Hello everyone,
In about three weeks, we are supposed to finalize our electrical planning on site. Unfortunately, our electrician is somewhat old-fashioned, which makes it difficult for me to collaboratively plan a future-proof electrical setup with him. Therefore, I am currently educating myself to ensure that the networking in our single-family home is fundamentally future-proof.
Basically, it’s about the LAN network... LAN wall outlets are relatively expensive, so proper planning is even more important.
About us:
- Mid to late 20s – couple without children. Planning for 2 children in the near future.
- Single-family house with a usable basement, 2 full floors, and fully equipped with concrete ceilings
- Utility room in the basement with air-to-water heat pump, ventilation system, photovoltaic system
- The router is planned to be located in the office on the ground floor
- The upper floor includes bathroom / bedroom / 2 children’s rooms
- No satellite dish or cable TV — we will use Internet TV exclusively!
Now, I am struggling to network our single-family home sensibly but as cost-effectively as possible.
I have the following questions:
1. Slightly off-topic: In the living room, I would like to have an in-wall conduit installed on the TV wall (the TV will be wall-mounted) so that no cables are visible. Is this sensible and affordable? I will get exact prices from my electrician if this makes sense at all. Would it also make sense to install power outlets at TV height? How do you plan the connections on your media wall reasonably? What should be considered?
Since we plan to use a Magenta TV box and thus IP-TV, a total of four LAN ports in the living room area would presumably be useful, right?
2. How many LAN outlets and especially where should LAN outlets be installed? Mainly: which cable? Is CAT6 sufficient?
→ Such a double LAN outlet certainly costs close to €200, so planning must be really sensible.
Is it really necessary to install 2 double LAN outlets in each children’s room? I always wonder: what is actually going to be plugged in there?
One port for the TV and one port for a multimedia device should be enough, right? So four connections would probably be overkill, correct?
The fact is: It will certainly take years or decades before our children actually use these outlets... Who knows what changes might happen by then? Therefore, could we not cost-effectively use empty conduits (empty pipes) instead?
Is it also possible to “branch off” from an existing double outlet afterward to add more ports for the room? What should be considered here? Or should we consider having an empty conduit prepared in another spot in the room so that a socket can be installed later?
3. How do you solve the “router problem”? Should the one router be placed in the office (ground floor) with LAN outlets in the existing bedrooms upstairs to ensure a stable LAN connection? Or is a router upstairs absolutely necessary?
4. How important are LAN outlets in the utility room? Should the router possibly even be located in the utility room? Because of the concrete ceiling between basement and ground floor, a second router would almost certainly be needed. How should this situation be handled with a basement?
5. What do you think about installing empty conduits for CAT cables in the kitchen / hallway etc. to enable later retrofitting? Is this relatively affordable in new builds?
I would appreciate any feedback so we can make the best possible plans 🙂
In about three weeks, we are supposed to finalize our electrical planning on site. Unfortunately, our electrician is somewhat old-fashioned, which makes it difficult for me to collaboratively plan a future-proof electrical setup with him. Therefore, I am currently educating myself to ensure that the networking in our single-family home is fundamentally future-proof.
Basically, it’s about the LAN network... LAN wall outlets are relatively expensive, so proper planning is even more important.
About us:
- Mid to late 20s – couple without children. Planning for 2 children in the near future.
- Single-family house with a usable basement, 2 full floors, and fully equipped with concrete ceilings
- Utility room in the basement with air-to-water heat pump, ventilation system, photovoltaic system
- The router is planned to be located in the office on the ground floor
- The upper floor includes bathroom / bedroom / 2 children’s rooms
- No satellite dish or cable TV — we will use Internet TV exclusively!
Now, I am struggling to network our single-family home sensibly but as cost-effectively as possible.
I have the following questions:
1. Slightly off-topic: In the living room, I would like to have an in-wall conduit installed on the TV wall (the TV will be wall-mounted) so that no cables are visible. Is this sensible and affordable? I will get exact prices from my electrician if this makes sense at all. Would it also make sense to install power outlets at TV height? How do you plan the connections on your media wall reasonably? What should be considered?
Since we plan to use a Magenta TV box and thus IP-TV, a total of four LAN ports in the living room area would presumably be useful, right?
2. How many LAN outlets and especially where should LAN outlets be installed? Mainly: which cable? Is CAT6 sufficient?
→ Such a double LAN outlet certainly costs close to €200, so planning must be really sensible.
Is it really necessary to install 2 double LAN outlets in each children’s room? I always wonder: what is actually going to be plugged in there?
One port for the TV and one port for a multimedia device should be enough, right? So four connections would probably be overkill, correct?
The fact is: It will certainly take years or decades before our children actually use these outlets... Who knows what changes might happen by then? Therefore, could we not cost-effectively use empty conduits (empty pipes) instead?
Is it also possible to “branch off” from an existing double outlet afterward to add more ports for the room? What should be considered here? Or should we consider having an empty conduit prepared in another spot in the room so that a socket can be installed later?
3. How do you solve the “router problem”? Should the one router be placed in the office (ground floor) with LAN outlets in the existing bedrooms upstairs to ensure a stable LAN connection? Or is a router upstairs absolutely necessary?
4. How important are LAN outlets in the utility room? Should the router possibly even be located in the utility room? Because of the concrete ceiling between basement and ground floor, a second router would almost certainly be needed. How should this situation be handled with a basement?
5. What do you think about installing empty conduits for CAT cables in the kitchen / hallway etc. to enable later retrofitting? Is this relatively affordable in new builds?
I would appreciate any feedback so we can make the best possible plans 🙂
M
majuhenema2 Jan 2022 17:04Tarnari schrieb:
Which access points are you planning to use? Or have you already mentioned that?No, neither named nor researched yet. I noted down the Unifi Nano HD because I came across it here. But that was a "from the virgin to the child" thing. I would prefer to avoid extra power supply.
AMNE3IA schrieb:
1. I wouldn’t skip the utility room.
Definitely prepare network cabling for the terrace first and install a third access point if needed.Understood! Can that device be exposed to wind and weather, or does it need to be in a protected location?
AMNE3IA schrieb:
With the Fritzbox you will have a separate network. It’s annoying when Wi-Fi keeps switching back and forth between two networks.Got it. Please keep it as simple and reliable as possible.
Tarnari schrieb:
You could, of course, use the Fritzbox for the guest network if other access points are used.Thanks for the tip! Then I would leave that device in the technical room and just turn off Wi-Fi, right?
Guys, I really appreciate you sharing your knowledge and experience! 🙂
If you want to use Unifi access points (APs), then disable the Fritzbox’s routing functions and let it handle only the modem, phone, and router if needed. Unifi APs have a built-in guest network feature.
Nano HDs work well. I have three in my house. In the garage, I have an AC Pro—the first one we got—but it’s a bit larger, so it was relocated. For the garden, the Flex HD is great. Except for snow (which we haven’t had so far), it has handled everything. It’s mounted on the facade above the terrace, completely unprotected, and works well. It’s designed for that purpose and can also be used indoors if needed, for example, if you need network coverage but have no ceiling or wall mounting options. Its radiation pattern is different compared to other APs.
Just keep in mind that Unifi requires a controller. I wouldn’t recommend using the app alone, as it is quite limited.
A Windows PC is sufficient if the controller doesn’t need to run 24/7. Otherwise, you might want a Cloud Key or, depending on your needs, a USG/UDM. But that really depends on your specific requirements.
I wouldn’t use only the app as a controller.
Nano HDs work well. I have three in my house. In the garage, I have an AC Pro—the first one we got—but it’s a bit larger, so it was relocated. For the garden, the Flex HD is great. Except for snow (which we haven’t had so far), it has handled everything. It’s mounted on the facade above the terrace, completely unprotected, and works well. It’s designed for that purpose and can also be used indoors if needed, for example, if you need network coverage but have no ceiling or wall mounting options. Its radiation pattern is different compared to other APs.
Just keep in mind that Unifi requires a controller. I wouldn’t recommend using the app alone, as it is quite limited.
A Windows PC is sufficient if the controller doesn’t need to run 24/7. Otherwise, you might want a Cloud Key or, depending on your needs, a USG/UDM. But that really depends on your specific requirements.
I wouldn’t use only the app as a controller.
M
majuhenema2 Jan 2022 19:46That sounds good. 🙂 Are the Unifi access points also controllable with a Mac? I only have a MacBook Pro.
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