Home network confusion (multiple gigabit switch query)

[Matt Cup]

Hi all, I have currently got the keys to our new house and now I am facing the task of trying to figure out how to hardwire the internet to certain rooms.

I current have 4 lan connections around the house which meet in the cupboard where the superhub is situated. I was wondering if I could put a switch at the end of the connections in the rooms as a way of being able to hardwire more things?

A rough sketch below is how I imagine it going together but would it work practically? Especially the red line to bedroom 2 going from one switch to another? Also with bedroom 1 I am undecided if I want to use a switch or just use the two outputs on the Orbi.



Sorry if I am babbling it’s just a bit confusing to me and don’t want to go through the rigmarole of buying switches if they aren’t going to work as desired.

Thanks in advance.

Matt.

[sgrimshaw]

Someone will probably be along soon to say that's not the way to do it, but that's almost exactly how mine is setup.

I have no problems at all, and some of my connections between hubs are done using Powerline adaptors.

Works for me.

[sgrimshaw]

Are the two connections arrowed in green duplicates?
I was assuming the "4 lan ports" box were the 4 lan ports on the superhub, but then it doesn't make sense.

[a7x88]

As above if those two lines are actual cable connections you will create a switching loop (unless the switches use spanning tree). This will flood the network with traffic and take it down.

You can have switches daisy chained off each other fine. You just don’t want to create a loop/ring etc.

There’s other design considerations you would look at in a commercial application but in reality you will be fine for home use.

[outnumbered]

The general principle with consumer-type unmanaged equipment is that you can build a network like you propose, but the critical thing is that it cannot have any loops in it.

So something like a switch in your cupboard, with a single connection to your router/hub and then also to switches in other rooms is absoutely fine.

[Matt Cup]

Thanks everyone for the replies.

sgrimshaw said:

Are the two connections arrowed in green duplicates?
I was assuming the "4 lan ports" box were the 4 lan ports on the superhub, but then it doesn't make sense.

a7x88 said:

As above if those two lines are actual cable connections you will create a switching loop (unless the switches use spanning tree). This will flood the network with traffic and take it down.

You can have switches daisy chained off each other fine. You just don’t want to create a loop/ring etc.

There’s other design considerations you would look at in a commercial application but in reality you will be fine for home use.

The lines you highlight is a wire from the router to the first 8 port switch then off of the a wire would go into the wall upstairs and to the outlet which I would then add a switch. I think they are daisy chained rather than looped.

[Captain_Morgan]

If it we me I’d not use orbi by the time you’ve brought that and the switches you could have a more flexible unifi or tp-link Omada system but that’s a different question (the topology would look very similar whatever platform you use)

Looking at your diagram I’ve assumed the superhub, main (core) switch and one orbi are all being located in or within cabling distance with the 4 Ethernet wall points.

1. Put the super hub into modem mode
2. Connect a single orbi to the super hub as the router
3. Connect the core switch to the first orbi
4. Connect the Ethernet wall points to the core switch
5. Connect the (edge) switches in office/lounge/bedrooms
6. If possible try and connect the second orbi via Ethernet even if it’s via one of the edge switches

I’d consider a 16 port switch at the core as you are going to use 5 ports just connecting to the orbi and edge switches.
Ensure all the switches are 1Gb/s not 10/100Mb/s
Try and buy from the same manufacturer/range to avoid interoperability strangeness (I’ve read about orbi being picky about switches)

Price up the orbi offering then the unifi dream machine (not pro)a unifi ap, 8-16 port switch and some of there small 5 port switches and I suspect there’ll be very little in it

[Zoon]

What speed internet connection do you have?

[Matt Cup]

Captain_Morgan said:

If it we me I’d not use orbi by the time you’ve brought that and the switches you could have a more flexible unifi or tp-link Omada system but that’s a different question (the topology would look very similar whatever platform you use)

Looking at your diagram I’ve assumed the superhub, main (core) switch and one orbi are all being located in or within cabling distance with the 4 Ethernet wall points.

1. Put the super hub into modem mode
2. Connect a single orbi to the super hub as the router
3. Connect the core switch to the first orbi
4. Connect the Ethernet wall points to the core switch
5. Connect the (edge) switches in office/lounge/bedrooms
6. If possible try and connect the second orbi via Ethernet even if it’s via one of the edge switches

I’d consider a 16 port switch at the core as you are going to use 5 ports just connecting to the orbi and edge switches.
Ensure all the switches are 1Gb/s not 10/100Mb/s
Try and buy from the same manufacturer/range to avoid interoperability strangeness (I’ve read about orbi being picky about switches)

Price up the orbi offering then the unifi dream machine (not pro)a unifi ap, 8-16 port switch and some of there small 5 port switches and I suspect there’ll be very little in it

Ahhh I didn’t even take into consideration that the I should run the superhub 4 in modem mode for my orbi’s to run correctly. Right ok so in that case I can run the 8+ switch off the orbi and then feed them to the desired rooms with switches at the end?

[Zoon]

To be honest I'd not bother with switches I'd just mesh the lot.
But that's me.

[Captain_Morgan]

Correctly might not be the term I’d choose but I’d suggest there is less chance of interoperability issues that way.

And yep the chain is

Modem
Router
Core switch
Edge switch(es)
Orbi satellite(s)


Edit what version of orbi are you using
Do you already have it?

Edited by Captain_Morgan on Tuesday 22 June 13:50

[deckster]

Zoon said:

To be honest I'd not bother with switches I'd just mesh the lot.
But that's me.

Wifi is convenient but inferior to a wired connection in every single other way.

If the wiring doesn't already exist then perhaps a wifi mesh is worth considering. But if the wires are already there then you'd be barking to go the wifi route.

[Matt Cup]

Captain_Morgan said:

Correctly might not be the term I’d choose but I’d suggest there is less chance of interoperability issues that way.

And yep the chain is

Modem
Router
Core switch
Edge switch(es)
Orbi satellite(s)


Edit what version of orbi are you using
Do you already have it?

Edited by Captain_Morgan on Tuesday 22 June 13:50

It’s the Netgear orbi RBR350 with a single satellite can that be used as the “router” for me to attach the core switch too? And yeah I have it already.

[Zoon]

deckster said:

Zoon said:

To be honest I'd not bother with switches I'd just mesh the lot.
But that's me.

Wifi is convenient but inferior to a wired connection in every single other way.

If the wiring doesn't already exist then perhaps a wifi mesh is worth considering. But if the wires are already there then you'd be barking to go the wifi route.

I get 300Mbps on eero on all devices which is fine for the stuff I do at home.
At work everything is wired.

[Captain_Morgan]

Matt Cup said:

It’s the Netgear orbi RBR350 with a single satellite can that be used as the “router” for me to attach the core switch too? And yeah I have it already.

Should be fine with them, however if you see issues with the mesh then you could try connecting the satellite to the master via the masters on board Ethernet port and hang the edge switch in the satellite room off the satellites second Ethernet port.

[Matt Cup]

Beltin! Will get some edge switches ordered and go from there