Advice for home setup overhaul

Scuzi

Scuzi

Scuzi

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We're in the final stages of having the loft converted during which we had some CAT 6 installed to the new rooms and to a couple of other key points around the house. The only suitable place for it to terminate was in the closet in the front hall, which happens to be where the ONT is. Space is limited and I'd like some advice with how to set it up to be neat and tidy.

I considered just terminating the ends with RJ45 plugs and plugging them straight into a switch, but I think I'd like a patch panel to both keep things organised and to help with troubleshooting if the need ever arises.

Details are:
  • 14x cables from wall points need to be serviced. On top of this there are a few devices which will probably live in the closet such as the NAS, NVR, and a couple of smart home device hubs. I'm thinking a 24 port patch panel and 24 port switch will do.
  • 5x of the cables will serve PoE CCTV cameras. Assuming I also have a number of PoE access points, I'll probably need at least 8x PoE ports.
  • Internet connection is 900/100 FTTP. I don't have a need to upgrade yet but may do in the future.
  • Current router/wifi setup is a Netgear MR60 mesh setup. It is adequate but occasionally causes headaches due to buggy firmware. It also relies on a wireless backhaul. I want to replace this with something stable and reliable to ensure good coverage of the 3 floors and future proofing.

This is the space I'm working with...

IMG-3868.jpg



My questions are:
  1. Given the small space, can anyone recommend a small rack that will fit in there? It will need to house the patch panel and switch. Ideally it would be able to stand on the current shelf as the consumer unit is in the same closet and I don't want to go drilling holes. If nothing wil lfit I can remove the shelf and mount something but I'd rather avoid that if possible.
  2. Regarding the switch, an unmanaged Netgear 24 port with PoE+ such as the GS524PP seems plenty adequate enough - is there a better solution?
  3. Regarding the router/wifi setup, I've heard/read a lot of good things about the Ubiquiti ecosystem although that's about as deep as my knowledge goes these days. What would an ideal router + access point setup be from their range without breaking the bank? I'm assuming 3x access points, one per floor?
  4. I'm considering upgrading my NAS at some point in the next couple of years - could/should this influence anything in this network spec, e.g. higher speed switch, 2.5GbE ports?
  5. I want to make my setup more secure than it currently is. Having IoT devices on a separate SSID might be a good starting point, but also I believe it is sensible to have the IP cameras separated somehow. I can worry about the specifics of that later, but do I need to cater for this in the new hardware setup at all?
I think that's everything for now. Thanks for your help.
 
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  1. Get a 2, 3 or 4 U wall mounted 19" rack mount and just leave it on the base. It should be small enough to fit. Then get a patch panel and terminate the cables in behind leaving enough length so you can remove the rack and get to the power when required. Consider heat and/or extra expansion such as an NVR/NAS for the future
  2. If going UniFi, get a UniFi switch, because you can then use VLANs and address points 4 and 5
  3. Cloud Gateway Fibre + either ceiling mount or the tubular/Flex APs, again UniFi, and hardwire them. Do you need WiFi 7?
  4. Getting a decent enough switch for point 2 will satisfy this requirement.
  5. Again, don't get a flat switch if you want separation, you want something which supports VLANs so the SSIDs can be assigned to different VLANs. You then tie them down using firewall policies.
Lawrence Systems do decent guides on YouTube, although I don't necessarily agree with some of the stuff he says, for the most part and initial setup he's got it well covered.
 
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Thanks Chris, appreciate your help.

First draft looks like this, prices approximate:
  • UniFi Cloud Gateway Fiber (£280)
  • UniFi Standard 24 PoE switch (£380)
  • UniFi U7 Pro x2 (£340) - 1x ceiling mounted centrally on the ground floor. 1x wall or ceiling mounted centrally on 2nd floor. Each floor is approx 70 sq.m.
  • 24 Port Cat 6 UTP patch panel (£40)
  • 4u 2 Post Open Frame Wall Rack - 300mm Deep (£50)
  • Total ~£1090
The Cloud Gateway Ultra is ~£180 cheaper. I don't need built in storage for NVR capabilities. Would this be sufficient for my requirements? I note max. IDS/IPS throughput is 1Gbps which I'm guessing will be fine now, but if I eventually upgraded to 1600/110 with Zen I'm guessing it wouldn't cut it. The Cloud Gateway Max is about £80 cheaper than the Fiber, both with no storage. Is the saving worth it in your view?

I'd want this to see me through at least the next 6-8 years, possibly more with minor tweaks along the way. The only thing that niggles is that in the near future I may want one computer on the network to transfer to a NAS at >1Gbps, probably 2.5G, although I suppose I could patch into a Gateway port rather than the switch.

Thanks again.
 
If you want > 1 Gbps just get the CGF, it's honestly a beast of a device and should last you well into the next 6-8 years. Max does give you 2.5 Gbps which the Ultra doesn't, but for the sake of £80 just get the CGF and you get PoE as well. The switch you've chosen is fine but maybe spend a little extra on a 2.5 Gbps PoE switch. Again, if the target is long term and you get a 1 Gbps switch now you may end up replacing it in 3-4 years time losing money in the process. This does bump up the price in the near term but if you get something with sufficient PoE capacity you're covered if you do go down the Protect/camera route.
 
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