Network Guidance for Your Home Optimize your home setup for speed and security.
Network Guidance for Your Home Optimize your home setup for speed and security.
I’m aiming for a practical, budget-friendly approach that avoids heavy technical work. I didn’t set up a custom router from scratch because I want something simple and affordable. I’m familiar with configuring firewall rules on regular consumer routers, which means I won’t need to dive into complex console commands. Building my own router using APs sounds like it might be too involved for my skill level.
I’m moving into a larger home soon—about double the space of my current place. The new house is around 4,000 sq ft and has 5G fiber access, but likely only 1 Gbps initially since the kids are young. We’ll use CAT 6E for most areas and run conduit from the main panel to the attic for future upgrades.
Since I’m not an expert, I want your thoughts on whether this setup makes sense. Here’s what I’m planning:
- Eight Cat6e ports for the main computer/entertainment area
- Four Cat6e ports for PoE cameras, including a smart doorbell
- A central network box in the first floor closet (20"x16") that opens to the attic
- A home server/NAS with media and local storage (offsite backup is already arranged)
- Running a Plex server locally, serving media only within the house
- About three extra Wi-Fi ports for IoT devices
- Possibly more switches for home automation, maybe integrated into a Home Assistant box
- IoT devices like lights, appliances, etc.
My goal is to cover the house with 5GHz and 2.4GHz networks for everyday use—phones, printers, smart devices, Echo, etc.—while keeping media and backups fast. I’d like two 2.5GbE wired connections between two main computers (one for media, another for secondary media) and at least one Cat6e port for the home server/NAS.
I want to avoid internet access for the NAS but keep it reachable inside the LAN—no external calls, especially for kids’ rooms. I’m open to using a separate gateway or smart home hub if needed.
For hardware, I’m considering:
- Main router + TP-Link Archer AX55 AP
- TRENDnet TEG-S380 2.5GbE switch (8 ports)
- Used unmanaged switch under $40 with at least four PoE ports
- Optional Gigabit switch if needed
This plan should help me secure a reliable, fast, and future-proof home network without breaking the bank or requiring deep technical skills.
I’d consider joining a unified platform like Unifi. That way, everything stays in one dashboard. I think an Ubiquiti UniFi device would work well—it combines the router and NVR into one unit. You could install several Wi-Fi 6 access points throughout the house to cover more than 4000 sq ft. The layout might vary, but having two APs seems sufficient for this space.
He suggested Unifi too, but from a budget standpoint I'd end up spending much more than the current configuration. (Gateway $129, CloudKey $200, 2.5g switch $479, 16 PoE switch $199, plus I skipped the ceiling CAT drops so I might need 2-3 U6 Mesh APs at $179 each—totaling around $1,365 versus about $400). Since I don’t have a rack and prefer avoiding bulky equipment, I’m leaning toward just two based on the layout. There’s plenty of open space and fewer walls for each AP to penetrate. I’d probably place one in the entryway closet with the network panel and another in the game room. First floor and second floor.
I observe that I currently possess a TP Link AC4000 in a distant upper corner of my 2100 sq ft residence. It adequately covers everything for the Wi-Fi I have now. If I'm planning any upgrade, it might be worth considering a Wi-Fi 6 router. However, I could easily purchase another one for around $80 as an access point. It seems to lack the advanced mesh technology needed for smooth roaming between APs, unlike newer models.
There’s a compact solution that fits easily in a closet, offering good value with the right components. Without a dedicated rack, things can quickly become disorganized. You might also consider a NAS built into a mountable unit for cleaner organization. While some of these items can be pricey, you don’t have to splurge immediately. Starting with a UniFi Dream Machine SE is a solid choice—it includes cloud connectivity, a gateway, and necessary ports, plus a budget HDD. Adding a few APs gives you full control over the network and future-proofing. If you’re looking to save now, an affordable unmanaged switch will get you started around $800 for networking gear.
Sure, I could stick an open frame short depth 2U rack on the shelf above the network panel (it's the only coat closet on the first floor so no chance of anything going below there). I was avoiding this route mainly from the extra physical space this configuration would be taking up. I have no desire to have tiny rack fan whine in that space and I already have a home server setup (NUC + 4 bay DAS) so will already need to be taking up space on the top shelf. "Right" is a very loaded word there and means different things to different people. For me cost does matter as my bank accounts are going to be suffering for a bit after all the down payments and other post-closing upgrades we're doing to this house. It's also important that I don't have to be a sysadmin professional to manage the setup. Unifi is targeted towards people who know what they're doing, consumer-grade stuff is targeted to people like me who don't need 2000 options to dig through. I'm not against Unifi in principle, it's just cost and form factor seem way overkill for my use case so why spend the money if I'm only going to be using 5% of its capabilities? If they had equipment better scaled to a home use case (which includes wife aesthetic approval) then it would probably be an easier pill to swallow. Still an unnecessary cost at this point and when I'm already spending a ton of money for the place initially. Sure, in 5-10 years it may be worth doing a larger upgrade but I'm not sure if I'd even be using that much throughput. To entertain your suggestion (still not convinced it's worth the extra cost and hassle) this is the setup I'd probably have to go with: Wall bracket for rack mount :: a cheap startech 2U thing :: $63 Dream Machine SE :: $499 Cheap unmanaged 2.5gbe switch :: $150 Probably can get away with just 3 Wifi 6 Lite APs :: $99 each - $297 (ebay is not saving me here maybe $10 less for used than list for higher power U6 versions) Total cost :: $1009 before tax, shipping, and patch cables I'd have to place the rack over the shelf and would still probably place the unmanaged switch wall mounted into the network panel to reduce the number of patch cables going back and forth. The home server/NUC would likely just sit on the Dream Machine with the 4 bay DAS. Then I'd have an AP in that closet, 1 in bedroom 2, and 1 in the gameroom though I'd lose the ability to direct connect anything there unless I spend another $80 for a U6-IW or add another unmanaged switch up there. Not a big deal, was just hoping I could keep more stuff off the wifi. What I was planning was having both of the switches in the network panel, then have the router, NUC, DAS, and an old QNAP NAS (for the NVR) sitting on top of the shelf. The 2.4Ghz AP I already have would sit in Bedroom 2, and the other router would be in the gameroom. I get that I'll be using a bunch of different brands of stuff, but so far the only benefit I see is that I'd have the NVR combined with the PoE switch so only 1 thing to log into instead of 2. At the end of the day, I like the idea, just not convinced that the extra spend is remotely worth it for my use case. I don't have a big homelab going nor do I like to tinker with networking for the sake of it. I'm likely to set everything up once and then leave it alone for a long time.