Recent inquiries about home networking.
Recent inquiries about home networking.
I’m purchasing a new home and only have a single room with cable internet. I plan to stream 4K in the living room and connect my PC, Xbox, and a temporary NAS to my old computer via wired connections. These devices will be placed in three separate rooms. There’s a crawl space under the house where I intend to run Cat6 cables to each room, using a wired router to link them together before connecting to the existing wireless router or cable modem. This is my first time setting up something like this, so I’m curious—should I place the wired router in the crawlspace and keep the wireless router inside the house? Does the wired router require frequent resets like some wireless ones? What type of cable would be most affordable and suitable for this setup? Are there any software tools needed to configure everything properly? Any advice would be appreciated! I currently use a Netgear Nighthawk, an AC1900 router, and my cable modem provides 400Mbps.
Here are some points to consider at the beginning:
Check if the crawl space is sealed in concrete or open enough for small animals like raccoons or squirrels to enter. Look for any existing coax or data lines in the area.
General tips: Store-bought wired routers tend to be unreliable, often needing resets and failing early due to low-quality parts. You might prefer a DIY setup such as a PFSense box or a higher-end security gateway like Ubiquiti's USG. For your Nighthawk AC 1900, using it as both wired and wireless router is recommended, with a switch added afterward for devices like Xbox, PC, and NAS. This simplifies the setup.
It has mortared concrete blocks and a stucco surface. I don’t think anything large could pass through, except maybe tiny mice or insects—I couldn’t even see my thumb through the vent screens. There’s one coax cable from the box on the outer side of the house, running under the living room area. There’s also a telephone line connecting to two locations. Would a splitter be what you’re thinking? That would match more with what I imagined, especially if it doesn’t need power. My original idea was to run a wire from each room straight to the office and hook them up to the nighthawk. But my wife wants that one mana cord sticking out.
The possibility of a 328ft cable (100m) supports gigabit speeds makes sense. Keeping the router or modem above the floor in a room or closet is fine. Brink2Three raises an interesting observation about animals. Running conduit can help protect the wires from wind, moisture, and animal damage.
Ideal setup avoids Direct Burial cat6, which saves space. Verify the cable attached to those phone jacks—many homes use cat5e for telephony and simply remove the extra pairs. It’s straightforward to install a new jack if they’re already in place; otherwise, riser-grade cat5e will suffice. A switch functions similarly to a splitter but handles data routing to devices. It requires power, unless you opt for a PoE-powered switch with an injector. You can conceal the switch inside the house without issues.
This could seem confusing. Will all connected gadgets be able to reach the internet simultaneously, or is it similar to an old HDMI device that only allows one at a time? And how do they appear on the network—either as separate devices or as one? I was thinking of hiding my old PC in a closet and using a few large HDDs to store videos and photos, plus backing up both our computers so we can access them anywhere in the house.
The switch operates instantly, making each linked device seem directly linked to the router. Interesting detail: WiFi functions as wireless switching—it connects temporarily for data transfers, just like a physical switch. Your gadgets and the router decide who’s handling the data exchange at any moment.
WiFi functions differently from a traditional switch—it operates more like a central hub. It includes a waiting and listening phase before transmitting, allowing only transmit or receive at any given time (though this is still evolving). Signal collisions can occur, contributing to its hub-like behavior.
MiMo functions more as a switch, whereas genuine standard single-channel Wi-Fi resembles a hub.