Recommend me a new 'whole house' router/wifi setup please

[Buttery Ken]

Hi All

Inbound connection from ISP is FTTP at 700/100Mbps. I have probably around 30 WiFi devices (2.4/5ghz), your typical Alexa devices, phones, tablets etc. I also have about 20 devices that I want to keep on wired connections (1Gbps).

I currently have:

- ISP-provided router in the lounge - also providing WiFi
- Netgear 48-port switch in the cabinet under the stairs (linked to the router via ethernet)

My target is:

- new firewall/router that can be rack-mounted ideally. WAN port needs to be ethernet.
- wifi (wifi6 ideally?) access points x 3 (ideally ceiling-mounted and PoE)
- 24/48 port switch to go in the cabinet (with SFP ports and PoE)
- 8 port switch with SFP and PoE (for 1 x WiFi AP) (this will go in the garden office and connect via fibre back to the switch in the cabinet)
- we already have ethernet-connected HIK CCTV and alarm system, so don't need any fancy 'gateways' that have built in NVR

Is the go-to answer Ubiquiti? I've already got experience with Unifi kit and quite like their management interface so would be happy with that.

I did consider 2.5G internally but none of our traffic is between nodes inside the network, it's all inward/outward Internet traffic.

I've currently got Cat5e throughout the house but unfortunately I keep getting drops from 1Gbps to 100Mbps on the uplink between the router and switch, and I suspect the cable is crap. So, as part of renovations starting in May we'll replace with Cat6/7 or whatever is suitable.

Thanks all

[Buttery Ken]

Greedydog said:

I don't know if they have kit matching all your requirements but I went with Omada as a slightly cheaper alternative to Ubiquiti. Perhaps take a look and see if that meets your needs?

Just having a look at their lineup now. All of our smart-plugs are TP-Link and they've been rock-solid so far.

Thanks

GuyW said:

Ubiquiti all day long for this.

Dream Machine Pro for your firewall & routing if it 'needs' to be rackmounted, if not I'd highly recommend the new Cloud Gateway Ultra and put it on a 1U shelf or elsewhere in the cabinet.
USW-48-POE or USW-24-POE - 24/48 port switch
USW-Pro-8-PoE - 8 port POE switch for outbuilding

Depending on coverage required any of the U6 APs. The U6+ is exceptionally good value.

This is pretty much the kit-list I put together a few weeks back, other than the Cloud Gateway Ultra. That does look a little bit 'lite' compared to the Dream Machine Pro.

Thanks

[Buttery Ken]

Kit now ordered!



Plus the 8-port Ubiquiti US-8-150W to go in the garden office. The two fibre cables are to run between that and the 48-port in the house!

Exciting!

[Buttery Ken]

thebraketester said:

Did you need all those POE slots? Seems excessive.

Possibly a bit excessive but I'm trying to future proof. 32 ports on day one, but 3 x new AP's and possibly an outdoor one. Our current CCTV isn't PoE but a future one might be etc

[Buttery Ken]

megaphone said:

Have you considered how much power all this will consume?

Two POE switches seems excessive, as is a UDM-Pro.

Edited by megaphone on Tuesday 30th April 10:06

Not really considered the power consumption, no. But I can't see this using considerably more power than what I currently run (ISP router, Netgear 48-port switch, PoE injectors etc).

I'll be having a WiFi AP (and potentially a camera) in the garden office, which is where the 8-port switch is going, so need PoE in there too.