Switch to node or node to switch

[HotWheels]

I have a 86u as my main router on the second floor with a ac3100 in the basement with a hard wire connection. I need to add some additional wired devices so question. Does it make any difference to have the switch before the node or after the node?

 

[JDB]

Assuming we are talking about AiMesh then I would go after the node as it prefers direct node to router connection for best performance according to Asus.


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[adampk17]

Either will work

 

[L&LD]

@HotWheels, are these additional devices in the basement? I would suggest the switch is before the RT-AC3100.

 

[HotWheels]

Yes this is in AI-Mesh
I recently added a media room in the basement and would like to hardwire all the devices.

 

[JDB]

On the assumption the devices in the media room are primarily going to be steaming from an internet source you are always going to have the bottleneck as your ISP line into the house. The internal setup with 1Gbps everywhere will have little to no impact however you wire it.

The internal cabling all offering 1Gbps isn’t going to be stressed whichever way around you do it.
If you have a dumb switch it likely won’t affect AiMesh either way around, however, given the sometimes sensitive nature of AiMesh and the fact you are going to have a 1Gbps backhaul to the router however you do it, I’d put the node direct and the switch off the node.

If you have a NAS or other device(s) that are likely to shift a lot of data between them, plug them all into the same device if possible (for example, put the NAS in the basement plugged into the same switch as TV/Console etc that are going to stream from it, then plug switch into node and node into router), or via minimum hops between routers/switches where same device is not possible.
If you have a NAS and it is to serve clients all over the house then either connect to the router or the node directly, it’s a toss up based on location of primary users (but as above, really won’t make a noticeable difference, just you know it’s being efficient!).

My NAS is hanging off the node that is in my office and I have set dual Ethernet link aggregation up so has 2Gbps to the node. Node then has 1Gbps backhaul to the rest of the house via the router and my office equipment also have 1Gbps access to the node directly. So in theory an office client and a client elsewhere in the house can demand large files/4K movies from it simultaneously without any bottlenecks. This is an extreme scenario but hopefully gives you an idea of how to architect it!


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[HotWheels]

Thanks for the feedback. I do have a plex server and a blueiris server of the main router. I have about a dozen Poe cameras on a separate Poe switch off the router. Plex will be the primary feed to Shield TV in the basement node or switch. The wireless signal isn’t that bad in the basement even with out the mesh node.
I think you right in practically I won’t see much difference either way. Just wasn’t sure if the node would add Some unnecessary steps on the feed from plex server to shieldTV

 

[L&LD]

@HotWheels a quick sketch of how the network is connected would be most helpful. The less 'nesting' of the switches, the better (always).

 

[Keith Gorham]

I have a 86u as my main router on the second floor with a ac3100 in the basement with a hard wire connection. I need to add some additional wired devices so question. Does it make any difference to have the switch before the node or after the node?

I would do 86 to switch to AC3100. If the 3100 reboots, fails or is updating software the switch is still working.

 

[HotWheels]

I would do 86 to switch to AC3100. If the 3100 reboots, fails or is updating software the switch is still working.

Good idea, i question my condition of the 3100 as it gives my alexa devices a fit often