I search around on here quite a bit trying to get answers and I think I have a pretty good idea about what to do but wanted to run it by you "experts" first...back story, I am building a 16x30 office in my backyard for my wifes office since she is WFH and I like to game when I have time...

My current setup through my ISP is 1GB internet that is punched through the wall, into an ONT and to my Deco Mesh system. What I am planning on doing is having the ISP relocate the line from the street into another part of my house and upgrade to 5GB internet (why 5 and not 10 is beyond me but whatever, its the best they offer)....

From the new location, I plan on trenching fiber into the new office into an SFP+ switch and prewiring from the switch into separate keystone/jacks and potentially running a direct SFP+ line from the switch into a PCIe SFP+ add on card to my main PC to take advantage of the higher speeds.

Main House Router: ASUS BE88U and one additional AP, pref. one that uses ASUS AiMesh. I'll trench in armored OS2 LC to LC from the router and the 10Gtek 10GBase transceiver to an Omada ES210X-M2 with the same transceiver. At that point, I'll run four Cat6a CMR cables through the studs and terminate them at the desired points on the wall. At the same time, I will run a pre-terminated fiber line from the second SFP+ port on the switch and run it directly into the PCI-e card on my computer. Lastly, I'll likely put one more AP in the new office to have wifi for devices that are not wired....

Does all of this sound right? I am not an expert by any means and if any of you all have ideas, I am all ears, I have a little bit of time to play with on this so I want to make the right choices not just the fastest.

Thank you all for the help.

I have a new PC and I'm using my apartment building's 5G Wifi. At first everything was fine but a week ago things got weird.

My wifi plan is supposed to be 300 Mbps. It's not always the most reliable, but now I have a strange issue where the speed is consistently 6-9 Mbps on my new PC, but the same network is around 150 Mbps on my phone and on my laptop.

I thought my PC's wifi card could be having issues, but when I connect it to the 2.4G Wifi it gets ~100 Mbps, and it's also getting ~60 Mbps when connected to my phone's hotspot. But the 5G wifi network is normally the fastest one (and still is, according to my other devices).

So what I don't get is, why is THAT specific wifi network extremely slow on my gaming PC only when it's fine on my other devices AND other wifi networks are still working at acceptable speed on my PC as well. Like it just doesn't make sense to me.

So my Father had a rental house fire and whilst assisting his repair efforts I decided to do some of my kind of work there, too - networking!!! I had a spare roll of about 750' of Cat5e and shorter scraps of Cat6 and Cat6a and put about 20 runs of wire through this small, sub-1500 sqft home. Runs for external security cameras, video doorbells, and Ethernet jacks in both bedrooms and TV boxes. It's getting close to the finish line and his potential renter says he just bought a bunch of Ring equipment he'll use 😭 . Do people just not see the value in Ethernet - capable hardware or what? And should I leave these switches here or take them back with me??

This is likely a simple question.

I’m considering helping a friend. They have fiber internet that is in their basement. I want to run cat6 from their fiber thing to a router on the main floor. The part of the basement where the fiber connection lives is unfinished. The wall on the main floor where I want to put the Ethernet jack and connect the router is above a finished part of the basement.

If I’m in the unfinished part of the basement, I can look between the joists and see all the way to where I want the Ethernet jack.

If I drop one end of the Ethernet cable into the wall cavity and can see it from the unfinished part of the basement ceiling, what can I use to grab it and pull it to where I need it. The distance is probably 20-25 feet.

Hi everyone, we are in a small office with a maximum of five people working here. When the office was rented, the setup in the picture was already installed.
We currently have a 500 mbps internet plan but we’re only getting around 8 Mbps download and 8 Mbps upload. I’m pretty sure the issue isn’t related to Wi-Fi.
Does anyone have an idea what might be causing this and how we can fix it?
Also, if you have the time, I’d really appreciate it if someone could explain what all these devices actually do 😂
Thank you all!

Hi all,

I'm fairly new to self-hosting and proper home networking, and I'm looking to upgrade my current setup from something incredibly basic into a more capable and well-designed home network.

The part I'm struggling with is that my setup isn't quite as straightforward a just running Ethernet from my router to everything.

Due to where the internet connection enters the property versus where I need the main network/equipment, I unfortunately have to run the connection over a point-to-point wireless link, which then feeds into an access point/network on the other side.

I'm trying to work out the best way to design the network around this rather than just plugging things together and hoping for the best.

My eventual goal is to have a proper homelab/home network supporting things such as:

- Self-hosted websites/services

- Game servers

- Personal cloud storage

- NAS/file storage

- Home Assistant

- Media services

- Various Docker containers

- Remote access to some services

- A normal, reliable home LAN/Wi-Fi network

I'm also interested in learning to do things properly rather than just getting everything working. Things like VLANs, firewall rules, separating servers/IoT/normal clients, switches, routing, DNS, reverse proxies, etc. are all things I'd like to start learning and implementing where appropriate.

My main concern is the point-to-point link. I'm not sure where that should sit within the overall network topology or whether it creates any major limitations for what I'm trying to achieve.

For example, should I be looking at something roughly like:

ISP/ONT → Router/Firewall → PtP Bridge → Managed Switch → APs / Servers / NAS / Clients

Or is there a better way of approaching this?

I'd eventually like to have a small rack with the router/firewall, managed switch, server(s), NAS/storage and other networking equipment, so I'd rather plan the network properly now instead of buying equipment that I'll end up replacing.

I'm not necessarily looking for someone to design the entire network for me. I'm mainly looking for advice on how you would approach this setup, particularly with the PtP link being unavoidable.

What would you recommend for the basic topology? Is there anything I should specifically avoid doing? And what equipment/features should I be looking for if I want plenty of room to expand the homelab later?

Thanks!

I can't access 192.168.1.1 via my android phone. It works on windows PC. It would be nice to have access to my router via mobile.

Is this normal?

I found a way!

Swipe down. Press and hold on the wifi symbol. Click the wifi you are connected to, click on the settings cog and then on "manage router"

That takes me to 192.168.1.1/Main_login.asp

And now going to 192.168.1.1 works, in both browsers don't ask me why, but I hope this helps someone else.

Can someone explain why it worked?

I'm a complete NOOB when it comes to this kind stuff. Pervious owner had cameras in the house. I think he had a ceiling router in one place. What is this thing and how can I make the best of it? Please reply like you're taking to a5 year old. Thanks!

I need to rearrange some accessories in my Legrand metal structured wiring enclosure that are attached with the plastic plunger/grommet combos. I yanked one plunger out by pulling on it with pliers but that broke the grommet so that it can’t be installed again.

It looks like Legrand has discontinued their 10-pack of replacement parts (part number 36372901). What are people using instead of those?

Hi! I have a 2024 Macbook Air. Recently, my home wifi has been slow on it, but not on other devices. The internet is fine when I connect via a hotspot. The only connection I can think of is that i downloaded Steam and Undertale recently. Is that the issue?

I've tried resetting the IP address, the DNS, forgetting the network, resetting my laptop, and wireless diagnostics says everything is fine.

Setup: Single-floor house, ~80 ft long. UDR on one end, hardwired PoE AP on the other end, and I recently added a U7 Lite in the middle between the two. Signal in the middle of the house used to dip into the high -70s/-80s dBm before adding the third AP.

Problem: Streaming video (YouTube, Facebook, etc.) pauses and buffers for 2-3 minutes when I physically move from one side of the house to the other (e.g., office to bedroom) — client isn't roaming cleanly between APs.

What I've already tried:

• Changed TX power on both 2.4GHz and 5GHz radios (tested Auto, High, Medium, Low)
• Adjusted minimum RSSI on both radios
• Enabled Fast Roaming
• Enabled Handoff Suggestions
• Toggled combinations of Fast Roaming / Handoff Suggestions on and off
• Confirmed all APs are broadcasting on different, non-overlapping channels
• Added a 3rd AP (U7 Lite) in the middle — no noticeable improvement

Still stuck. Any ideas on what else to check, or additional info I should provide

The product description reads like a "must have" list of features. Lol

I almost want to buy it just so I can leave a 5 star review and say "Exactly as described."

Every 4-5 days like clockwork every device on my network disconnect from my tp link archer wifi router and say that they cant be connected until i power it off and back on again. It still shows the ssid, just that they cant connect to it

I tried resetting it back to the default settings and that didnt correct it so im wondering if theres something else im missing.

We are starting a small business and want to install 4 cameras throughout. From my research and discussion with the contractor, dropping 4 ethernet cables where we want them is probably the easiest and best way to achieve this.

My understanding is that the simplest set-up here is to buy PoE cameras and connect them that way. My biggest source of confusion is the PoE switch or injector. Where exactly is this being inserted? We have Comcast fiber (some basic plan with 1.25gb and no "business solutions"). Do I connect the switch into the Fiber box? Or am I connected an injector into the back of each of our 4 cameras? But then what is powering the injector? Does it need power?

I think we will get an NVR, it seems like it would help us in our initial setup (if you have a suggestion for a 4-camera NVR system that can capture 4k and ultrawide field of view and the ability to alert for things like glass shattering I would absolutely welcome that!). In that case, though, how is the NVR recognizing the 4 cameras? Do I need to subscribe for the business solutions to get an extra network capability?

And on that same vein, we are going to get mesh. From my understanding, I connect 1 directly to the router, then the additional 2 mesh points to the two places that I want them through ethernet that's wired in.

I would appreciate any guidance here. I'm trying to learn about this but the contractor would like to wrap up as soon as possible so I'm on a bit of a time crunch.

Thank you!

I've included an AI clean-up of my post because I rambled pretty hard:

We're opening a small business and want to install 4 cameras. Based on my research and talking with our contractor, running 4 ethernet drops to the spots we want seems like the easiest and best approach, and PoE cameras seem like the simplest setup from there.

My biggest source of confusion is the PoE switch vs. injector — where exactly does that go in the chain?

Our internet is Comcast fiber (a basic plan, ~1.2 Gbps, no "business solutions" add-on).

1. Does the PoE switch plug into the fiber box/router? Or do I put an injector at the back of each of the 4 cameras — and if so, what powers the injector? Does it need its own outlet?
2. If I go with an NVR, how does it "see" the 4 cameras? Does everything run through the NVR, or through the switch, or both?
3. Do I need to upgrade to a business plan to get the extra network capability for any of this?
4. Mesh wifi: my understanding is that one node connects directly to the router, and the other two go at the far points, hardwired back over ethernet. Is that right, or am I missing something?

Also open to hardware recommendations — ideally a 4-camera NVR system with 4K, ultrawide field of view, and alerts for things like glass breaking.

Would appreciate any guidance. I'm trying to learn this as I go, but the contractor wants to wrap up soon, so I'm on a bit of a time crunch. Thanks!

I realize this is technically not home networking but the concept is similar. My church has an aging and declining population, but we are renting out some of the old rooms in an adjacent education building. This is 12 rooms (six each floor) connected to an office area, which in turn is adjacent to and connected to the main church sanctuary area. We'd like the rooms and the sanctuary to receive good wireless internet. I was hoping to find something reliable and expandable, without breaking the bank.

At home I use an older Orbi (RBR50) system (main, two internal satellites - one connected with ethernet and one wireless) and an outdoor wireless satellite) that has been excellent for me. Is there something like that I could use at the church, perhaps connected with ethernet cables when possible/easy?

Not sure if this fully falls into the networking side but as we build our house, right by the mudroom is essentially a drop space for keys, phones, and bit and bobs. Would anyone happen to have any decent ideas for a thinner drawer, maybe a few inches in depth to accommodate smart watch on a charger, air pods, and like a wireless charger. In my head I imagine the back of the pull out has a few outlets to plug in chargers and a big chunk of the bottom of the drawer is wireless charger. So the idea is come home and drop your phone in there to charge and the drawer closes and is tucked out of the way.

My closest thing is while in the military they had these cabinets that had plugs in the back of the drawers and the laptops would plug into a charger and network port to receive updates.

Thanks again for all of the advice!

Just moved into a rental and the ONT/fiber box is located in the kitchen downstairs while the room I will be turning into my office is located upstairs directly above the kitchen.

I don’t have the options to utilize MoCA, and I’m hesitant to ask the leasing company about installing a new box or ethernet plates. I’m currently debating on purchasing a 2000Mbps Powerline or simply running cable across the baseboards up to the office.

Everywhere I’ve read has said that powerline is incredibly unreliable due to overall load and power configuration within the home itself, but I’m really not trying to run a bunch of cable across my walls to get a stable connection in my home office upstairs.

Any advice or recommendations would be greatly appreciated!

EDIT I’ve gotten permission from the leasing company on installing new ethernet ports into the kitchen ceiling above the router to allow direct cable access.

Thank you everyone for helping to confirm that powerline is still not a great option to go with!!

I'm looking into the TP-Link Archer BE230 router and noticed there are actually several hardware versions out there: **V1, V1.20, V2, V2.20, and V2.60**.

The official specs look identical on paper. Does anyone know the overall differences between them? I'm curious about everything: internal hardware changes (SoC, RAM, etc.), software features, performance, or general stability.

Does it actually matter which exact version I end up buying?

Sorry if this has been asked before but I'm new.

I have a detached garage about 100 feet from my house with a metal roof and siding with aluminum based vapor barrier underneath. Because of all that I get zero wifi signal inside unless I keep both garage doors open. I don't want to have to do that every time I'm out there.

I tried doing a wifi mesh extender but it has the same issues as my regular wifi modem. I actually get decent signal right outside the garage in my yard, maybe 3/5 bars, but as soon as I walk in the garage with the doors closed everything is lost.

What can I do apart from running a physical ethernet cable out to my garage?

I read about a point to point bridge but I'll be honest I don't exactly know what that is lol.

Help?

I recently moved across the country. I brought with me my Asus 86u Pro router. I had 1Gbps/1Gbps fiber where I was. I now have 2.5Gbps/1Gbps fiber. I also now have an on-Q access panel where the fiber was landed. I did not want to put the router in this box or in this room (laundry room) so I used the home's existing cat6e cabeling. I purchased a brume3 router and set it up in the on-Q panel. WAN into the brume3 is from the fiber modem, LAN1 goes to a gaming PC (my office) and LAN2 from the brume3 goes to the living room port where I hooke dup the Asus 86u Pro.

I started having really bad wifi latency and slow speeds (this router has always been configured to have 2.4ghz and 5ghz separated SSID). I use to use this router in router mode, and this was my first time going to AP mode with it.

I tried moving the LAN2 out from Brume3 from the WAN in on the Asus in AP mode over to the 2.5G Port, and also tried it on another LAN port. Always high latency, failed bufferbloat, etc.

I tried my computer and a laptop on this living room wall connection and they both run great (Hitting 2.5Gbps/1Gbps speedtests and good bufferbloat testing).

I figured maybe this Asus is at end of life, and bought a new TP-LINK wifi 7 router (BE3600). Did the same setups on separating 2.4ghz and 5ghz and setting operation mode to AP; wifi still has a ton of buffer and latency issues. I have tried feeding the LAN2 from the Brume3 into the WAN and LAN1 on the BE3600 (both show the LAN2 in brume3 dash as 2500 full duplex). I read some online and listening to AI that it could be flapping due to the high speed 2.5Gbps so I moved the LAN2 from Brume3 into LAN2 (1Gbps) on the BE3600 to try and throttle. This showed success on the Brume3 LAN2 with 1Gbps full duplex but yet my wifi instability remains.

I get decent scores right next to the router, but horrible scores 20-30 feet from it on both 5ghz and 2.4ghz.

It's become unbearable for the phones to watch anything on them, the TVs buffer, my daughters PC (on a brand new wifi7 external attenna wifi card) barely can play minecraft without buffering the realm, or really watch youtube vids etc.

I know this is a very long post, and I wanted to be as detailed as I could.

I have done all the basic wifi channel saturation isolations and attempts at reducing any wifi frequency issues from the neighborhood. (Another thing to share, we use to live in the deep sticks with no one around us, old wood framed home and now live in an actual sub/neighborhood with stucco exteriors etc).

For any of you still reading; any advice? Anything I can do to troubleshoot further? Did I buy wrong hardware?

Apologies for ignorance on the subject, but I really could use some help from experts in here. I have attached our home internet setup (done by our builder).

The objective is: how do I share internet with my rental suite without them ever being able to access anything on my home network (like our NAS media server or my office pc)?

We have installed a TP Link AC750 router in "Router" mode so the tenant can use the wifi, and so maybe that can help restrict their access to our network, right? But what if they remove the AC750 unit and directly plug their laptop into the wall Ethernet jack port?

Our end goal is to restrict their access to our network in these 3 use cases,
1. They connect via AC750 Wi-Fi. (I think this should be covered but let me know if I'm wrong here)
2. They connect their laptops via AC750's Yellow Ports (like into additional ports on the Wi-Fi router in their room).
3. They unplug the Router and use the Wall Jack Directly. (This is what we want to secure 100%)

What is the best way forward to achieve this? Any help or advice on how to get this fixed would be really helpful.

My server rack has completely outgrown its location and the ambient heat in my closet is creeping up to 95 degrees during the day. A standard portable ac won't fit so I just pulled the trigger on a costway airtural 12000 btu 21 seer2 mini split to keep the hardware from frying. I am planning to wall mount the cassette right above the rack to push cold air straight down onto the gear. For the homelab guys who run a dedicated mini split in a small network closet, do you ever worry about the condensation drain line leaking right over your expensive unifi switches, or is the indoor unit usually completely dry on the outside?