Hi everyone,
I’m not sure if this is the right community, but the home networking magazines seem to be pretty dead. I’m a bit green with regard to networking, and am looking for help to see if the plan I’ve come up with will work.
The main image in the post is my current network setup. Basically the ISP modem/router is just a pass through and the 10 Gb port is connected to my Asus router, which has the DHCP server activated. All of my devices, home lab and smart home devices are connected to the Asus router via either Wifi or Ethernet. This works well, but I have many neighbours close by, and with my 30+ wifi devices, I think things aren’t working as well as they could be. I guess you could say one of my main motivations to start messing with this is to clean it up and move all possible devices to Ethernet.
The planned new setup is as follows, but I’m not sure if it’s even possible to function this way.
https://i.postimg.cc/7YftSFt6/IMG-9281.jpg
ISP modem/router > 2.5 Gb unmanaged switch > 2.5 Gb capable devices (NAS, hypervisor, PCs) will connect directly here, along with a 1 Gb managed switch to handle the DHCP > Asus router would connect to the managed switch to provide wifi, and remaining wired devices will all connect to the managed switch as well.
Any assistance would be appreciated! Thanks!
Edit: fixed second image url
Since none of my devices support 10Gb, that would get real expensive, real fast to add 5 10Gb NICs and a 10Gb switch/router. I was actually looking at the QNAP 2.5Gb switches. There are also some no-name brand unmanaged switches like Mokerlink and Nicgiga, that are well reviewed. Some have 8 x 2.5Gb and 1 or 2 x 10Gb SFP ports. I could have one of those plus a 16 port TP-Link managed switch for about $220 CAD all in, and the HV, NAS and PCs all support 2.5Gb already so no additional expense there.
Just a question of whether the way I laid it out will work or not.
Also 10G is really cheap if you go with used SFP+ gear. Like I've got a managed 48x 1G + 4x 10G Dell switch I got for AU$78 running my network. The NICs are about US$40 used, ConnectX3s seem the cheapest, I usually use Intel X520s which are a little more (watch out for clones though).
For the accessories: DACs are AU$20 new from fs.com, and because you'll probably need ethernet for that router, a 10GBaseT transceiver is AU$90 new off eBay. Those you could probably buy cheaper used too.
Additionally you wouldn't be adding 10G to all your devices, I'd just definitely do between your router so you can have 3 1G devices maxing out your 3Gb internet, and maybe add it to a server or two.
And if you do your own runs, in my experience, fibre is slightly cheaper for the longer runs than CAT6 itself too.
Thanks for throwing me down a rabbit hole lol, I learned so much today. I spent a good chunk of the day researching this stuff, and found a couple of options. Came across these HP NC522SFP 10Gb NICs, someone selling 2 for under $100. My understanding is I can pair these with the generic DACs at FS.com (thanks for sharing this btw) and any 10Gb SFP switch, and I will be able to get the 10Gb link? And right, a transceiver to get the link from the ISP to the router.
I still have to do the runs for the second floor and other half of the main, but the basement is done. The whole NAS, HV, router and all that live in the basement, and the main PC will be moving there so would be easy enough to do some fiber runs there, and it’s all short. I think the longest would be 15 feet. Thanks!
Yeah I have one and they're pretty good, and I haven't had an issue using it with generic stuff.
Some switches from bigger companies (like the ones listed on fs.com products) are vendor locked, but you should just need a DAC cable compatible with the switch to work.
Correct! Make sure to get an ethernet/10GBase-T one, because there are other transceivers.
I did forget to mention that you would need more transceivers to convert between the fibre and SFP+, and they are rated for up to different lengths but they should reduce their power for shorter distances. They also come in different speeds too, but unless you're really strapped for cash, it's not worth it to go below 10G.
I currently have a 300m ones doing a run of 30m, and I'm about to do a 10m run too. Also these are about AU$10-$20, I find
FTLX8571D3BCLs the cheapest, but there are others. (I actually got mine for free off a guy on Reddit)