configuring home network - need some advice on structure

jgold47 · Sep 12, 2014

Here is what I've got.

Uverse with 3801 gateway.

looking to maximize throughput as we are starting to use internal streaming on apple TV's, etc..

I have everything set up in 4 nodes

was going to run from u-verse router ports 1-4 to 4 switches for each node.

1-3 up/down/main levels port 4 was for 2 WAP devices (not using u-verse wireless).

Gateway handles DHCP and internet.

Here is my question.

It occurs to me that the 3801 is NOT a gigabit router, and therefor anything that has to pass between ports 1-4 (say streaming from my basement desktop to my bedroom apple TV) will get bottlenecked at 100m, but anything that passes within the same node will be Gig....

Assuming I've got that right, is it reasonable to stick ANOTHER switch, in-front of those 4 nodes

so gateway->switch->node 1-4 switches

or is that overkill/do I have that wrong.

Thanks in advance

abailey · Sep 12, 2014

You have it right and it is not overkill to me, especially with the price of switches being so inexpensive.
But to be honest you don't need Gigabit for streaming media. If you are copying large files between floors or something then Gigabit would be faster.

jgold47 · Sep 12, 2014

Thanks -

One more follow up....

I've always been a little foggy on if it was ok to fully load a switch (say a netgear 108) with all 8 ports doing heavy traffic, or to segment the switches so

Switch A has HTPC/Apple/IPTV
Switch B has WiFi AP, desktop, etc...

ubercake · Sep 12, 2014

All network traffic across subnets or over an internet connection must and will route through the router. Your limitation is the 3801 if it is limited to 100Mbps going to the internet with that router.

Given that.... an HD stream takes around 6Mbps max of bandwidth so you can stream a lot with 100Mbps.

Of course file transfers are going to be much slower through the router than they would over your internal Gigabit network, but you'll stream content no problem.

You can go peer to peer with simple switch connections, but that's it. Your internal devices connected to the Gigabit switch can pass data back and forth between each at Gigabit speeds.

abailey · Sep 12, 2014

jgold47 :

No almost all modern switches can switch at line speed with a full load. Thus it is fine to load up a switch. There are certain situations where you might want to balance connections but in your setup it is not needed.

RealBeast · Sep 12, 2014

Your router is only a limitation when it has to route outside the local subnet. On the local subnet connections are made using MAC address not IP addresses, so the gigabit switch will connect two machines attached to it at a gigabit speed for file transfers. The slow router will only be an issue for the WAN connection and if there are additional subnets.

jgold47 · Sep 12, 2014

perfect - thanks everyone for the feedback. I'm aware that I would bottleneck at the internet but that's not the issue.

Last slightly related question. So I don't have to run out and buy another switch, and instead move some things around.....

I've got a wireless router I've got running in AP mode. Can I use its lan ports to switch data (obviously not route) on this setup? I can plug a couple of low use devices into this and free up enough ports on my main switch to accomplish without another switch.

Its a belkin F something N router from about 2 years ago.

RealBeast · Sep 12, 2014

Yes, you can use the remaining AP LAN ports as an additional switch (I assume that one LAN port is wired to the router as is normal in AP mode).

Search

configuring home network - need some advice on structure

jgold47

Honorable

abailey

abailey

Distinguished

jgold47

Honorable

ubercake

Splendid

abailey

Distinguished

RealBeast

Titan

jgold47

Honorable

RealBeast

Titan

TRENDING THREADS

Latest posts

Moderators online

Share this page