I’m not sure if this is the right community, but the home networking magazines seem to be pretty dead. I’m a bit green with regard to networking, and am looking for help to see if the plan I’ve come up with will work.
The main image in the post is my current network setup. Basically the ISP modem/router is just a pass through and the 10 Gb port is connected to my Asus router, which has the DHCP server activated. All of my devices, home lab and smart home devices are connected to the Asus router via either Wifi or Ethernet. This works well, but I have many neighbours close by, and with my 30+ wifi devices, I think things aren’t working as well as they could be. I guess you could say one of my main motivations to start messing with this is to clean it up and move all possible devices to Ethernet.
The planned new setup is as follows, but I’m not sure if it’s even possible to function this way.
ISP modem/router > 2.5 Gb unmanaged switch > 2.5 Gb capable devices (NAS, hypervisor, PCs) will connect directly here, along with a 1 Gb managed switch to handle the DHCP > Asus router would connect to the managed switch to provide wifi, and remaining wired devices will all connect to the managed switch as well.
Since none of my devices support 10Gb, that would get real expensive, real fast to add 5 10Gb NICs and a 10Gb switch/router. I was actually looking at the QNAP 2.5Gb switches. There are also some no-name brand unmanaged switches like Mokerlink and Nicgiga, that are well reviewed. Some have 8 x 2.5Gb and 1 or 2 x 10Gb SFP ports. I could have one of those plus a 16 port TP-Link managed switch for about $220 CAD all in, and the HV, NAS and PCs all support 2.5Gb already so no additional expense there.
Just a question of whether the way I laid it out will work or not.
You wouldn’t need that many 10Gb devices. Just one(s) that split up the traffic to other devices. Either the ISP router needs to split it up or the device that does the splitting should be 10Gb. If you go with 2.5Gb youll be losing 0.5Gb, assuming you actually get 3Gb from your ISP.
The intent isn’t to get 10Gb to every device, but to actually be able to use the full 3Gb you’re paying for. Right now it looks like you’re wasting 2Gb of your bandwidth because everything goes through your personal router which is limited to 1Gb.
Hmm that’s true. I’ve been researching used enterprise 10Gb SFP switches after one of the comments and I think that’s the way to go. And yes, in the tests I’ve ran on the ISP router, I get the full advertised speed. Can’t test above 1Gb on the other devices, but even through a VPN it averages 0.9Gb down/up.
I get it. I’ve actually only recently upgraded to the 3Gb plan because it was only another $5 per month over the 1.5Gb plan I had, so just trying to sort out next steps. Probably should have mentioned that in my post ☺️. I will definitely leave the PCs that are used for browsing/basic gaming/yt on 2.5, no need to change anything there as I doubt they will ever saturate 1Gb. After some of the posts here and more research, I definitely want the NAS and my main PC on 10Gb, and it should only cost a little more than planned. The HV uses a USB 3.0 Ethernet adapter, but I see there are some 5Gb ones available that will double the bandwidth.
Also 10G is really cheap if you go with used SFP+ gear. Like I’ve got a managed 48x 1G + 4x 10G Dell switch I got for AU$78 running my network. The NICs are about US$40 used, ConnectX3s seem the cheapest, I usually use Intel X520s which are a little more (watch out for clones though).
For the accessories: DACs are AU$20 new from fs.com, and because you’ll probably need ethernet for that router, a 10GBaseT transceiver is AU$90 new off eBay. Those you could probably buy cheaper used too.
Additionally you wouldn’t be adding 10G to all your devices, I’d just definitely do between your router so you can have 3 1G devices maxing out your 3Gb internet, and maybe add it to a server or two.
And if you do your own runs, in my experience, fibre is slightly cheaper for the longer runs than CAT6 itself too.
Thanks for throwing me down a rabbit hole lol, I learned so much today. I spent a good chunk of the day researching this stuff, and found a couple of options. Came across these HP NC522SFP 10Gb NICs, someone selling 2 for under $100. My understanding is I can pair these with the generic DACs at FS.com (thanks for sharing this btw) and any 10Gb SFP switch, and I will be able to get the 10Gb link? And right, a transceiver to get the link from the ISP to the router.
I still have to do the runs for the second floor and other half of the main, but the basement is done. The whole NAS, HV, router and all that live in the basement, and the main PC will be moving there so would be easy enough to do some fiber runs there, and it’s all short. I think the longest would be 15 feet. Thanks!
Yeah I have one and they’re pretty good, and I haven’t had an issue using it with generic stuff.
any 10Gb SFP switch
Some switches from bigger companies (like the ones listed on fs.com products) are vendor locked, but you should just need a DAC cable compatible with the switch to work.
a transceiver to get the link from the ISP to the router
Correct! Make sure to get an ethernet/10GBase-T one, because there are other transceivers.
would be easy enough to do some fiber runs there, and it’s all short.
I did forget to mention that you would need more transceivers to convert between the fibre and SFP+, and they are rated for up to different lengths but they should reduce their power for shorter distances. They also come in different speeds too, but unless you’re really strapped for cash, it’s not worth it to go below 10G.
I currently have a 300m ones doing a run of 30m, and I’m about to do a 10m run too. Also these are about AU$10-$20, I find FTLX8571D3BCLs the cheapest, but there are others. (I actually got mine for free off a guy on Reddit)
from a diagramming pov, remember to document the link speed at each end as well as the ethernet cable type. if your cable modem supports 10GB I would really really look at 10GB network devices pretty closely, budget allowing. I would steer cleared of managed, it’s just a PIA for your setup.
You might want to experiment with modem <-> switch <-> wifi vs (modem <-> wifi <-> switch). remember wifi is just ethernet. so the order may or may not matter as much (vendor gets a vote). there does not appear to be a reason to march ethernet cable traffic thru the wifi router, but maybe there is???
def agree an 8 port switch might be better for you, use a 5 to split a single cable at a single location (say, tv + game console + speaker combo)
Remember if you need a WiFi mesh (multi access-point) to connect your devices, if possible, link the mesh backplane together via ethernet cable so that you don’t chew half the speed with wi-fi backplane chatter.
Oh that’s a good point about the diagram. I just threw these together real quick to help show what I mean. Yes the ISP hardware gives me a 10Gb RJ45. I’ve been researching 10Gb networking today and I think that’s the play. How come you think a managed switch would be a pain? Just from a setup perspective?
Modem <-> switch <-> wifi router is what I was thinking to do as in my second diagram, with the wifi router handling the DHCP, but now you have me thinking if that makes sense at all.
So the 5 port switch I have does exactly what you say, but the area is also in a spot where I have easy access and can add a couple more LAN drops in a matter of minutes.
Good tip, if I add an AP I will definitely wire them together. Thanks!
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Since none of my devices support 10Gb, that would get real expensive, real fast to add 5 10Gb NICs and a 10Gb switch/router. I was actually looking at the QNAP 2.5Gb switches. There are also some no-name brand unmanaged switches like Mokerlink and Nicgiga, that are well reviewed. Some have 8 x 2.5Gb and 1 or 2 x 10Gb SFP ports. I could have one of those plus a 16 port TP-Link managed switch for about $220 CAD all in, and the HV, NAS and PCs all support 2.5Gb already so no additional expense there.
Just a question of whether the way I laid it out will work or not.
You wouldn’t need that many 10Gb devices. Just one(s) that split up the traffic to other devices. Either the ISP router needs to split it up or the device that does the splitting should be 10Gb. If you go with 2.5Gb youll be losing 0.5Gb, assuming you actually get 3Gb from your ISP.
The intent isn’t to get 10Gb to every device, but to actually be able to use the full 3Gb you’re paying for. Right now it looks like you’re wasting 2Gb of your bandwidth because everything goes through your personal router which is limited to 1Gb.
Hmm that’s true. I’ve been researching used enterprise 10Gb SFP switches after one of the comments and I think that’s the way to go. And yes, in the tests I’ve ran on the ISP router, I get the full advertised speed. Can’t test above 1Gb on the other devices, but even through a VPN it averages 0.9Gb down/up.
I get it. I’ve actually only recently upgraded to the 3Gb plan because it was only another $5 per month over the 1.5Gb plan I had, so just trying to sort out next steps. Probably should have mentioned that in my post ☺️. I will definitely leave the PCs that are used for browsing/basic gaming/yt on 2.5, no need to change anything there as I doubt they will ever saturate 1Gb. After some of the posts here and more research, I definitely want the NAS and my main PC on 10Gb, and it should only cost a little more than planned. The HV uses a USB 3.0 Ethernet adapter, but I see there are some 5Gb ones available that will double the bandwidth.
Also 10G is really cheap if you go with used SFP+ gear. Like I’ve got a managed 48x 1G + 4x 10G Dell switch I got for AU$78 running my network. The NICs are about US$40 used, ConnectX3s seem the cheapest, I usually use Intel X520s which are a little more (watch out for clones though).
For the accessories: DACs are AU$20 new from fs.com, and because you’ll probably need ethernet for that router, a 10GBaseT transceiver is AU$90 new off eBay. Those you could probably buy cheaper used too.
Additionally you wouldn’t be adding 10G to all your devices, I’d just definitely do between your router so you can have 3 1G devices maxing out your 3Gb internet, and maybe add it to a server or two.
And if you do your own runs, in my experience, fibre is slightly cheaper for the longer runs than CAT6 itself too.
Thanks for throwing me down a rabbit hole lol, I learned so much today. I spent a good chunk of the day researching this stuff, and found a couple of options. Came across these HP NC522SFP 10Gb NICs, someone selling 2 for under $100. My understanding is I can pair these with the generic DACs at FS.com (thanks for sharing this btw) and any 10Gb SFP switch, and I will be able to get the 10Gb link? And right, a transceiver to get the link from the ISP to the router.
I still have to do the runs for the second floor and other half of the main, but the basement is done. The whole NAS, HV, router and all that live in the basement, and the main PC will be moving there so would be easy enough to do some fiber runs there, and it’s all short. I think the longest would be 15 feet. Thanks!
Yeah I have one and they’re pretty good, and I haven’t had an issue using it with generic stuff.
Some switches from bigger companies (like the ones listed on fs.com products) are vendor locked, but you should just need a DAC cable compatible with the switch to work.
Correct! Make sure to get an ethernet/10GBase-T one, because there are other transceivers.
I did forget to mention that you would need more transceivers to convert between the fibre and SFP+, and they are rated for up to different lengths but they should reduce their power for shorter distances. They also come in different speeds too, but unless you’re really strapped for cash, it’s not worth it to go below 10G.
I currently have a 300m ones doing a run of 30m, and I’m about to do a 10m run too. Also these are about AU$10-$20, I find
FTLX8571D3BCLs the cheapest, but there are others. (I actually got mine for free off a guy on Reddit)from a diagramming pov, remember to document the link speed at each end as well as the ethernet cable type. if your cable modem supports 10GB I would really really look at 10GB network devices pretty closely, budget allowing. I would steer cleared of managed, it’s just a PIA for your setup.
You might want to experiment with modem <-> switch <-> wifi vs (modem <-> wifi <-> switch). remember wifi is just ethernet. so the order may or may not matter as much (vendor gets a vote). there does not appear to be a reason to march ethernet cable traffic thru the wifi router, but maybe there is???
def agree an 8 port switch might be better for you, use a 5 to split a single cable at a single location (say, tv + game console + speaker combo)
Remember if you need a WiFi mesh (multi access-point) to connect your devices, if possible, link the mesh backplane together via ethernet cable so that you don’t chew half the speed with wi-fi backplane chatter.
Oh that’s a good point about the diagram. I just threw these together real quick to help show what I mean. Yes the ISP hardware gives me a 10Gb RJ45. I’ve been researching 10Gb networking today and I think that’s the play. How come you think a managed switch would be a pain? Just from a setup perspective?
Modem <-> switch <-> wifi router is what I was thinking to do as in my second diagram, with the wifi router handling the DHCP, but now you have me thinking if that makes sense at all.
So the 5 port switch I have does exactly what you say, but the area is also in a spot where I have easy access and can add a couple more LAN drops in a matter of minutes.
Good tip, if I add an AP I will definitely wire them together. Thanks!