens in regards to the router.

And yes, my thought was smaller switches. I'm bigger on many small devices, than 1 big one. Others disagree. I would also do unmanaged switches for the phones and the cameras and a managed switch for your internet distribution.

All I had seen to this point was one large switch for most things. That said, I like this idea.

Further, in regards to phone, i've been doing some digging today and it seems for my application I just need to buy a vonage or ooma unit and not hassle with building a full-on VoIP server. If I chose to do this, let's say Ooma for example, then all i really need to do is plug the ooma straight into the router and get a compatible headset or two and voila, IP phone service. Then I could minimize the rack to two switches.

Am I off base there?

 

[jsmithepa]

The only downside is that it's at the very end of the home.

If u wire your place with ethernet, this would not be an issue so unless you are talking about a 25,000 SQF mansion. Ethernet will take the signal to the far end with no loss.


When you are done, please post some pics. We keep answering these network wiring questions, but nobody come back and show it off. Is like rescue dogs once in a while want to find live people.