Total Home Network Solution (wired)

[techallenged]

Hi Guys,

My house is undergoing some major work, mainly render and plaster throughout. While this is happening I want to take the opportunity to network each room, taking the future into account.

What I want to achieve in the first instance is 4 or more network points in at least 5 of the rooms (2 Reception & 3 Bed). I came to this number per room based on the possibility of each room having:
1. PC/Laptop
2. Xbox
3. Playstation
4. Satellite TV with Ethernet connectivity on the Set Top Box (STB)

I’ve even considered the possibility of kitchen appliances having Ethernet connectivity, so I think I should add 4 for this room as well.

I also have plans to buy a network drive or 2, and there could also be a networked printer involved.

The set up I currently have is adsl broadband with a modem/router that has 4 ports. Due to limitations of my current supplier I have to stick with this (encryption!).

So, using my limited knowledge I have come to the conclusion that I need a switch, a big switch!!! Or would more than 1 small switch do it just as well?

Which type do I go for? Managed or unmanaged etc.

I want this to be as simple as possible to install & maintain.

One thing to consider is that I would like to be able to limit bandwidth to each port. As an example maybe 1 pc is downloading and utilising all the bandwidth which in turn affects another user on a different PC’s browsing speed.

Sorry for the long winded post, I hope I’ve explained what I’m looking for and hope you guys can offer some solutions. If you need more information please let me know!

Tech

Ps, I know wireless can help, but I want to go for the stability of wired in this instance.

Thanks in advance

[Shinma]

... I also have plans to buy a network drive or 2, ...

If expecting a lot of internal traffic within the home,
Use of hardware supporting Gigabit Ethernet is worth consideration.

... Which type do I go for? Managed or unmanaged etc... One thing to consider is that I would like to be able to limit bandwidth to each port...

Smart/Managed switch likely covers bandwidth control.
*Unmanaged switch definitely does not have bandwidth control.

[Shinma]

Following article may be of interest,

• Making the Transition to Gigabit Ethernet

[techallenged]

Hi Shinma

Thanks for the responses and that was an interesting article you linked to.

Based on these I think I would be looking at something like this?

Thanks again

[Shinma]

According to the specifications listed at the link you provided,
That switch only has 2 gigabit ethernet switching ports.
And 24 ports with 10/100 Mbps.

EDIT:
Not sure what is going on here
but
I double checked via NETGEAR's website
and
Version 3 of the GS724T is listed with 24 10/100/1000 ethernet ports.
Either the vendor at the link has incorrectly listed the specs
and/or
May be an older version?

[jdc2000]

That switch looks like it should meet your requirements. You might want to consider downloading and reading the user manual for it and check the reviews on NewEgg and elsewhere before ordering it for your datacenter.

[techallenged]

Hi Shinma, yes I see the description and spec do seem to contradict but I'll be sure to confirm before I purchase, although I'll be shopping around for other makes and models before I make a decision.

JDC, I think that is excellent advice, especially as "managing" a network will be new to me. Can actually use that advice in many more situations.. all sorts of appliances...

Thanks both

[SpywareDr]

The NETGEAR "GS724T" ProSafe® 24-port Gigabit Smart Switch has:

• 24 RJ-45 connectors for 10BASE-T, 100BASE-TX, and 1000BASE-T (Auto Uplink on all ports)
  and
• 2 Dual Personality SFP slots for fiber Gigabit Ethernet modules

In other words, it delivers 10/100/*1000 Mbps automatic speed and full/half-duplex sensing plus Auto Uplink™ on every port. (*1000 Mbps = 1 Gbps).

It also has two hotswappable Small Form factor Pluggable (SFP)** GBIC slots that provide optional fiber connectivity for greater distance. (**Use with NETGEAR ProSafe AGM731F 1000BASE-SX SFP GBIC module, ProSafe AGM732F 1000BASE-LX SFP GBIC module or ProSafe AGM733 1000BASE-ZX SFP GBIC).

More info: http://www.netgear.com/Products/Swit...Specifications