New House Network Design - UVerse ISP

[jcwillia1]

for now I'm capping the existing wires with RJ-45 and wiring up to a switch.

I'll do something more permanent as time and money provides. I have half a mind to unscrew that white box from the wall entirely and put something totally different there. That doesn't seem that it was intended to whole any sort of semi-serious network equipment.

 

[Dreamslacker]

Ugh, precisely the reason I dislike those inset wiring solutions - no space!

What you might do is fashion some L brackets, or some wood brackets that will allow the patch panel to sit perpendicular to the back of the enclosure.

You absolutely want to fasten those cables down so they don't get moved around. Solid core cables should be moved as little as possible.

No need for L-brackets. That half-width panel (and similar chinese equivalents) comes with a plastic mounting bracket (the white plastic piece) for wall/ enclosure mounting. The patch panel itself is a half-width 1U unit that simply clips on.

I'm not certain of the size of his enclosure though. But since there appears to be very few cables, he can get by using regular data faceplates and wall mounting bases.

 

[jcwillia1]

No need for L-brackets. That half-width panel (and similar chinese equivalents) comes with a plastic mounting bracket (the white plastic piece) for wall/ enclosure mounting. The patch panel itself is a half-width 1U unit that simply clips on.

I'm not certain of the size of his enclosure though. But since there appears to be very few cables, he can get by using regular data faceplates and wall mounting bases.

do you have any illustrations? struggling to connect the dots.

 

[Dreamslacker]

do you have any illustrations? struggling to connect the dots.

For the patch panel, this should clear things up:
http://www.hyperline.com/img/sharedimg/patch-panels/ppw-12-8p8c-c6-al.jpg

Coincidentally, I've found an install of the patch panel in a similar enclosure to yours:
http://michaelkizer.com/Portals/1/i...yard-OfficePart-IV_BD0C/20120803_140939_2.jpg

If you're referring to wall sockets, then just think of it as data point sockets as with what you might find in an office except that you'd use a base since there is no dry-wall to attach it to in the enclosure.
I can't seem to find pictures of the American 106 Duplex version so just imagine it as the American styled faceplate + base-box of this:
http://i43.tinypic.com/2r44ls6.jpg

 

[jcwillia1]

For the patch panel, this should clear things up:
http://www.hyperline.com/img/sharedimg/patch-panels/ppw-12-8p8c-c6-al.jpg

Coincidentally, I've found an install of the patch panel in a similar enclosure to yours:
http://michaelkizer.com/Portals/1/i...yard-OfficePart-IV_BD0C/20120803_140939_2.jpg

If you're referring to wall sockets, then just think of it as data point sockets as with what you might find in an office except that you'd use a base since there is no dry-wall to attach it to in the enclosure.
I can't seem to find pictures of the American 106 Duplex version so just imagine it as the American styled faceplate + base-box of this:
http://i43.tinypic.com/2r44ls6.jpg

thanks the only difference is that the back of my patch panel is the basement concrete wall and not wood or drywall. (I think anyways...)

ok off to do wiring!

 

[CaptainSTX]

Just an FYI if you use a hammer drill, drilling holes in concrete walls is easy and almost as fast as drilling into wood.

I prefer hanging things on concrete walls as you don't have to worry about finding studs for heavy objects.

 

[jcwillia1]

I was wrong. It's mounted on a block of wood which is mounted on the concrete.

 

[jcwillia1]

ok so I got the wired switch all set up so now my office is connected to my family room and the two wireless access points (not yet installed)

I also ordered a second Black Diamond yesterday for the tidy sum of $40 after rebate so now I have one switch and two wireless access points (once I convert the one router I have to WAP (which I don't actually know how to do).

I need two more devices - one switch and one router or switch - one thing I noticed with the unmanaged switch is that there is absolutely no setup whatsoever - no network naming or anything.

Now forgive me for being ignorant about this stuff but does one device serve as the host for the network? I was just going to let my U-Verse modem be the router but if I have to let it control my whole network, I'm not sure I like that idea.

Am I making any sense here?

 

[stevech]

ok so I got the wired switch all set up so now my office is connected to my family room and the two wireless access points (not yet installed)

I also ordered a second Black Diamond yesterday for the tidy sum of $40 after rebate so now I have one switch and two wireless access points (once I convert the one router I have to WAP (which I don't actually know how to do).

I need two more devices - one switch and one router or switch - one thing I noticed with the unmanaged switch is that there is absolutely no setup whatsoever - no network naming or anything.

Now forgive me for being ignorant about this stuff but does one device serve as the host for the network? I was just going to let my U-Verse modem be the router but if I have to let it control my whole network, I'm not sure I like that idea.

Am I making any sense here?

router as access point...
http://www.smallnetbuilder.com/wire...onvert-a-wireless-router-into-an-access-point

Uverse product- it is likely a modem and router all in one. Often, people get the ISP to put the modem/router into modem/bridge mode, thereby disabling their router functions. Then you can connect your own router's WAN port to their modem. Then you have 100% control of the wired and wireless LAN.

Beware: AT&T is infamous for blocking ports and so on, which can affect you if/when you try to do things like access your NAS or web server or IP cameras from the Internet via port-forwarding setup in your router.

For switches, I recommend Netgear's metal enclosure switches - as found on Newegg.com. No need for a managed switch and its cost.

 

[jcwillia1]

thanks for the switch recommendation - the GS108 looks great - will add that into the budget plans

are you suggesting that I use one of my black diamonds as a router and use the other as the WAP and then relocate the switch?

so right now ASUS 5-port switch is in the basement panel, black diamond is behind the TV in the family room. It sounds like you are saying swap those 2? Put the Black Diamond in the basement and the switch behind the TV?

and then the second Black Diamond that I just bought can go into the pantry to be the first WAP. Then I just need to find a wired gigabit router to move the Black Diamond up to the second floor.

 

[Dreamslacker]

ok so I got the wired switch all set up so now my office is connected to my family room and the two wireless access points (not yet installed)

I also ordered a second Black Diamond yesterday for the tidy sum of $40 after rebate so now I have one switch and two wireless access points (once I convert the one router I have to WAP (which I don't actually know how to do).

I need two more devices - one switch and one router or switch - one thing I noticed with the unmanaged switch is that there is absolutely no setup whatsoever - no network naming or anything.

Now forgive me for being ignorant about this stuff but does one device serve as the host for the network? I was just going to let my U-Verse modem be the router but if I have to let it control my whole network, I'm not sure I like that idea.

Am I making any sense here?

The Black Diamond has an Access Point mode, go to "Advanced Setting" -> "Administration" -> "Operation Mode" -> Check "Access Point" instead of "Router" to change it into an access point. Switch the uplink connection to your WAN port after that.

 

[jcwillia1]

The Black Diamond has an Access Point mode, go to "Advanced Setting" -> "Administration" -> "Operation Mode" -> Check "Access Point" instead of "Router" to change it into an access point. Switch the uplink connection to your WAN port after that.

super helpful - thank you!!!

uplink connection? so the wire from the central router goes into the WAN port on the Black Diamond?

 

[Dreamslacker]

super helpful - thank you!!!

uplink connection? so the wire from the central router goes into the WAN port on the Black Diamond?

Yes, the wan port of the black diamond goes to the lan port of your core router.

 

[jcwillia1]

Yes, the wan port of the black diamond goes to the lan port of your core router.

super helpful - thank you.

 

[jcwillia1]

so with after an original order date of 10/22, U Verse is finally FINALLY coming out to do the install next Tuesday - I need to burn a vacation day to receive them but just to have internet and have this whole saga be over with, it's worth it.

I'll swap the switch out of the basement with the router next to the TV this weekend so I'm ready for them. Hopefully my second Black Diamond router will be here before Tuesday so we can have glorious wifi at least on the first floor.

I will need help fairly soon with programming the two WAPs (with one WAP currently being a router) so that they can broadcast the same SSID - if you have any guidance that's as simple as Dreamslacker's instructions, that would be AWESOME.

 

[stevech]

usually good idea to have each AP on a different SSID. This is because client devices rarely choose the 'best' AP - just first heard. And a moving client will stay with the chosen AP as you move, even when there's a much better AP nearby.

With unique SSIDs, the user can see which one makes sense, if you use SSID names like FamRm, BR1, Patio, etc.

 

[jcwillia1]

hm that's the opposite of what I heard in other topic discussion

 

[stevech]

that unique-SSID per AP topic has been discussed many times on this forum. You can search for it.

It's a trade-off... convenience of one SSID vs. client devices that do not choose best-signal AP - and that's most products. The IEEE standard and the WiFi standard do not require scan for best-signal among SSID for which you have decryption keys.

It's frustrating for a user with a handheld (smart phone) that it doesn't switch to a better AP until the prior AP's signal is unusably weak. That causes low speeds until it changes.

If all APs have the same SSID, the user cannot easily choose best AP when changing manually.

That tradeoff is what has been discussed in the past here.

 

[jcwillia1]

thanks for the background - I would assume that separate SSID's is also significantly easier to set up.

 

[clintb]

thanks for the background - I would assume that separate SSID's is also significantly easier to set up.

Nothing significantly easier to setup, it's significantly easier to see which one you're connected to and can decide, without guessing, the one you *want* to be connected to.

Yeah, stay away from the single SSID thing - it turns out to be a pain in the rear. I do it, but only with Ubiquiti UniFi stuff and their zero handoff configuration.