ᐅ Utility room / router / access points / switches

Created on: 23 Feb 2022 07:50
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Prager91
Hello everyone,

Slowly but surely, we are getting closer to moving in.

In about 4-6 weeks, we will most likely move into our new build.

For this reason, I am gradually starting to think about the technology in my house so that I have all the necessary information in time and everything works properly.

We built with a basement — so the utility room is located in the basement.

--> Fiber optic connection from the telecom provider – 100 Mbps with Magenta Smart TV (we only watch Internet TV – no satellite connection).
--> 7 double LAN outlets installed throughout the house (1x bedroom, 2x kids’ rooms, 1x living area, 1x office, 2x access points) – so 14 individual cables.
--> The distribution panel on the wall is attached (in case this is important).

Now to my questions:

1. I’m considering buying the FritzBox 7590 router because it seems to be one of the leading models on the market right now and has received very good reviews. I haven’t had good experiences with Speedports in the past, but the FritzBox has always left a positive impression.
– Does this make sense?

2. Is a router alone enough for this setup? It seems to me that there are too few ports on the router, so I definitely need a switch, correct?
I only know switches from LAN parties years ago and don’t have much experience with them. When connecting router <--> switch, do I lose any speed?
– If a switch is needed, what should I pay attention to when buying one? Are there any models you have had good experiences with?

3. Access points – how does this work? I am currently a bit unsure because I only had LAN cables pre-installed in the walls in the ground floor and attic hallway areas for the access points. Is that sufficient? How is the access point powered? Is it enough to simply plug this cable into the switch or the router? Is that even possible?

So: which cables should connect to the router, and which should go to a switch?

I would appreciate a simple explanation! I don’t need a high-end solution… There are currently and will be just two of us living in a very large house, no kids into gaming or anything like that… I just want reliable Wi-Fi throughout the house (since we have concrete ceilings) and good streaming of my Internet TV.

Additionally:

Are there any mounting options for switches or routers? At the moment, I don’t see any space for them in my distribution panel 😀

Technical drawing of a distribution panel model with APZ, two views: with and without cover.
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hanse987
24 Feb 2022 21:20
Bauenaberwie schrieb:

But I didn’t know that connecting two switches could cause problems :/

You basically have a bottleneck when some devices connected to one switch access, for example, a NAS, and other devices connected to the other switch. You either need a faster connection between the two switches or accept the limitation. In a home network, this is usually not a big issue, but it’s important to be aware of it.
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Bauenaberwie
24 Feb 2022 21:47
How do you achieve a fast connection? I’m a bit confused now. Is this "bottleneck" actually a problem in a single-family house or not 😀
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Michilo
25 Feb 2022 06:44
Bauenaberwie schrieb:

How do you create a fast connection? I’m a bit confused now. Is this "bottleneck" really a problem in a single-family house or not? 😀
For the average user, I don’t see an issue. Do you have a NAS? What else do you do on your network? For internet activities (streaming, browsing, etc.), this is completely sufficient. It only becomes critical if you want to transfer large amounts of data locally between multiple devices.

EDIT: There are switches with (individual) faster ports. The standard speed is 1 Gbit/s. However, there are also 2.5 Gbit/s, 5 Gbit/s, and 10 Gbit/s options. This way, switches can be connected to each other more quickly. I consider this unnecessary for 95% of users.
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Bauenaberwie
25 Feb 2022 09:03
Ok, thank you. I think so too. The setup will be as follows:

4 outdoor cameras
3 access points
No server or anything similar is planned.
Max. 3 simultaneous streams

But 1 Gbit should be more than enough for that 🙂
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Andre77
25 Feb 2022 23:24
Here is a fairly “compact” version. 10-inch cabinet. With a 23-port PoE switch for the existing Ubiquiti access point in the attic.

Network patch panel in the cabinet with many white cables and orange LAN cables.


Network distribution box with glass front, many white patch cables, and router on top.


Network switch with white RJ-45 cables, orange cables in the background in a server cabinet.
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Prager91
28 Feb 2022 07:16
Andre77 schrieb:

Here is a fairly “compact” version. 10-inch cabinet. With a 23mm (0.9 inch) PoE switch for the existing Ubiquiti access point in the attic.

The Ubiquiti access point has really excellent reviews! I think I will take a closer look at it myself.