Home Network Optimization - Thoughts

[killramos]

Hi guys, so one of my projects for this winter is going to be doing some optimization of my home internet network I guess I will start with a Map of my current network

Shaw Router (not currently in bridge mode but everything is shut off) [SR]

Time Capsule (Dual band running a 5 GHz + 2.4 GHz, this router handles DHCP for the entire System) [TC]

Netgear 8 Port Gigabit Switch (self explanatory) [NS]

Airport Extreme (Capable of either 2.4 or 5 Ghz currently operating in 2.4 Mode, bridge mode + wireless, salve to the Time Capsule) [AE]

Map:

[SR] --> [TC] --> [NS] --> [AE]

Upstairs iMac is connected to time capsule wireless 5 GHz, need to move Ethernet port to office from adjacent wall in bedroom to connect it with Gigabit. have a printer capable of Ethernet connection in office as well that will be connected.

The switch is in my electrical room and connected to the home Cat5e network which i converted all but 1 phone jack to myself (5 handset wireless phone with centralized connection who needs 69 phone jacks) last winter.

The only active port connected to my witch is my main floor xbox 360 used for Netflix etc. The rest are just there around the house should i ever choose to use them.

In the basement the Airport extreme is in my entertainment cabinet connected to my DLNA capable receiver, Xbox One, and 2nd XBox 360. It also provided a separate wifi network for the basement. I cant cover the whole house with one network regardless of where i try putting the time capsule.

Wireless network is used mainly for iPhones, iPads, and my girlfriends laptop.

My long term goals are digitizing my entire DVD and CD collection on a NAS or a DAS + server and using plex or something similar to have a mode media system pushed to the Xbox's so i want the network to be bullet proof. All of the ethernet connections in the house have been confirmed to connect at Gigabit speeds.

Aside from moving a port upstairs to wire my iMac does anyone else have any suggestions on how to improve things? I have shaw 50 mbps but i constantly get kicked form video games or have my mic cut out from party chat due to network bottlenecks which is odd considering i can get full 50 mbps downloads to every corner of the system. I am concerned that the gateway and routers are causing the issue.

Do you think there is value in replacing the apple routers in the house (I got them for free) with an Asus or similar rock solid product. I don't have a single AC device so that isn't key at this point. I also want to do this right the first time and not have to waste time or money doing this again in a year or 2.

Thanks,

[SmAcKpOo]

How many ethernet runs do you have in the house?

I am not sure what exactly you are asking though. You should replace the TC with a rock solid ASUS router, bridge your Shaw router, and grab a couple WAPs and connect them to the existing CAT5 runs within the house.

Make sure the router and WAPs support VLANs so you can create a public and guest wireless and segment the traffic.

Oh, and how many concurrent streams do you plan to run from your Plex box?

[killramos]

Originally posted by SmAcKpOo
How many ethernet runs do you have in the house?

I am not sure what exactly you are asking though. You should replace the TC with a rock solid ASUS router, bridge your Shaw router, and grab a couple WAPs and connect them to the existing CAT5 runs within the house.

Make sure the router and WAPs support VLANs so you can create a public and guest wireless and segment the traffic.

Oh, and how many concurrent streams do you plan to run from your Plex box?

Probably 2 streams, 3 tops including music. The house is wired for distributed audio so that is another streaming client in the future. The amps and controllers are damn expensive though so not this year.

I have about 10 Ethernet runs. 1 is running my home phone so not converted to RJ45. There is another port in the house not connected ( a room that is used mainly for storage). The electrical room switch is currently full but only 3 runs are used regularly. The house is a 2013 build so they used Cat5 for everything. I have even more runs for the pre-roughed audio system.

Will new routers increase network reliability?

Is it necessary to create the guest networks? I don't really let people use my wireless lol.

[SmAcKpOo]

Yes, especially the dual band ones. Plus, the newer routers have better internal processors which allow for better routing and switching throughput.

I would ensure that everything you want connected is wired. Your NAS or DAS + Server should be directly connected to your Plex clients. I am currently running my Plex client over wireless temporarily and when it uses direct play I will get buffering stutter.

The purpose of the WAP would be to run your tablet, phone, gaming consoles, etc and using a WAP on each floor with the same SSID will ensure you get complete wireless coverage in your home. The guest wireless is a great feature if you run a domain/Plex as the broadcast packets won't be picked up and they can't auto discover services on your internal network.

I would also grab a different switch too, a managed 16port netgear or HP procurve will serve you well as you can QoS traffic.

[revelations]

How old are your Apple network devices? Are there firmware upgrades? UPS? (they are sensitive to electrical transients)

I am not a Apple fanboy, but I have set up dozens of apple-networks and most Mac users have been pleased with their Apple network devices. If you want a seamless, Apple household, this is the best way to do it IMO.

Definitely bridge the modem though. Unless youre DMZ with the Airport, its probably doing something to slow you down.

[tha_bandit]

Apple routers are pretty solid, but the setup has be done correctly (as according to apple obviously lol).

Yours seems to match the following:


which is the recommended setup by apple, setup: LINK

are your wireless network properties the same for the TC and AE?

Use AirPort Utility to configure the Wireless Network Name, security, and password on each Wi-Fi base station to be exactly the same.

[killramos]

Originally posted by SmAcKpOo
Yes, especially the dual band ones. Plus, the newer routers have better internal processors which allow for better routing and switching throughput.

I would ensure that everything you want connected is wired. Your NAS or DAS + Server should be directly connected to your Plex clients. I am currently running my Plex client over wireless temporarily and when it uses direct play I will get buffering stutter.

The purpose of the WAP would be to run your tablet, phone, gaming consoles, etc and using a WAP on each floor with the same SSID will ensure you get complete wireless coverage in your home. The guest wireless is a great feature if you run a domain/Plex as the broadcast packets won't be picked up and they can't auto discover services on your internal network.

I would also grab a different switch too, a managed 16port netgear or HP procurve will serve you well as you can QoS traffic.

Originally posted by revelations
How old are your Apple network devices? Are there firmware upgrades? UPS? (they are sensitive to electrical transients)

I am not a Apple fanboy, but I have set up dozens of apple-networks and most Mac users have been pleased with their Apple network devices. If you want a seamless, Apple household, this is the best way to do it IMO.

Definitely bridge the modem though. Unless youre DMZ with the Airport, its probably doing something to slow you down.

Both Apple devices are fully firmware updated though i think they have recently stopped issuing them. The time capsule is the flat kind 3 TB and is pretty new ( 3 years tops, they have only updated them once since) , the airport is 5-6 Years so 3 generations old i believe. I have recently got annoyed by the nerfing features, you used to have much more control over them and they were good devices when i bought them. I don't even know if you can port forward them any more lol.

I will contact shaw about the modem bridging then which should help out tons. Apparently its easily done over the phone.

What will a managed switch help me with practically?

If i pick up 2 new Asus routers to replace the apple stuff should they have the boosted range to cover the house in access? Would like to avoid purchasing the third access point. I tried using one SSID in the past and it didn't work out very well, phone kept fighting over which one had better signal and the result was rarely having a reliable connection...

[killramos]

Originally posted by tha_bandit
Apple routers are pretty solid, but the setup has be done correctly (as according to apple obviously lol).

Yours seems to match the following:


which is the recommended setup by apple, setup: LINK

are your wireless network properties the same for the TC and AE?

Yup that is about my configuration, the networks are different as i mentioned because at the time of setup it caused a huge amount of reliability issues.

Recent firmware updates could have fixed that though.

[SmAcKpOo]

A managed switch is just better quality than your unmanaged base model switches.

I had this Dlink green 8 port gigabit switch and it was causing serious issues with stuttering when streaming direct play. Its not necessary whatsoever but since you can get a base model managed switch for around 100$, why not?

The HP Procurve 1800-24g is a good one for a home network.

[killramos]

Originally posted by SmAcKpOo
A managed switch is just better quality than your unmanaged base model switches.

I had this Dlink green 8 port gigabit switch and it was causing serious issues with stuttering when streaming direct play. Its not necessary whatsoever but since you can get a base model managed switch for around 100$, why not?

The HP Procurve 1800-24g is a good one for a home network.

I will put it on the list!

just working on coming up with a budget for everything ( a few more upgrades around the house that I want to take care of as well). Make sure i am getting best bang for my buck for what I buy. So far calling shaw is going to be the best bang for buck option lol.

[SmAcKpOo]

It will probably cost you around 300$.

I would get the HP 1800-24g from Ebay. I believe HP Procurve switches have a lifetime warranty as well.

http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from...0-24g&_sacat=0

[revelations]

Originally posted by killramos





Both Apple devices are fully firmware updated though i think they have recently stopped issuing them. The time capsule is the flat kind 3 TB and is pretty new ( 3 years tops, they have only updated them once since) , the airport is 5-6 Years so 3 generations old i believe. I have recently got annoyed by the nerfing features, you used to have much more control over them and they were good devices when i bought them. I don't even know if you can port forward them any more lol.

I will contact shaw about the modem bridging then which should help out tons. Apparently its easily done over the phone.

What will a managed switch help me with practically?

If i pick up 2 new Asus routers to replace the apple stuff should they have the boosted range to cover the house in access? Would like to avoid purchasing the third access point. I tried using one SSID in the past and it didn't work out very well, phone kept fighting over which one had better signal and the result was rarely having a reliable connection...

Replace the airport. At 5-6 years its at end of life and could be causing issues you speak of.

[Yuubah]

I don't think you really need a managed switch unless you need to manage your ports. An unmanaged switch is fine for home use.

i use a Tp-link Unmanaged switch... Does everything I need, and I never have any slowdowns or hiccups in my network.

Like others mentioned, setup your wireless network to broadcast the same SSID and with the same password. You can change the channels so they don't overlap, or leave them on auto.

For home audio, a cheap alternative is using an airport express and using airplay to your speakers. You can buy a cheap receiver to power the speakers, and connect that to the airport express. Total cost for me exlcuding the speakers was under $200 to have it all setup. ($75 for the airport express (refurbished at apple.ca), and ~$100 for the receiver).

[killramos]

Originally posted by revelations


Replace the airport. At 5-6 years its at end of life and could be causing issues you speak of.

I agree, we have a tendency to treat electronics as though they never wear out but they do... At the moment its acting as a glorified switch but it probably has some hiccups.