F5F Stay Refreshed Power Users Networks Network issues are really frustrating. I'm looking for advice on setting up a better connection.

Network issues are really frustrating. I'm looking for advice on setting up a better connection.

Network issues are really frustrating. I'm looking for advice on setting up a better connection.

M
Mr_JayZ
Junior Member
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20
04-17-2016, 04:29 AM
#1
My setup is definitely not ideal, and the Wi-Fi has been quite inconsistent lately. I’m planning to expand by adding more devices and improving the connection. Right now I have two networks: one for general use—lights, switches, plugs, phones, tablets, TVs, and PCs—and another dedicated to security cameras and a VR box. The cameras record on SD cards, while the VR box is still in development without offsite backup. All my current cameras are Wi-Fi enabled (including Ezviz gear), but I want to connect them more stably. My main router is a Netgear XR500 with an extender, which I plan to install upstairs. Ideally, I’d run one cable upstairs from the two networks down to a switch in the upper floor, then connect all cameras and the extender there. Downstairs, I want to wire the NVR box into the switch along with the other four cameras and my PC, Amazon Fire Stick, and a tablet. I’m thinking of moving away from Wi-Fi toward more wired connections for reliability.

I have a rough map of my home and approximate locations for all the gear. The router is hard to move because it’s in a spot with limited space. I already have 50 meters of Cat6a cable and everything needed to set up the house—though I’m not entirely new to networking, as I installed systems back in the early 2000s. My goal is to purchase network switches for the whole house. I’m considering one near the WiFi extender on the stairs, another beside two front bedroom cameras (one for my baby and two for monitoring traffic), plus a switch next to the NVR that feeds into it, connecting the downstairs camera to it. The PC plugs straight into the router.

This sounds complex, but I’m trying to keep costs low and avoid future obsolescence. I’m unsure how many switches I should use and whether unmanaged ones are safe (I can find them cheaply on marketplaces). I also want to know if connecting all devices through a switch would overload the network. My internet speed is 400 Mbps, with high-bandwidth gear like two Fire Sticks, a phone, a tablet, and a gaming PC. When I try to connect the NVR via a switch, I get mixed results—sometimes it works, sometimes not.

Additional concerns: Are unmanaged switches acceptable? Can the NVR communicate through a switch? Will the camera connections work if everything passes through one switch? What about bandwidth strain—do so many devices together really hurt performance? And how will I handle privacy later? I’d like to keep things offline as much as possible.

Thanks for any advice!
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M
Mr_JayZ
04-17-2016, 04:29 AM #1

My setup is definitely not ideal, and the Wi-Fi has been quite inconsistent lately. I’m planning to expand by adding more devices and improving the connection. Right now I have two networks: one for general use—lights, switches, plugs, phones, tablets, TVs, and PCs—and another dedicated to security cameras and a VR box. The cameras record on SD cards, while the VR box is still in development without offsite backup. All my current cameras are Wi-Fi enabled (including Ezviz gear), but I want to connect them more stably. My main router is a Netgear XR500 with an extender, which I plan to install upstairs. Ideally, I’d run one cable upstairs from the two networks down to a switch in the upper floor, then connect all cameras and the extender there. Downstairs, I want to wire the NVR box into the switch along with the other four cameras and my PC, Amazon Fire Stick, and a tablet. I’m thinking of moving away from Wi-Fi toward more wired connections for reliability.

I have a rough map of my home and approximate locations for all the gear. The router is hard to move because it’s in a spot with limited space. I already have 50 meters of Cat6a cable and everything needed to set up the house—though I’m not entirely new to networking, as I installed systems back in the early 2000s. My goal is to purchase network switches for the whole house. I’m considering one near the WiFi extender on the stairs, another beside two front bedroom cameras (one for my baby and two for monitoring traffic), plus a switch next to the NVR that feeds into it, connecting the downstairs camera to it. The PC plugs straight into the router.

This sounds complex, but I’m trying to keep costs low and avoid future obsolescence. I’m unsure how many switches I should use and whether unmanaged ones are safe (I can find them cheaply on marketplaces). I also want to know if connecting all devices through a switch would overload the network. My internet speed is 400 Mbps, with high-bandwidth gear like two Fire Sticks, a phone, a tablet, and a gaming PC. When I try to connect the NVR via a switch, I get mixed results—sometimes it works, sometimes not.

Additional concerns: Are unmanaged switches acceptable? Can the NVR communicate through a switch? Will the camera connections work if everything passes through one switch? What about bandwidth strain—do so many devices together really hurt performance? And how will I handle privacy later? I’d like to keep things offline as much as possible.

Thanks for any advice!

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Pickmaster12
Senior Member
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710
04-17-2016, 12:31 PM
#2
The approach you're considering is valid. Unmanaged switches can effectively handle port expansion, and cameras shouldn't need visibility into them if each switch connects directly to the main router via Ethernet.
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Pickmaster12
04-17-2016, 12:31 PM #2

The approach you're considering is valid. Unmanaged switches can effectively handle port expansion, and cameras shouldn't need visibility into them if each switch connects directly to the main router via Ethernet.

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