Help me optimise my LAN setup please

[Firegod]

Hi all

I've knocked together a quick diagram of what I wish to achieve. Just wondering if someone could suggest if it all looks good please with regards to optimising throughput on my home LAN.

My only gripe that I can see, is that perhaps having gig AV adapters would be beneficial. Looking at the links between the Switches and the AV adapters, it will have to knock the speed to 100 Mbps (even though the adapters are 200 Mbps models). That would leave just the 100 Mbps connection on the Router for Internet connectivity.

I was looking at getting these gig switches from ocuk:-

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=NW-011-TP

Obviously the speeds listed are the theoretical max speeds for the devices.

Thanks!

 

[paradigm]

A few things:

1) Why is there a loop in your network? The homeplugs should link back to the router, but not have a link between the two surely?

2) Shove the NAS on one of the other switches, at least that way you'll get Gbps throughput from one of the PCs and one of the PS3s, whilst the other two won't see any increase nor decrease. You can then ditch the switch that is near the router, as it serves no purpose at all.

In all honesty, I'd ditch the homeplugs and run Cat5e/Cat6 through the walls (assuming its not a rented property), at least between the two switches with PCs and PS3s on them, and drop back to just a single homeplug link to the router.

 

[Firegod]

A few things:

1) Why is there a loop in your network? The homeplugs should link back to the router, but not have a link between the two surely?

2) Shove the NAS on one of the other switches, at least that way you'll get Gbps throughput from one of the PCs and one of the PS3s, whilst the other two won't see any increase nor decrease. You can then ditch the switch that is near the router, as it serves no purpose at all.

In all honesty, I'd ditch the homeplugs and run Cat5e/Cat6 through the walls (assuming its not a rented property), at least between the two switches with PCs and PS3s on them, and drop back to just a single homeplug link to the router.

Hi, thanks for the reply! So would you go for something like this? (Ignoring the removal of the AV HomePlugs for now)

Cheers.

 

[paradigm]

Seems better to me, that way the PC and PS3 in one room at least get to enjoy 1Gbps connectivity to the NAS, rather than every device in the building only accessing it at 100Mbps.

 

[Firegod]

Seems better to me, that way the PC and PS3 in one room at least get to enjoy 1Gbps connectivity to the NAS, rather than every device in the building only accessing it at 100Mbps.

Super dooper!

Thanks for the help. Quick question, looking around I'm struggling where I'd fit the NAS unit with where the PC's live. If I absolutely had to leave it down with the Router and chuck in a £15 gig switch, would I be best off replacing the HomePlug AV kit with gig models? As you say, otherwise that means everyone will be connecting to it at 100 Mbps.

Hopefully not and I'll find some space... but just if it had to stay where it is at the moment.

Thanks.

 

[paradigm]

That would be fine, but obviously Gigabit homeplugs are neither cheap, nor particularly hot at attaining their maximum throughput.

If you don't bother with the uprated homeplugs, you might as well just shove the NAS directly on the router (assuming free ports exist), as it'll be 100Mbps bottleneck through the homeplugs regardless!

 

[Firegod]

That would be fine, but obviously Gigabit homeplugs are neither cheap, nor particularly hot at attaining their maximum throughput.

If you don't bother with the uprated homeplugs, you might as well just shove the NAS directly on the router (assuming free ports exist), as it'll be 100Mbps bottleneck through the homeplugs regardless!

Yeah that's my thinking exactly. Excellent, well I'll have a think about which way to go and take the plunge!

Thanks for your help!

 

[23JMZ07]

I think you are being EXTREMELY optimistic with this setup. You are basing your whole network infrastructure on a technology which is about as stable as the Fukushima nuclear reactors..

I doubt you will see much more than 20 mbps max and even less so when your computers are all using the connection. Do you have no way of running 5e? It is a lot of messing about but totally worth the stress.

 

[ecksmen]

I think you are being EXTREMELY optimistic with this setup. You are basing your whole network infrastructure on a technology which is about as stable as the Fukushima nuclear reactors..

I doubt you will see much more than 20 mbps max and even less so when your computers are all using the connection. Do you have no way of running 5e? It is a lot of messing about but totally worth the stress.

2 Switches, 1 route and 3 home plugs seems a ridiculous amount of kit for what you're trying to connect.

Home plug as fine for extending a mediocre internet connection, but they're no replacement for a cable.

I agree with the above - run cable, sure its hard, but once its in it'll be good for years.

 

[Ryan111]

Here is how I would do it, depending on which is easiest with cabling etc.

Example 1

Example 2

Or;
Example 3

 

[Zid_]

Way too many points of failure, get rid of the switches entirely for a home network imo.

 

[Firegod]

...You are basing your whole network infrastructure on a technology which is about as stable as the Fukushima nuclear reactors..

Lol. That made me chuckle.

Well, the only hassle is the rest of the family are not really bothered about this sort of thing, it's just me. Still trying to convince my brother the benefits of the NAS!

So to try and get some Cat5e cable routed in the walls is going to most likely be a big no no.

I know the whole setup is optimistic with regards to speed, especially with HomePlugs, but that tech is still surely being developed and optimised? So I can always upgrade the plugs again when new kit is released.

@Zid_, if I were to remove the switches what other way could I gain gigabit connections? Upgrade the Router to a 10/100/1000 model and then use just gig homeplugs? For the sake of less than £50 for x3 gig switches, it's a lot cheaper than replacing my Router.

Thanks all! Still a lot of food for thought.

 

[Ryan111]

If you are not using cable, ie using homeplugs, then there is no point at all of using gigabit switches. Unless you want gigabit transfers between two devices on the same switch. If you dont have the NAS on the same switch as the PCs/PS3s and the only link between the NAS and the devices is a homeplug then you may as well use 10/100 switches. You will not max out a 100meg link (10-11MB/s)

You could use my 3rd example and use a homeplug for the link between the router and the first switch, that way you only need to lay a cat5e cable between the two switches.

 

[whitecrook]

definately consider running cables. You can get trunking and stuff which can tidy them away nicely without having to damage walls and things. If you router is in the basement and the pcs's are above then it's too easy to just run a cable through the roof and into the floor.

If you are going to run cables, you could do it the way depicted above or run everything back to the main point and have just one switch. This gives you oppurtunity in the future to nail it down with proper mounted face plates when funds permit.

 

[ubersonic]

This is what im running at home and its working perfectly, quite similar to your first drawing. PS3 can stream 1080p video from the NAS no probs while the PC is playing WoW or hammering the downloads, gigabit running fine between the NAS/PC, etc

1) Why is there a loop in your network? The homeplugs should link back to the router, but not have a link between the two surely?

Nah they don't link back unless their using the internet, homeplugs can go "point to point" so in my/his examples anything connected to the bottom two homeplugs can talk to each other without involving the top one.

 

[FoxEye]

definately consider running cables. You can get trunking and stuff which can tidy them away nicely without having to damage walls and things.

Is what I ended up doing. Won't be going back to wireless any time soon.

Wired > all.

And from the research I did, homeplugs are pretty naff, and not guaranteed to be 100% legal either

 

[whitecrook]

Is what I ended up doing. Won't be going back to wireless any time soon.

Wired > all.

And from the research I did, homeplugs are pretty naff, and not guaranteed to be 100% legal either

totally, when the 'solution' becomes messy like to OP, it's usually best to just do it properly.

 

[[Darkend]Viper]

Well my network is a mixture of wireless, 1gbp/s and homeplugs. And I have to say the only good thing about the homeplugs is I can move them from room to room and get better than wireless speeds.

I've got a gig switch that has port wired into most of the house, well bungalow. I've got my desktop, xbox360 and sony bravia tv wired into it at 100mbp/s due to NICs. Then i've got 2 laptops that are wired in at 1Gbp/s, my ps3 and nas are also at 1Gbp/s. I've got a laptop that runs wirelessly from my BeBox. The home plugs are wired into the BeBox and then I use the other when i'm fixing peoples laptops as it allows me to move round the house easily.

I would try and wire it all in if possible just for ease of use, I can't stream 1080p over my homeplugs, and they're connecting at about 65mbp/s. But think the wiring is old and causing interference.

 

[a1ex2001]

Wiring clearly isn't going to be an option for you as your not in charge of making that decision and it doesn't sound like those that are will swallow the cost/mess, ignore those saying trunking is an option, it simply isn't it's messy and horrible divorce causing stuff.

For your situation I'd ditch all the gig switches and buy two three port homeplugs for the rooms with the PC's and Playstations in saves cost complexity and plug sockets plug the nas into the LAN ports on the router as the gig switch will offer no benefits and then your pretty much done. Home plugs generally offer pretty decent performance if your wiring is decent and there are tweaks you can do to improve it like tightening the screws holding the wires in all your sockets!

 

[Firegod]

Thanks for all the replies and input. Much appreciated. Will have a proper read through and see what I'm going to do. I think hard wiring is definitely going to be out of the question though.