Need assistance finding a new place with internet access.
Need assistance finding a new place with internet access.
Hi everyone. I’m planning to construct a new home in Spain. The space will be around 250 square meters with three floors, including a basement and garage. It will feature bedrooms, a main living area, a kitchen, and two bedrooms on the second floor. My initial thought was to run Ethernet cables throughout the house, but I’m unsure about the best setup or how to implement it. I have some basic tech knowledge but not much experience with Ethernet. I’d like each bedroom to have at least two Ethernet ports for devices like TVs and other gadgets. I’m considering a Wi-Fi 7 router and a mesh system with one node per floor, possibly using ASUS Cat6 cables. Any advice on the best approach?
In Spain, you can expect solid barriers. You’ll need wiring that allows easy upgrades later.
I followed a similar setup at home (though I'm not an expert). They provided an ISP router/modem combo, connected the first floor via Ethernet cables to the other two routers, and added a second floor switch later if needed. The second and third routers acted as nodes for the Ethernet backbone. Because of the concrete and distance, wireless wasn't reliable, so I used wired connections. A cable from the nearest router to where you want the wall ports would work fine. If you need more flexibility, pull it from the main router/switch. As long as the main router stays online, your TV will have a wired link. You'll end up with more cables overall. Also, consider conduit for future installation inside walls and maybe a blueprint for easier planning later.
Discuss with your architect about the paths for high and low voltage wires. With concrete walls, install conduit inside them. The same conduit used for coaxial or telephone lines can also work for ethernet. I’ve instructed the electrician to lay ethernet alongside coaxial in parallel since they shared rooms with TVs and needed a central point. Just ensure that location is suitable for a switch. For mesh networking in homes with concrete walls across multiple floors, I’d hesitate unless you’re using AP mode with ethernet uplink to the main router. Mesh typically relies on wireless backhaul, which can weaken with concrete barriers. Running it in AP mode would resemble a more modern WiFi setup, making “mesh” less essential.
If I were handling this, I’d plan the Ethernet layout carefully. Lay out at least two cables per connection point. I’d choose either a solid wired router or a custom OpenSense/PFsense setup. Get a network switch for all my devices so they can connect easily. For Wi-Fi, I’d consider standalone APs, possibly WiFi 6 or even WiFi 7 if the budget allowed. If I had enough money, I’d aim for a high-quality build. Cat 6 supports up to 5 Gbps over 100 meters or 10 Gbps at 55 meters. That should cover most homes; you might upgrade later to 10 Gbps if needed, but 2.5 Gbps could be useful in the future.