Very Basic Q: Where to Place Router and NAS

[noladad]

After more than a year, I've finally decided to purchase a NAS. My question involves where to physically place the router and the NAS. I searched through the forums, but cannot find much on my particular question.

Some background: We live in a large, 3 story home. Right now, our router and cable modem are in the kitchen on the 2nd floor, which is the most central place in the house and provides the best coverage. It's on a shelf about 4 feet from the stove though well above it - probably not the best place for electronics! The cable modem and cable box are in a cabinet close by. Our desktop PC is on the first floor and connects to the network wirelessly, as do our laptops, iPads, etc.

The house is very old and is not wired with any ethernet or cabling other than coax. I do not think running cables throughout the house would be very easy. I do think I could go through a wall in the kitchen and place the router and the NAS in a closet in the kids' room.

The NAS will be used to backup digital photos currently on the PC. Additionally, we will stream music and videos, and set up photo sharing. I'll then create backups off the NAS using an external HD, unless someone has recommendations for a better approach.

Is it best to connect the NAS to the router in its present location, and backup the PC via wireless? Or do I need to move the router back to connect via wire to the PC? Alternatively, could I hook the NAS to an old Linksys router and set that whole thing up as a bridge to the main router? (I've pretty much just exhausted my knowledge about LANS, routers, and NAS.)

Thanks in advance.
noladad

 

[Ronv42]

If you could run a cable from the safest room in the house to the router for the NAS. Also I would suggest a small UPS for the NAS for power backup.

 

[noladad]

If you could run a cable from the safest room in the house to the router for the NAS. Also I would suggest a small UPS for the NAS for power backup.

Ron: Thanks. By safest do you mean out of the way? I would like to put the NAS somewhere it wouldn't be easily seen or bumped. Yes, I do intend to get a UPS, which brings up the issue of getting to an outlet from the location where I place the NAS...

 

[L&LD]

Safest = from thieves.

And a UPS for the router and modem is well worth the cost too.

 

[noladad]

Would you all see any problem moving both the router and the NAS into a bedroom closet, assuming I can still get good connectivity?

What about the idea of using the old Linksys router as a wireless bridge and connecting the NAS to that? Both of those could go out of site in an upstairs closet.

 

[L&LD]

I think using an old router as a bridge to connect a NAS that you want to stream content from is a bad idea.

Wired directly to the router is the ideal. Anything less will be an exercise in a long list of excuses about the NAS' performance until a wire is run direct.


Leave the router as central and as high as possible as that is it's ideal location for coverage.

Hide the NAS as low (not below flooding level though) as possible and as hidden as possible too with excellent ventilation for all devices and with all devices connected to an UPS.

 

[noladad]

Why would you put the NAS low?

I just discovered I can drill a hole from closet upwards and come out in the 3rd floor walk-in closet (really a room itself). This may allow me to leave router in present location with NAS on a different floor.

Would still leave wireless connection to the PC. Would that be ok?

Is the ultimate setup to have everything possible wired to a switch, and use wireless only for laptops, ipads, and phones?

 

[L&LD]

Anything that you want to run cool runs best as low as possible in a normal (non-air conditioned) home environment.

The ultimate setup would be wired, yes and as long as the PC wasn't too demanding of the network, continued wireless would be an option to consider. If it does become an issue in the near or far future; you may decide at that time on a router upgrade, a wireless client upgrade (or both) or even consider powerline networking options.

You're lucky to go to the room you want with one drilling a single hole.

Suggestion: put the best wire you can buy there and put two or more there now, while it is easy to pull them all through together.

 

[htismaqe]

Is the ultimate setup to have everything possible wired to a switch, and use wireless only for laptops, ipads, and phones?

Yes, that is the optimal setup.

 

[CaptainSTX]

Another option that will give you perhaps more flexibility is to use MOCA adapters over your existing coaxial cables to give you hardwired connections in as many places in your home as possible.

Wifi is convenient but always problematic and for devices that can be connected hardwire always faster by perhaps 2X.