ᐅ Networking Technology in 2016 for a Single-Family Home

Created on: 15 Dec 2016 14:54
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Sinus1986
Hello everyone,

I am currently planning the selection of network components for my future single-family home (approximately 200m² (2,150 sq ft)).

In this context, CAT7 cables will be installed in all rooms and centrally routed to the utility room, where they will be connected via a patch panel.

All in all, I will need a 48-port gigabit switch (preferably PoE or better PoE+).
The only question is: which model or brand, or from which manufacturer?

Do you have any experience? Can you recommend gigabit switches of this size?

Please no discussions about the size or design of the network switch.
I deliberately want to avoid local switches (for example, near the home theater wall) and connect all network cables to a corresponding wall outlet (my partner insists... theme "everything always has to look tidy" and so on...).

Thanks in advance for your input.

Best regards
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SteffenBank
16 Dec 2016 13:46
All the discussions here about the pros and cons are fine, but the quality/features of the hardware components should definitely be chosen based on how you use the network.

Sometimes I really wonder what you all do with your home network. Sure, you might have movies and music stored on a NAS, etc. But do you really watch movies only through the NAS or listen to music for 20 hours a day on 10 different devices at the same time? In a typical home setting, you probably won’t even notice whether switches are cascaded or not.
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Evolith
16 Dec 2016 13:49
Well, not everyone installs a NAS at the back. I would say those are rather few.
And having webcams around the house seems unusual to me. We only have a motion sensor at the back.

But well, it’s all a matter of personal preference. I’ll wait and see what our electrician recommends.
77.willo16 Dec 2016 13:50
Yes, you will. Have a housemate copy something to the NAS while watching a Netflix movie in 4K at the same time, with both connected to one switch and the NAS and internet on the other.
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Egon12
16 Dec 2016 14:00
My switch is not lying in the dust; it’s neatly mounted on the wall, and the blinking lights behind the cabinet don’t cause any disturbance.

This may be off-topic, but how many households actually operate a NAS, and how many watch in 4K or even have the devices to support 4K? By that, I don’t just mean the TV but also the human eye.

As for me, I’m perfectly fine watching on my 3-year-old 42-inch (107 cm) HD TV.

And if I had a crystal ball, well, I’d be playing the lottery instead of trying to predict technological progress.

Of course, it’s all a matter of personal preference, and everyone is entitled to their gigabit LAN with enterprise switches.
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Evolith
16 Dec 2016 14:06
But the fact is that data streams are getting heavier all the time. As cables allow more and more throughput, fewer and fewer people seem to think it's necessary to optimize or reduce the data rate of their products. I already smile amusedly when my father proudly talks about his 16 Mbps DSL connection. How cute!

Yes, it makes sense not to be too stingy with the connections, but I don't like to overdo it either.
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nasenmann
16 Dec 2016 14:14
77.willo schrieb:
By the way, if the NAS is used regularly, cascading switches already has significant disadvantages in terms of speed.

Why is that now?