ᐅ Fiber to the Home (FTTH) for Single-Family Houses – Network Planning?

Hello friends,

Our single-family house (basement + ground floor + upper floor) will be equipped with Telekom FTTH. As part of the new development area infrastructure, Telekom has already installed FTTH, and the general contractor will then bring it into the house.

Now I am wondering how to design the network.

My initial plan is as follows: FTTH comes into the technical room in the basement, then connects to the modem, and the modem goes directly to a 16-port switch. In the apartment where we currently live, we use Fritz Mesh repeaters, which work well, but I keep reading that this is more of a temporary solution.

What devices would you recommend for WLAN / LAN coverage? Here is what I am considering:

Basement: I would not install any access point here; the router’s WiFi in the technical room should be sufficient (I basically don’t need WiFi in the basement).

Ground floor: one access point (question: ceiling mount?) centrally located in the kitchen/dining area, plus a double LAN socket near the TV (for IPTV and PlayStation).

Upper floor: one access point centrally in the hallway, plus two double LAN sockets in office 1, office 2, and the bedroom (for IPTV).

Garden: I am deliberately not planning anything here; I want peace and quiet outside ^^ (and please don’t suggest smart garden irrigation or anything like that).

Garage: a double LAN socket for possible electric car or wallbox connection to communicate with the home network.

Now my questions:

- Have I forgotten anything?
- Which router/access point combination would you recommend for Telekom fiber? So far I have been a loyal Fritz customer and would like to continue if it’s recommended.
- Is ceiling mounting a good solution? What should I consider – I guess the electrician then needs to run a LAN cable to the ceiling. Power as well? Or should I make sure the access points support PoE?

Thanks in advance for your help.

Best regards, Elias

Unfortunately, I’m not keen on writing a detailed guide right now, as there are already plenty available in this forum, even if sometimes in smaller pieces. It feels like this topic is discussed in great detail every few weeks. Please try using the search function 😀
By the way, it doesn’t matter whether you have FTTH, DSL, or cable.

I think it’s a shame that there isn’t a pinned “expert guide” here for homeowners regarding this question. From my experience with family, friends, and acquaintances who are building, everyone asks the same questions—with varying importance depending on their budget.

i_b_n_a_n schrieb:

Unfortunately, I don’t feel like writing a detailed guide right now since there are plenty of those here in the forum, even if sometimes only in bits and pieces. It seems like this topic gets discussed down to the smallest detail every few weeks. Please try using the search function. Whether you have FTTH, DSL, or cable doesn’t really matter.

I find it unfortunate that there isn’t a pinned “expert guide” here for builders regarding this question. From my experience with family, friends, and acquaintances who are building, everyone asks the same questions—with varying degrees of importance, depending on their budget.

Alright, I’ve been browsing a bit here in this forum and another one this evening and I actually noticed the lack of a pinned guide like that 🙂 I’ll see what else I can find.

Overall, the plan doesn’t sound bad.

I would reconsider having a LAN connection outside. It can make sense for Wi-Fi or cameras.

As far as I know, Fritz does not support PoE. Ceiling mounting looks quite awkward if you need an outlet nearby as well.

I chose Unify and have been very satisfied so far. However, I would only recommend it if you are interested in technology.

RotorMotor schrieb:

The plan overall doesn’t sound bad.

I would reconsider having LAN outdoors.
It can definitely make sense for Wi-Fi or cameras.

As far as I know, Fritz doesn’t support PoE?
A ceiling installation then looks quite awkward if you still need a power outlet nearby.

I chose Unify and have been very satisfied so far.
However, I would only recommend it if you’re interested in technology.

Thank you! You’re right, I hadn’t considered cameras. I will reconsider LAN outdoors. I’ve also read a lot about Unify. Is your router from Unify as well?

Elias_dee schrieb:

Is your router from Unify as well?

No, it's a custom build. The switch isn’t from Unify either because I have often read about issues with IGMPv3.
That is necessary for MagentaTV. I set it up today. It wasn't exactly fun working with custom components, but it’s finally running.