ᐅ Which smart home system is best for our new build?

RotorMotor schrieb:

There are also Flex switches. They were already mentioned here. But maybe a double wall socket would be enough for you.
You’ll probably have the best Wi-Fi reception at the TV. ;-)

TV, Media Receiver, AV Receiver, Retro Pi — Four

Why a 500 Mbps line if your Wi-Fi only delivers 100-250 Mbps anyway?

At least 100 Mbps needs to reach the end of the garden.
That means it doesn’t have to be the maximum internet speed all the way to the garden’s end.
For browsing and streaming videos, 100 Mbps would be sufficient.

The question is whether I can manage without an outdoor access point with AVM or not.

I’d prefer to have as many devices as possible connected via LAN.

For the TV, I can think of the following devices I would connect:

Nvidia Shield, TV receiver, XBOX, TV (the TV could also connect to Wi-Fi if necessary).
What about various smart home gateways like the Hue Bridge? They should also be connected to LAN ideally, right?

Yes, the UniFi FlexHD is definitely still an option (probably the best one within the UniFi ecosystem).

Pacc666 schrieb:

At the end of the garden, at least 100 Mbps should be available.
This means it doesn’t have to be the maximum internet speed all the way to the end of the garden.
For browsing and watching videos, 100 Mbps would be sufficient.

The question is whether I can manage with AVM without an outdoor access point or not.

Ideally, I want to connect as many devices as possible via LAN.

For the TV, I’m considering the following devices to connect:

Nvidia Shield, TV receiver, XBOX, TV (which could, in a pinch, also connect via Wi-Fi).
What about various smart home gateways like the Hue Bridge? Those should ideally also be connected via LAN, right?

Yes, the Unifi FlexHD is really still an option (probably the best within the Unifi ecosystem).

This originally started as a discussion about smart home, and considering smart garden irrigation and robotic mowers, I planned to run a network cable directly to the garden shed. From there, I can either connect additional devices or bridges via LAN or install an access point inside the dry area of the house nearby, ensuring laptops and tablets get a strong signal.

If you go with Unifi, just get a Flex Mini switch for behind the TV (and also for the garden shed). It’s powered via PoE, which already saves you a power outlet. (And no, it doesn’t provide additional PoE for connected devices, but that wouldn’t be helpful for your multimedia devices anyway).

And even though I’ve been criticized for unnecessary complexity: I’ll also connect security cameras via PoE to the switch in the garden shed and separate them from the rest of the network using VLANs.

Good grief...

Pacc666 schrieb:

If I have a 16-port PoE switch but only connect, say, 5 PoE devices (the rest are regular LAN), does the switch still consume that much power? Or does it only use as much power as is needed by connected devices?

The switch uses as much power as the devices draw. Power doesn’t leak from unused ports like water dripping on the floor. The base power consumption will be slightly higher than zero, but it’s negligible.

Pacc666 schrieb:

The Unifi Lite 16-port switch can’t be mounted in a 19" network cabinet, so I’d have to just place it inside.

Then just use the 19" USW-16-PoE switch. What’s the problem?

Pacc666 schrieb:

Can I ask how many devices you have connected to LAN at the TV location?

As many as you want there. How does it help you to know I have 7 devices? In the new house it’s just one, the TV, because everything else is in the server cabinet.

Pacc666 schrieb:

I’m a bit worried that Unifi might be overkill for me and that I’m unnecessarily spending a lot of money (which I could use for something else) since I don’t really need most of Unifi’s features.

You don’t really know what you need right now. Even if there are 2 or 3 features you won’t use, the benefits still outweigh that.

Pacc666 schrieb:

The question is whether I can live with AVM without an outdoor access point or not.

If the device is indoors, almost no signal reaches outside. I’ve had that experience multiple times. Also, AVM has nothing to do with PoE, meaning you still need a power outlet nearby. Better not even think about Wi-Fi mesh...

Pacc666 schrieb:

At the end of the garden, there should still be at least 100 Mbps.

Then get something solid, for example the Unifi U6 Mesh. Mount it under the eaves into the ceiling and you’ll be happy.

Pacc666 schrieb:

What about various smart home gateways like the Hue Bridge? They should be connected optimally to LAN, right?

The Hue Bridge doesn’t have any Wi-Fi at all.

It’s really exhausting talking with you. Every suggestion gets picked apart and because of your lack of planning, we’re back at square one. Why don’t you just do what the majority recommends? Why keep doubting and starting over? How did you even manage to build your house?

If this thread now shifts to all the DIY smart home devices and gateways for everything, I seriously need to unsubscribe. It’s giving me a headache.

Araknis schrieb:

If this thread now also starts shifting to all those DIY smart home devices and gateways for everything, I seriously need to unsubscribe. It’s giving me a headache.

Let’s see if he continues here, since he also posted the AVM or Unifi question in another forum today.

Just a simple question: What’s all the fuss about?

To watch or stream some videos in the house or garden? 4K on Prime or Netflix streams at around 15 Mbit or so. Any basic DIY setup with a random access point is enough for that.

As long as you can’t clearly specify why you need special technology, it’s better to keep it simple:

Tolentino schrieb:

Not meant badly, but a sincere piece of advice: Use AVM and extra switches where needed – done. That way you won’t drive yourself or us crazy.

I completely agree. Just place a well-positioned AVM device in the house for internet, Wi-Fi, and DECT, then add additional access points, for example in the garden, if any area has insufficient speed. All stationary devices should of course be connected via cable.

That’s how I do it too. The Fritzbox is hidden somewhere behind a kitchen panel. Internet comes from outside through the double socket to the Fritzbox, and the local network runs back into the basement via the second line, where it’s distributed further with a PoE switch. The remaining devices like PCs, Pis, and access points are connected there. I also deliberately didn’t use a large 16-port switch, but only what I really need and found cheap (in my case free).

Pacc666 schrieb:

Maybe the fear that it’s overkill for me and I’m spending more money than necessary (which I could invest elsewhere). Because I don’t need most of the Unifi functions.

Exactly, if money is tight and you don’t need anything special, just keep it simple. You can always upgrade if needed. That is exactly the advantage of a central 19" rack.

@Tassimat Thanks, I was just unsure because everyone always talks about Unifi access points being much better than those from AVM.

How would you set up an AVM access point in the garden? I guess I would need to run a LAN cable to the garden shed since it’s fairly dry there (in winter, the AVM would probably have to be brought inside, right)?

So for my use case, AVM is completely sufficient?

I just want good Wi-Fi everywhere, and it should work flawlessly for IPTV, browsing, and gaming (low ping and high download speeds via LAN usually depend more on the connection than the router).

The Fritzbox has to be placed in the basement since the modem is needed there. Or would you use the provider’s standard modem instead?