Home wired & wireless network help!

[Meatball]

The house is undergoing an overdue extension and renevation. While walls are being ripped out I thought it would be a perfect excuse to put a wired network in vs. our completely (hopeless) wireless system:

Virgin Superhub --> all devices connected wirelessy

With my basic networking knowledge I've put together the following. Purchase this and place in the loft to serve 14 ethernet wall sockets:
Ground floor (8 ethernet ports total): Four ethernet ports in the living room and four in the downstairs bedroom
1st floor (6 ethernet ports total): 2 in each bedroom

Plug the Superhub (In Modem Mode) into the switch to provide the internet connection for the wired network. Can I then plug a regular wireless router into one of the downstairs ethernet sockets to provide a wireless connection to the house?

Any help would be appreciated .

 

[Meatball]

if you want the super hub in modem mode you'll need to plug that into a router, which will then plug into your switch. Your router will provide dhcp and nat and firewall etc. So you'd have 3 boxes in your loft. Modem->switch->router.

I was hoping to have the superhub and router on the first floor where they are currently both from a wireless coverage point of view and because the coaxial cable is already there. So Superhub + Router (first floor) -> Ethernet cable to loft -> switch.

I'd go a further step and get a couple of the TP link access points (they are about £20 each) maybe plug one in at the loft, and another at the opposite end of the house to provide coverage.

This splits each duty nicely, rather than a combined wifi router. although that may work for you.

Could I use the switch for DHCP/NAT and use the access points to provide the wireless coverage instead of the router? The only thing I would be concerned about is seamless roaming between the access points.

You probably also want to get a patch panel wire that to your ethernet jacks, then patch to the switch, and personally I'd try to go for a managed switch but you probably don't need that.

I understand DHCP, nat etc but this went over my head if I'm honest. Googling as I type.

Thanks for the help .

 

[Meatball]

So I'm thinking:

Loft: Superhub with wifi switched off (DHCP + NAT) + switch
First floor: Ethernet runs + Wireless Access Point
Ground floor: Ethernet runs from switch + Wireless Access Point

+ cost of CAT5e or CAT6 cable

I assume I wont have any problems with the long coaxial run from the street to the loft for the superhub?

if I run the ethernet cables with coaxial from Freeview will this be ok interference wise? I've read to keep the ethernet cables away from power cables.

Why does hardwire suck?

.

 

[Meatball]

I see what you mean, that would be very hand and add flexibility I'll inevitably need at some point. How much would a suitable patch panel cost?

 

[Meatball]

My CAT6 cable (all 305m of it! ) and crimpers arrived today, I started clearing space in the loft where the cabinet will go. I was very chuffed to see that coaxial cable has already been run from outside the house to the loft, ready for when I move the Superhub upstairs. The cabinet will house my switch, patch panel & NAS which I'm ordering on Friday. Just a couple of questions:
The switches I'm looking at all state gigabit but don't mention anything to do with CAT6 compatibility, is this something I should be looking out for?

Any tips for running the ethernet cable with a pre-existing coaxial cable in the wall? I was thinking of cable tieing them together and using a bit of vaseline to help ease the ethernet cable up.

 

[Meatball]

Well there's been a slight change of plan! The cabinet will now be going in a cupboard on the first floor, less wire channeling and theres already an access point for the Virgin Superhub. Just bought a 24 port gigabit Netgear switch GS724T from the MM. This one can be managed should I (when I ) decide to start faffing about once the house is wired up.

 

[Meatball]

Thought I would update with progress so far. I decided to put the cabinet in the office built in cupboard on the 1st story instead of the loft. All the Cat6 cabling has been laid for downstairs and currently terminates at the patch panel. Need to wait for the building work to finish downstairs before wiring the sockets downstairs. I've tested the furthest port at the end of the house where I will be placing the second wireless router to provide wireless coverage for the back of the house and garden.

2Tb QNap NAS is up and ready to go with all my media on .

 

[Meatball]

I read about keeping them twisted but it proved almost impossible with the CAT6 cabling. I'm sure it won't make too much of a difference?