Would you use this setup?

[Mike Rogers]

Hi guys,

My family is about to move into a high rise condo (~1500 sqft) with built-in gigabit ethernet for every room. My personal experience with networking is limited to setting up wifi routers. So after some research, I've come up with the equipment list and configurations below. Would really appreciate it if you guys could give me some feedback regarding optimized network topology and/or equipment selection.

Broadband will be via fiber and cable tv (which will be on like 15 hours a day) will be over the fiber connection as well. Interior walls are brick and mortar so 2.4Ghz / 802.11n should be sufficient.

Although I plan to use separate wifi access point. I'll still use a wifi router because 1 they're easier to find, and 2 as a backup. The equipment will have to mounted in 2 separate locations with limited space and ventilation. So heat tolerance is a consideration for me as well.

Topology
Fiber modem -> wifi router -> Unmanaged Switch
-> wifi access point
-> NAS

Equipment
wifi router - Existing Asus RT-N66U on Tomato Firmware / Or upgrade to Netgear R7800 Gaming Router?
Unmanaged Switch - 3 x Netgear ProSafe GS108 (2 separate locations with limited space)
wifi access point - Ubiquiti UniFi AC Pro (ceiling mount at central location)
NAS - existing synology NAS

Any feedback would be much appreciated!

 

[thiggins]

You are in a good position with Gigabit Ethernet to each room. You can add access points as needed to expand coverage and get decent 5 GHz throughput.

No need to shut off the wireless in the router. If nothing else, use it to handle 2.4 GHz devices and use the AP for 5 GHz. Assign separate SSIDs to for each band so devices can be properly steered.

 

[pete y testing]

wifi router - Existing Asus RT-N66U on Tomato Firmware / Or upgrade to Netgear R7800 Gaming Router?

agree with tim above just disable the wifi on the n66u as its router function is fine , if you really want to use its wifi perhaps move up to the 1900ac series rt-ac68u or r7000 , you dont need the extra 5 gig and it will save you money

Interior walls are brick and mortar so 2.4Ghz / 802.11n should be sufficient.

im not sure you understand the logic there its more 2.4 gig may have a better chance to penetrate those solid walls but 5 gig will still work well in the open space covered by the access points

 

[System Error Message]

Your setup seems fine. You only need the AP if you need more coverage. If the N66U cant keep up than upgrade or if you want a feature in these new routers than upgrade.

 

[sfx2000]

My family is about to move into a high rise condo (~1500 sqft) with built-in gigabit ethernet for every room. My personal experience with networking is limited to setting up wifi routers

Congrats - sounds like a nice setup - depending on what's adjacent - WiFi can be a challenge in high density environments, so working the wires is a good plan...

 

[Mike Rogers]

Thanks to everyone for your feedback! Sorry for the late reply as I was in the process of moving and it was a PITA!

@
pete y testing - yes I understand that 5Ghz has faster throughput while 2.4Ghz will be better at penetrating walls etc. But honestly the the first time I ran 5Ghz wifi, I felt a slight headache when standing close to the router. Not sure if that was real or imagined. But I've stayed with 2.4Ghz since.

Anyone here have first hand experience with Ubiquiti UniFi AC Pro in a similar environment? I've read mostly good reviews for it but never used any of their products myself.

What about using Netgear unmanaged switch? I would prefer something with high thermal tolerance (small space) and reliable as I travel frequently and the wife isn't technology literate.