Studying how devices connect.
Studying how devices connect.
Hello there! Welcome to this new chapter in networking. I’m just starting out with the basics and trying to get everything sorted quickly. I’d appreciate your feedback on my approach and suggestions for improvement. Here’s what I have so far:
1) Two PCs – one mine and one for the wife, plus a NAS.
2) Two Asus AX routers set up in mesh mode.
3) Around seven consoles, mainly older models.
4) A Plex server is part of the setup.
My goal is:
- Use PFSense as the router and add a VPN.
- *Issue:* In my country, using a VPN isn’t possible because government services and banking won’t work when needed.
- *Speed concern:* The wife is frustrated due to slower speeds.
Network segmentation:
- Separate areas based on function – living room, TV area, IoT devices, gaming PCs, media/streaming.
- I want guest networks for IoT and streaming, while keeping work devices isolated.
Additional needs:
- Media/gaming PC should stream content from the main PC to the TV.
- I heard Parsec is a good option; moving Plex to that PC could help.
PC setup:
- Main PC (Asrock Jupiter X300) with 120W, 4650GB RAM, 512NVME.
- Searching for affordable dual-board laptops with dual LAN ports.
- I’m considering Proxmox for managing the mesh network.
My plan is to start small and expand as I learn more. I’m open to adjustments – any tips would be greatly appreciated!
Looking forward to your thoughts.
No solid connection on the USB to RJ45 ethernet adapters. If you only receive 90 mbps, it might be a wireless router or a device with a 1 gbps input but only 100 mbps ports at the back. Your Ethernet cable could be faulty, causing the network card to operate at 100 mbps. Think about purchasing 10gbps network cards for your devices—single or dual 10g fiber cards are affordable, around $30–$50 each. A 5-port 10g switch is reasonably priced (e.g., MikroTik model with four 10g ports and one gigabit Ethernet port). If the computers are near each other in the same room, cheaper DAC cables can be used between them and the switch. Otherwise, transceivers plus a fiber cable work easily.
I wonder if you're referring to any delay caused by the chat process?
That's a good idea. I'll look into it. Just to clarify, would you also want to verify the cable connected to your modem from your ISP?
latency, cpu consumption during heavy traffic (good network cards offer better hardware handling), usb operates via polling (the operating system checks once per millisecond or longer if new data arrives), many usb devices are vulnerable to ESD, could be damaged by accidental contact with the connector, some brands cut corners on protection. You might need unstable drivers, whereas a reliable network card using a genuine Realtek or Intel chipset usually has dependable, regularly updated drivers. Wireless routers often have fast WAN ports (1 Gbps) and moderate wireless speeds (433/866/866 Mbps), but limited LAN ports (100 Mbps). This could reflect the router’s capabilities. Yes, inspect all cables carefully—verify that all eight pins fit securely into the jack and that the wiring follows the correct pin configuration, matching the pinout on both ends.
They gave me the cable from the ISP right in front of me. Now I'm getting speeds over 700Mb! Thanks a ton!
Microtik serves as a switch, while the x540-t2 functions as a network interface card. It’s reliable but comes at a higher cost. You can find refurbished or used versions at lower prices—look at examples like SolarFlare cards here: https://unixsurplus.com/adapters/?sort=priceasc. These often use older Intel chipsets such as x520, which include drivers in Windows or allow you to install them yourself. Alternatively, you can download the necessary drivers. There are some variations: the older 6022 model supports only PCI-E 2.0, whereas newer 7xxx series support PCI-E 3.0. Some cards are compact, others standard in size. The site also lists Mellanox Connect-X 3 as a solid option: https://unixsurplus.com/mellanox-connect...312a-xcbt/. These cards usually have empty SFP+ ports, suitable for either SFP+ transceivers or a DAC cable. A DAC cable is shorter—around 5 meters—and is more affordable; for instance, a 3-meter version costs about $40 and can be found at https://unixsurplus.com/3m-10gbe-sfp-cop...e-generic/. For longer runs (up to 10 meters), you can opt for an active DAC cable or use transceivers with fiber, though the latter may not always be cost-effective—sometimes a 10-meter cable costs €70 while two transceivers are only €20. Transceivers typically come with common connectors like LC Duplex or SC duplex, and you can also purchase fiber optic cables with various end connectors. Examples include a SFP+ transceiver (see https://www.fs.com/de-en/products/11552.html) or the Quanta Optica model mentioned in the description.
The site looks good. Thanks for the recommendation! Regarding your question about converting the M.2 slot to PCIe X4, it’s possible depending on your motherboard support. You could adapt it if your system allows, but verify compatibility with your specific hardware.