dslreports logo
 
    All Forums Hot Topics Gallery
spc
Search similar:


uniqs
950

tschuman13
@verizon.net

tschuman13

Anon

Home Networking Help

Im planning on cutting cable this spring/summer and am looking for some advice for home networking.
My current setup:

[*]FIOS Triple Play �€“ Will be removing the TV and Phone from the package ASAP
[*]New house construction (2009), 3 floors, approx 3000 sq ft
[*]FIOS Actiontec Wireless G router and cable boxes are in the basement
[*]Every room is hard wired with Cat5e that connects in the basement
[*]2TB Phantom Green Drive (containing movies, TV, music, etc), attached via eSata to a Sony Vaio laptop with gigabit Ethernet hard wired
[*]Custom built HTPC connected to HDMI splitter which splits to

[*]Basement connected to a HD projector
[*]LG Smart TV in family room

[*]ATV2 running XBMC in the master bedroom
[*]NETGEAR N600 Wireless Router-N Dual Band Router running upstairs to provide better wifi range


Questions I have:

[*]Should I keep the FIOS router I have? Is there a way to connect the FIOS internet connection directly into a new router?
[*]Does anyone have a recommendation for a wireless router with fast speed, dual band, and gigabit Ethernet?
[*]Im also going to need a Gigabit Ethernet switch? Do I need to support Jumbo frames? It seems like a lot to configure and Im not sure Im up for it. Will it make a big difference?
[*]Everything in my home network has been with Cat5 cables using Fast 100MB Ethernet. With the gigabit Ethernet in the new router, should I upgrade my cables to Cat6 or will Cat5e work better with fewer issues?
[*]Will a router with USB 2.0 be better for sharing my data then using my laptop with eSata and gigabit Ethernet?


Thanks in advance for your help!
Todd
tomdlgns
Premium Member
join:2003-03-21

tomdlgns

Premium Member

said by tschuman13 :

Questions I have:

[1]Should I keep the FIOS router I have? Is there a way to connect the FIOS internet connection directly into a new router?
[2]Does anyone have a recommendation for a wireless router with fast speed, dual band, and gigabit Ethernet?
[3]Im also going to need a Gigabit Ethernet switch? Do I need to support Jumbo frames? It seems like a lot to configure and Im not sure Im up for it. Will it make a big difference?
[4]Everything in my home network has been with Cat5 cables using Fast 100MB Ethernet. With the gigabit Ethernet in the new router, should I upgrade my cables to Cat6 or will Cat5e work better with fewer issues?
[5]Will a router with USB 2.0 be better for sharing my data then using my laptop with eSata and gigabit Ethernet?


Thanks in advance for your help!
Todd

1- i dont see a reason to get rid of that router unless you want/need to do something that it cant do. i dont have FIOS, so i cant answer the second part of your question.

2- personally, i like linksys, but wifi isn't a main concern on my network, i just need it for browsing, transfer speeds dont matter for me, on wifi. where the speeds to matter, i have wired gigabit drops.

3- yes, i recommend a gigabit switch and installing it where all the drops for the rooms terminate. it can support jumbo frames, but i dont think it is needed for your setup. in my experience, jumbo frames needs to be enabled on the other devices you are using for it to be effective. also, you might get a switch that has an option to turn jumbo frames on/off, keep that in mind. it sounds like you might be able to get away with using a non managed gigabit switch, it will be much cheaper than a managed gigabit switch.

4- you might as well upgrade to cat6 if you upgrade. you might be able to get gigabit speeds from some shorter cat5 drops, but a longer cat5 drop may not give you gigabit speeds.

5- if you are serious about file sharing on the network, consider a NAS. i really like synology, very easy to use, has raid for data redundancy and the mobile options are nice (ipads, iphones, droids...on your network and outside your network..many options).

the usb port on the modems is nice in a pinch, but i dont recommend it for long time use.

hopefully that info helps. i can add more if you have any other questions.

Samir
join:2010-02-06
Madison, AL

Samir to tschuman13

Member

to tschuman13
1. There might be a way to connect directly to the new router by switching the FIOS router to some sort of "bridging" mode. Then you can use your router for login/routing.

2. I'm not up on wireless stuff at all so I can't help you here.

3. I'd definitely put the very best cables you can in the walls since it will be a royal pain to ever change them. Case in point, my parents built the house we're in in 1997. We put in 400mhz rated wire in the walls, which was 2x the cost of any other wire out there. And now, we're humming away with 100Mb to every room without a problem--and there wasn't any cat5 spec in 1997. Who knows what's coming down the line. I'd even run double runs to each room like we did. It's always handy to have an extra plug so you don't have to use a switch in the room for a second computer, etc. Heck, run fiber if you can!

4. Possibly. I've looked into this a while back and the only company that had a really good implementation of this was US Robotics. There's a few other devices out there that will connect a drive to the network, but you typically need specific drivers in each device. It's much easier to just hang a drive off a dedicated system like you've done.

tschuman13
@caci.com

tschuman13 to tomdlgns

Anon

to tomdlgns
Thanks for the help! Much appreciated!
tschuman13

tschuman13 to Samir

Anon

to Samir
1. Right, I need to investigate how to put the router into "Bridging mode". I found some websites that describe how to do this, so I should be good.

3. I think I did a poor job explaining my setup. The cat5e is in the walls already. I have wall plates in each room and I need to replace the Ethernet cables coming out of the wall plates into the various devices that will stream media. I don't see myself cutting drywall and re-running wires anytime soon. I wanted some advice on if I should get Cat6 or Cat5e cables to connect from the wall plates to the various devices in the house. I know it's only going to be as fast as the 5e but is there any reason to avoid the Cat6? It's not much difference in price.

Thanks for your help!
tomdlgns
Premium Member
join:2003-03-21

tomdlgns

Premium Member

said by tschuman13 :

1. Right, I need to investigate how to put the router into "Bridging mode". I found some websites that describe how to do this, so I should be good.

3. I think I did a poor job explaining my setup. The cat5e is in the walls already. I have wall plates in each room and I need to replace the Ethernet cables coming out of the wall plates into the various devices that will stream media. I don't see myself cutting drywall and re-running wires anytime soon. I wanted some advice on if I should get Cat6 or Cat5e cables to connect from the wall plates to the various devices in the house. I know it's only going to be as fast as the 5e but is there any reason to avoid the Cat6? It's not much difference in price.

Thanks for your help!

1. if it has a way to put it in bridge mode, go for it.

3. cat5e patch cables will work fine. they are gigabit rated.
HELLFIRE
MVM
join:2009-11-25

HELLFIRE to tschuman13

MVM

to tschuman13
said by tschuman13 :

[*]Should I keep the FIOS router I have?

If you have a specific and or compelling reason to do so, then yes.
said by tschuman13 :

[*]Does anyone have a recommendation for a wireless router with fast speed, dual band, and gigabit Ethernet?

Start with the router charts on smallnetbuilder.net, or go with the DIY box running a *nix routing distro if you're
a DIY / power user type.
said by tschuman13 :

[*]Im also going to need a Gigabit Ethernet switch? Do I need to support Jumbo frames? It seems like a lot to configure and Im not sure Im up for it. Will it make a big difference?

If all your hosts are gigabit / jumboframe capable, and you are regularly moving large files across the network,
then enable jumbo frames.
said by tschuman13 :

[*]Everything in my home network has been with Cat5 cables using Fast 100MB Ethernet. With the gigabit Ethernet in the new router, should I upgrade my cables to Cat6 or will Cat5e work better with fewer issues?

Cat5e is gig-speeds capable. If you have the time, inclination, and budget, and/or the residence is newbuild,
no reason not to install Cat6.
said by tschuman13 :

[*]Will a router with USB 2.0 be better for sharing my data then using my laptop with eSata and gigabit Ethernet?

List of device bandwidths for your reference.
---
USB2.0 bandwidth 480Mbps
eSATA bandwidth (SATA3Gbps) 3000Mbps
FastEthernet bandwidth 100Mbps
GigEthernet bandwidth 1000Mbps

...given that, my takeaway'd be a) get rid of any fastethernet connections still on the network, b) preference
of esata v. USB2.0 speed-wise is a nobrainer, and c) it comes down to whichever medium is more convenient
to move files between machines.

My 00000010bits.

Regards

tschuman13
@caci.com

tschuman13

Anon

Thank you. This is very helpful!!