Home Network Design/Equipment Advice

[rluceac]

I'm looking to change my home network.

I have a cable internet provider and a wireless router. This router is in the living room. The wireless signal is poor on the back of the house.

What I'm thinking of doing is the following:

Direct to the cable modem connect an atom computer with 2 ethernet cards, and put linux on it, to serve as the router/dhcp server/firewall...

From this linux router connect a switch, with will connect all the wired stuff (printer, NAS, PC), and from the switch connect 2 access points, one in the living and one at the back of the house.

Can you guys comment on this design? Does you think of a better solution?

For a home design, can you give me some switches (gigabit, min 5 ports) and access points (Wireless N or AC) advices... That will do these work and dont cost much...

Thanks

 

[kanewolf]

If you already have the parts for the DIY router, then you can probably do it cheaper than a current generation router that supports open firmware. But what is your time worth. A purpose built router which has 4 10/100/1000 ports can feed switches as needed. You can choose to disable the wireless (or not). Most purpose built routers can also be converted to access points through a firmware option. A couple of Asus RT-N16 (or RT-AC68) routers with DD-WRT would be a simple solution for around $150 (more for the AC option). Use DIFFERENT SSID values for the two routers and manually choose the AP on each device. If you want seamless roaming between APs for devices you would need a different solution.

 

[rluceac]

Use DIFFERENT SSID values for the two routers and manually choose the AP on each device. If you want seamless roaming between APs for devices you would need a different solution.

Can I use the same SSID and WPA2 settings in 2 routers to not have to manually change the network when i go from the living to the backyard?

 

[kanewolf]

Not reliably. Without central management, a device which has associated with a SSID on a particular AP tends to stay associated with that AP even if there is a stronger signal from another AP with the same SSID. If you want seamless (no interruption in streaming, for instance) then you would need to look into something like the Ubiquifi networks UniFi platform http://www.ubnt.com/unifi.

 

[AlexisnaveCA]

Setting up a home network sounds like a job left to a computer specialist, but it can be done by just about everyone with little or no technical knowledge. If you have a broadband modem, the technology used is the same with the use of a Ethernet cord, only that more than one computer is involved. All that is needed is a few items to have a network set up in you very own home.

Home Networking Check-list:

- Network Interface Card (NIC)
- Router Hub (for wired or wireless computers and devices)
- Ethernet Cords
- Windows 7 operating system or older, other operating systems with networking features

While you go through the network it is preferred to consult your builder, whether that network design is possible or not.