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Help with home network


tigerwoodKhorns

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I have a wireless router that I want to move out of my office.  I also have CAT6 wires strung throughout the wentire house and they all termiante in the office. 

 

I think that I need to route the modem into the router (for security and firewall - router has a firewall, right?) and then into one of these to distribute throughout the house:

 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833122139&ignorebbr=1&cm_re=PPSSZEKNMSZQPY-_-33-122-139-_-Product

 

Does this sound right?  I have a 20% off coupon for the switch.  Or do I need a managed switch to put security on everything. 

 

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So modem and switch will be in the office and then you'll connect the wireless router in another room using one of the cat6 drops connected to the switch?

 

If so, yes your device will work - however, anything else connected physically to the switch and not the router will be open to the internet and unprotected, and likely not work at all since your modem will only have one public IP assigned (which is typically assigned to your router). The router then NAT's the traffic and creates your home subnet.

 

Anything connected physically or wirelessly to the router will work fine and be protected. 

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OK, looks like this is going to get more difficult than I thought. 

 

Here is how I want to hook it up:

 

Modem  ----- >  Router  -----> Switch ----- > hook up all devices in the house to the switch

 

The router will also connect to laptops and devices wirelessly. 

 

I want everything to be able to access the internet. 

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OK, looks like this is going to get more difficult than I thought. 

 

Here is how I want to hook it up:

 

Modem  ----- >  Router  -----> Switch ----- > hook up all devices in the house to the switch

 

The router will also connect to laptops and devices wirelessly. 

 

I want everything to be able to access the internet.

That's how I have mine but I have total of 4 switches. I use the router for the phones and tablets everything else is hard wired.

Modem > Router > 16 port Switch > 3 more smaller switches at distant locations

edit: I also have a range extender so the backyard is covered wirelessly

Edited by USNRET
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THanks.

 

I have the CAT6 wires in the walls, but no ends.  I assume that they are easy to install.  What do you guys recommend?

A good pair of glasses, good crimpers and determine if it's wired to "A" or "B" style. I like to use a tool that checks for opens, shorts ect. after installing the jack. I have one that has like 16 numbered shorting plugs so you plug them in the wall port then go back and plug the other ends in to the tool and it displays either good and number or tells you which wires are open / shorted. Let me know if you want to borrow them tools for this.
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OK, looks like this is going to get more difficult than I thought. 

 

Here is how I want to hook it up:

 

Modem  ----- >  Router  -----> Switch ----- > hook up all devices in the house to the switch

 

The router will also connect to laptops and devices wirelessly. 

 

I want everything to be able to access the internet. 

 

You would need Cat 6 ends (not 5) and a crimper.  Cat 6 is a little tougher to crimp.  Use 568B termination. 

Nice to know how to do this yourself for when you destroy one of the ends at some point!

 

I found a guide that could help.

https://mcb.berkeley.edu/labs/krantz/pdf/guide_to_crimping_cat5_cat6_connectors.pdf  

This shows 568B termination... that will work for you.

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I take mine for granted by buying ready made cables whenever possible.  

 

Anybody remember printers with serial connections?  It seemed every model had different pin configurations.  Early on, I custom built the cables and the company charged customers 100 bucks... maybe $125 if the wire was long.  I often thought I could do that for a long time if I made that kind of profit!

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All good advice, directly upstream.  :emotion-21:   I only have a couple of things to add/clarify.

 

You do NOT need a managed hub.  A passive hub is what you need 99% of the time in home use.  I think the unit you referenced is a true switch, but you can save money by getting an unmanaged  hub.  Do you really need 16 ports?  Your wireless router likely has 4 wired ports.  Here is a reputable 8-port hub:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833122610

 

If your cable modem is older, make sure it is rated for DOSCIS 3.0.  (for high speed internet)  This is what I have, about $70 at Sam's Club:

http://www.samsclub.com/sams/motorola-cable-modem/prod9630095.ip

 

Your terms all all good.  You have a cable modem, that goes into your wireless router, in the dedicated INTERNET port.  The third device I would call a managed hub, or switch, 16 port hub.  So technically, you have two routers.

 

Hook everything up the way people suggested above.  It should simply plug in and work fine.  But if you have any problem, get back to us right away, because there are a couple of things that might wrong.

 

When you hook up a modem to a wireless router, that is your LAN. (local area network).  When you hook the wireless router to another router, that connection becomes a WAN, wide area network.  I won't bore you with the technical differences, but in some instances you must make sure that you use the WAN port on your 16-port hub, if there is one.  I think I saw on your link that your 16 port hub is AUTO SWITCHING, which means it will automatically figure out if it is connected to a WAN, there is no dedicated WAN port.

 

You will be protected by a hardware firewall on the wireless router, but don't forget to get into the setup program in the wireless router to set up your security.  Again, get back to us, and I think there are several here who can guide you.  FYI there is also a software firewall in your Windows 7 which can be turned on and off, don't confuse one for the other.

+++

 

I would advise you to use the 10 minute rule; you can figure out 90% of your problems in 10 minutes, but after that it could take 4 hours.  If you can't figure it out after 10 minutes, don't be afraid to ask for help. 

 

It's why we're here.  :cool:

Edited by wvu80
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Your terms all all good.  You have a cable modem, that goes into your wireless router.  The third device I would call a router, or 16 port hub.  So technically, you have two routers.

 

 

no, no, no. hubs are garbage and not the same thing as a switch. two layers of routers is overkill. you need a switch.

 

Modem > Router > Switch.

 

 

 

When you hook the wireless router to another router, that connection becomes a WAN, wide area network.

 

 

Kind of, depending on how it's configured. More accurately, when you connect your firewall to another firewall you are creating a WAN. You can have many redundant switches within your LAN architecture.

Edited by Thaddeus Smith
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no, no, no. hubs are garbage and not the same thing as a switch. two layers of routers is overkill. you need a switch.

 

Modem > Router > Switch.

 

A switch is just a managed (or intelligent) router, is it not?  We used to refer to an unmanaged hub as a passive hub.  Do we have our terms correct?

 

IMO, you don't need a managed hub for home use.  And he would need two routers if his wireless router didn't have enough ports, but he didn't say how many ports he needed.

 

I can bow to your superior knowledge, but what is your thinking on this? (example?)

Edited by wvu80
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Heres a good primer on hubs vs. switches. In our modern times with content downloads, Netflix, NAS devices, and connected players you want intelligent traffic routing to manage all that bandwidth.

 

http://www.blackbox.com/resources/blackboxexplains.aspx?id=bbe_4170

 

i agree reed you don't need a second router.

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My system needs a re-boot at times after a power or Internet failure (rare) but then you need to realize that the wife uses a Korean VOIP phone subscribed "in country" so she can call local numbers there. That device is the most finicky.

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Hubs vs switches all explained there, but the thing that is missing is this. When using a hub, all devices on the network see all the data on the network. In this case it would be your private subnet, usually 192.168.x.x 255.255.255.0. Using a switch, the devices are discreet. A switch is intelligent enough to allow for shared devices and drives. 

 

If you want to sniff data happening on your home network use a hub. Otherwise, a switch is better.

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