Question Setting up a home network with wired backhaul

[scoped]

Hi everyone

I'm currently renovating my house and at my previous house I had no end of wifi issues from just using a bog standard router. Due to this frustration in this renovation I have made sure there are many wired Ethernet points to take the load off the Wifi and run a system like ubiquiti. - But now from research it seems like eero or asus Zen would be easier to set up.

The Internet connection is currently 1gbps down and up And it's possibly getting upgraded in the next year to 2gbps.
This is with Vodafone- It has a 4G backup if the fibre optics go down it will transition straight to 4G so there is no loss in service, is there a way to make this function with a system like below?

What do I need to get set up - I'm going to post a floor plan below .

The top floor plan is the second floor and sits on top of the bottom floor plan hopefully it makes sense

Each green and blue dot will have an ethernet point (5 in total if needed) Does this look sufficient?

I was hoping three to five eero/Asus zen points would be sufficient. There will also be 11 other ethernet points, and from recollection I think it is a total of 23 ethernet points - So I will need a 24 port switch.

One final question, the green dot on the far left ground floor is where an ethernet cable is chased through the ceiling (Currently it is just in the ceiling not exposed so I could just leave it there without it being seen or used) to put a ubiquiti POE AP in, However the other systems I'm looking at are much bigger than ubiquiti and usually don't have POE. Are there any I could use with this system that I could stick on the ceiling like this?

The Internet comes into the house from the bottom between the two windows. All the other cables are wired to where it says boiler near the middle of the downstairs floor plan.

I was thinking about getting 3 Asus XT8's and doing a wired ethernet backhaul, Would this wok? Or would two XT12s be better and perhaps an XT8 on the second floor ?
Or are there other things I should be looking at?

Any help massively appreciated!

floorplan:

https://imgur.com/a/tG1uquR

 

[kanewolf]

Hi everyone

I'm currently renovating my house and at my previous house I had no end of wifi issues from just using a bog standard router. Due to this frustration in this renovation I have made sure there are many wired Ethernet points to take the load off the Wifi and run a system like ubiquiti. - But now from research it seems like eero or asus Zen would be easier to set up.

The Internet connection is currently 1gbps down and up And it's possibly getting upgraded in the next year to 2gbps.
This is with Vodafone- It has a 4G backup if the fibre optics go down it will transition straight to 4G so there is no loss in service, is there a way to make this function with a system like below?

What do I need to get set up - I'm going to post a floor plan below .

The top floor plan is the second floor and sits on top of the bottom floor plan hopefully it makes sense

Each green and blue dot will have an ethernet point (5 in total if needed) Does this look sufficient?

I was hoping three to five eero/Asus zen points would be sufficient. There will also be 11 other ethernet points, and from recollection I think it is a total of 23 ethernet points - So I will need a 24 port switch.

One final question, the green dot on the far left ground floor is where an ethernet cable is chased through the ceiling (Currently it is just in the ceiling not exposed so I could just leave it there without it being seen or used) to put a ubiquiti POE AP in, However the other systems I'm looking at are much bigger than ubiquiti and usually don't have POE. Are there any I could use with this system that I could stick on the ceiling like this?

The Internet comes into the house from the bottom between the two windows. All the other cables are wired to where it says boiler near the middle of the downstairs floor plan.

I was thinking about getting 3 Asus XT8's and doing a wired ethernet backhaul, Would this wok? Or would two XT12s be better and perhaps an XT8 on the second floor ?
Or are there other things I should be looking at?

Any help massively appreciated!

floorplan:

https://imgur.com/a/tG1uquR

First thing is to get ALL stationary devices off WIFI. Every PC, TV, Roku, gaming console, IOT device, etc that isn't carried around and has an ethernet port should be on a wired connection. THAT is what will improve your WIFI most.
Next, put WIFI sources (APs) where you have the most clients. Don't try to guess the "optimum" location. Put an AP where there are clients. Typically that would be the living room, the master bedroom, and kids bedrooms.
Don't pay for WAN bandwidth you will never use. 2Gb sounds like a good idea, but it if costs any more then you are probably wasting money. It is difficult to use 1Gb of WAN bandwidth in a typical household.

 

[Ralston18]

Good that you know the amount of required Ethernet points.

However, I will add the suggestion is to be more specific with respect to the actual floor plan location of each Ethernet jack, camera, mesh point etc.. Plus add in a few "spares" where doing so makes sense. Especially with a "to scale" floorplan.

You can use the floor plan as part of the documentation to map jacks, wire paths, etc.. Not sure about the extent of the renovations but take full advantage of walls being opened up. Plan and take photographs for future reference.

Also note the location of any patch panels that are being installed. Generally they are located near the incoming ISP connection into the residence. I would show all that (modem, router, UPS, etc. ) as well.

And maybe preplan/wire for a few more Ring cameras as well.

Plan for future power requirements at all locations. Having a readily accessible Ethernet jack is good. Having no immediate power outlet nearby is not good.

Overall, keep the proverbial big picture in mind.....

Likely will be a hit on the overall renovation budget but will certainly cost less than trying to add more jacks, outlets, and wiring later.

Just my thoughts on the matter.

 

[scoped]

First thing is to get ALL stationary devices off WIFI. Every PC, TV, Roku, gaming console, IOT device, etc that isn't carried around and has an ethernet port should be on a wired connection. THAT is what will improve your WIFI most.
Next, put WIFI sources (APs) where you have the most clients. Don't try to guess the "optimum" location. Put an AP where there are clients. Typically that would be the living room, the master bedroom, and kids bedrooms.
Don't pay for WAN bandwidth you will never use. 2Gb sounds like a good idea, but it if costs any more then you are probably wasting money. It is difficult to use 1Gb of WAN bandwidth in a typical household.

All the stationary items will be plugged into Ethernet's. As I know this will free up the wifi network to be more efficient
I went with 1Gb As it was only marginally more expensive than lesser speeds; the upgrade to 2Gb, It has just been something my isp has told me about so I think they will be giving it for the same price, if it costs more I won't take it as 1Gb is more than enough I imagine.

Good that you know the amount of required Ethernet points.

However, I will add the suggestion is to be more specific with respect to the actual floor plan location of each Ethernet jack, camera, mesh point etc.. Plus add in a few "spares" where doing so makes sense. Especially with a "to scale" floorplan.

You can use the floor plan as part of the documentation to map jacks, wire paths, etc.. Not sure about the extent of the renovations but take full advantage of walls being opened up. Plan and take photographs for future reference.

Also note the location of any patch panels that are being installed. Generally they are located near the incoming ISP connection into the residence. I would show all that (modem, router, UPS, etc. ) as well.

And maybe preplan/wire for a few more Ring cameras as well.

Plan for future power requirements at all locations. Having a readily accessible Ethernet jack is good. Having no immediate power outlet nearby is not good.

Overall, keep the proverbial big picture in mind.....

Likely will be a hit on the overall renovation budget but will certainly cost less than trying to add more jacks, outlets, and wiring later.

Just my thoughts on the matter.

on the floor plan, The e thernet ports are literally where the blue and green dots are (The long room at the bottom actually now has eight ports (4x2) With two in each corner of the room with double sockets by each.)

All the other ethernet ports are backed up by at least two double sockets for power.
In terms of ring cameras, the shape of our drive is completely captured by both of these (The only one I might add in is in the back garden)

In terms of access points or systems should I be looking at the Asus zens, TP Links Or something else?

 

[Ralston18]

I would revise the floor plan to show that. A blue dot being exactly where the jack(s) will be physically located.

A blue dot with "4" in the dot (as on the second floor) indicates to me that four UTP cables will be run to that location and terminated there.

And any location having two Ethernet ports (double socket) would require two cable runs to that location. So 4x2 means eight cables being run to that location.

Where do those cables originate?

Not so much of a problem if you are running and terminating the cable runs. You may be able to adjust/change (for better or worse) on the fly.

An installer cannot and probably will not. They will do what the diagrams and work order tell them to do. And even then that can be problematic. Who knows how the cables will be routed. Likely the easiest and shortest paths available with little or no attention to building and electrical codes.

Again, plan ahead and install for future use or possible backup options.

= == =

Access Points and Systems: Stay with one manufacturer. If there are problems each involved manufacturer will blame "the other guys".

Even with one manufacturer they will probably blame the installer....

Cynicism conceded.

 

[scoped]

I would revise the floor plan to show that. A blue dot being exactly where the jack(s) will be physically located.

A blue dot with "4" in the dot (as on the second floor) indicates to me that four UTP cables will be run to that location and terminated there.

And any location having two Ethernet ports (double socket) would require two cable runs to that location. So 4x2 means eight cables being run to that location.

Where do those cables originate?

Not so much of a problem if you are running and terminating the cable runs. You may be able to adjust/change (for better or worse) on the fly.

An installer cannot and probably will not. They will do what the diagrams and work order tell them to do. And even then that can be problematic. Who knows how the cables will be routed. Likely the easiest and shortest paths available with little or no attention to building and electrical codes.

Again, plan ahead and install for future use or possible backup options.

= == =

Access Points and Systems: Stay with one manufacturer. If there are problems each involved manufacturer will blame "the other guys".

Even with one manufacturer they will probably blame the installer....

Cynicism conceded.

Hey,
They've already been laid through the walls,

"A blue dot with "4" in the dot (as on the second floor) indicates to me that four UTP cables will be run to that location and terminated there."
That's how it is - 1 for tv 1 for games console, 1 for AV Receiver, 1 backup

Same with the other blue circles

"And any location having two Ethernet ports (double socket) would require two cable runs to that location. So 4x2 means eight cables being run to that location." this is how it is wired

"Where do those cables originate" - They all feed back to the boiler room near the middle of the house, the switch will have to be housed in here

Who knows how the cables will be routed. Likely the easiest and shortest paths available with little or no attention to building and electrical codes

This is all being done as part of a large refurb by a company so, I believe they're following building code as we have building inspectors / electrical sign offs.

 

[Ralston18]

Fair enough.

The important part is that you have a plan in mind and are making the effort to ensure that that plan is understood by the contractor(s).

Keep a close eye on what is done and how they do it. Check cable specs, proposed Ethernet jacks, and do a bit of your own research into the applicable building codes. What is required, allowed, and not to be done at all.

Not that the large refurb company may necessarily intend to cut corners or go cheap. They simply may not know any better. Especially if they subcontract the work to 3rd party cable installers.

Insist on inspecting the materials and cable beforehand. And check all again before walls get closed up.

Telephone wiring or copper clad aluminum ethernet cable will not do the job. Nor will cheap termination jacks.

And be sure that all cable runs are labeled and tested to Ethernet standards. Not just simple continuity.

 

[kanewolf]

And be sure that all cable runs are labeled and tested to Ethernet standards. Not just simple continuity.

That should be a requirement in the contract. Labeling of both ends of every wire.