Network Spec Check

[Westyfield2]

'evening guys,

I've pretty much decided what I'm going to replace the home network with, but thought I'd post it up here for comments before clicking the buy button . Besides, with the snow an extra few days won't get it here any quicker . This is after my previous thread, as I was waiting for SmallNetBuilder's review of the Draytek 2920.

The below is to replace the existing router and switch and modem:

• Modem - Draytek Vigor 120
• Router - Draytek Vigor 2920n (IMHO for the sake of £11.25 you might aswell get the n over the normal 2920)
• Switches - HP ProCurve 1810G-8 - as many as appropriate (I personally have one CAT5e from the router in the study going upstairs, so it would be one switch on the first floor)
• Wireless Access Points - Netgear WNDR3700 - as many as appropriate (I've already got one and could do with another to replace the DG834GT as that's now slow and needing rebooting every couple of days!)

My ISP is O2 ADSL2+ (dynamic IP).

Regarding the Router, for the sake of £11.25 I'd get the Draytek 2920n over the 2920 as another Access Point can't hurt.

Regarding the Wireless Access Points, it does seem a shame to be buying a router and then turning it into an Access Point... but I can't find anything that gets as good reviews wireless performance wise as the WNDR3700 at its price point (£125) and I've been perfectly happy with the wireless performance of the one I've already got here as an AP (and another I've got elsewhere as a normal router that's been fine too).

Most of the wired devices are Gigabit, but there is the odd device only with 10/100 (TV, Blu-Ray, Printer). As such I won't be using Jumbo-Frames.
The wireless devices are a right mixed bunch both of 802.11b/g and 802.11n: iPhones, Blackberry, PSPs, iPad, Dell Latitude, MacBook Pro, MacBook air, etc.

Comments and criticism welcome!

 

[Westyfield2]

Here's a diagram of my plan. Anything that isn't labelled as a location (Router/Modem/NAS/PC/Printer) is in the study

Of the three 802.11n 2.4GHz Access Points I'll have them on channels 1, 6 & 9. They'll all be on 40MHz wide for upto 300 Mbit/s (if using 20MHz wide I'd use the normal 1, 6 & 11).

Of the two 802.11n 5GHz Access Points I'll have them on channels 36 & 48. They'll both be on 40MHz wide for upto 300 Mbit/s.

Annoyingly all the access points are needed. I believe it's a combination of metal-reinforced double layer breeeze-block walls and the military nearby, but a laptop in the lounge cannot see (let alone get a stable connection to) the wireless AP in the study... even though they're just across the hallway from each other! Be it on 2.4GHz or 5GHz, with a DG834GT or a WRT600N or a WNDR3700 (and a massive high-gain antenna!) a laptop in the lounge cannot connect to it. The neighbours find the same (and one did some testing with a spectrum analyser) - our houses just kill wireless!
The advantage of that though is I don't need to be particulary careful about overlapping channels, as there aren't very many places where multiple AP signals can be received!

Unfortunately as our houses are 50 years old they aren't wired for networking or anything, so that's why the lounge runs from the loft rather than from the study. The CAT5E from the study to the loft, loft to first floor rooms and the CAT6 from the loft to the lounge are cables that I've dropped/pulled myself (not fun when the walls have insulation in the cavities!).