OT: whole home wifi mesh recommendations

[Sean Lavigne]

Dave’s advice was excellent!  I did indeed run Ethernet, CAT-5e and RG-6 from the network closet to everywhere and CAT-6 from the network closet to a few selected locations.  Obviously, this is much easier before the sheet rock goes up.  I use an Eero 6+ system for WiFi, but each of the three Eero's is on the CAT-6 backbone.  The Eero 6+ doesn’t have a dedicated backhaul WiFi system, but even if it did, I’d rather have them use the CAT-6 wiring.

Cheers,

Sean

> On Sep 14, 2022, at 10:32 PM, David Fylstra <David.Fylstra at comcast.net> wrote:
> 
> Hi Dee Dee,
> 
> I’ve just caught up to your request in the XTension digest. I know you are specifically asking about mesh Wi-Fi experience, and I’ll respond to that in a separate message, but in the meantime, here is a message I sent to the list back in 2017 on the topic of Home LAN design:
> 
>> On Mar 2, 2017, at 11:35 PM , David Fylstra <David.Fylstra at comcast.net <mailto:David.Fylstra at comcast.net>> wrote:
>> 
>> Hi Sean,
>> 
>> You’ve already received a lot of good advice, so I will just focus on the Home LAN side of it. 
>> 
>> I installed a full Cat5E Ethernet and RG6 cabling system in my house a few years ago during a kitchen remodel, when all the walls were torn down to bare studs and we had full access to adjoining rooms as well as upstairs rooms via the ceiling. You’re lucky you can do this during new home construction — it is much harder to do this in a remodel situation.
>> 
>> My design philosophy is to connect every “fixed” device to Gigabit Ethernet and “mobile” devices to WiFi. Fixed devices include desktops, NAS servers, printers, TiVo’s, HDTV’s, etc. Obviously mobile devices include laptops, tablets, and smartphones. Ethernet is much faster, more secure, and more reliable, and running as much traffic as possible on Ethernet helps to reduce RF congestion for the WiFi devices.
>> 
>> The general rule is, first figure out how many drops you need, and then double it. You can never have too much wire. The materials are cheap, but labor to drill and drag wire is expensive.
>> 
>> I used a blue “combo cable” from Structured Cable Products:
>> 	http://www.scpcat5e.com/bulk-cables-c-93/structuredcomposite-c-93_256/hnc2-p-1115 <http://www.scpcat5e.com/bulk-cables-c-93/structuredcomposite-c-93_256/hnc2-p-1115>
>> 
>> The nice thing about this cable is that it includes two Cat5E and two RG6, bundled together into a single cable about a half inch in diameter. This makes it really easy to drag such a cable to each drop location where you terminate in a box with a wall plate for all 4 ports. They have other varieties of combo cable as well.
>> 
>> You’ll need to follow a consistent wiring system for Ethernet, either EIA-568A or 568B. 
>> 	https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TIA/EIA-568 <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TIA/EIA-568>
>> The main thing is to choose one system and use it consistently.
>> 
>> The next crucial thing is to select a central spot for your wiring panel. I didn’t notice anyone else mentioning this, but it’s very important. You want to “home run” all your cable drops back to a central panel.  The “services” (e.g. cable TV, Internet, HD antenna, DSL line) enter your house and terminate on this panel. All of the drops to individual rooms also terminate at the panel. The services and drops are terminated in a row of RJ45 and RG6 sockets. This allows you to easily use patch cables to jumper between services and drops, and change them at any time. It also makes it easier to isolate and debug issues that may arise. You can run many different kinds of signal over Cat5E cable (Ethernet, audio, infra red, HDMI, etc) so you do have to keep these signals clearly identified and separated.
>> 
>> There are several manufacturers of modular panel systems. Mine is made by Channel Plus. You can buy plugin Ethernet and RG6 port modules, shelves for e.g. your modem, RG6 signal splitters, telco (RJ11) ports, etc., that all plug into slots in the back of the panel. The panel is typically installed in a stud bay and is pre-punched with holes for vertical cable access on the top and bottom. 
>> 
>> You’ll want to have your wireless router at a central location in your house, preferably as high as possible, for best WiFi coverage. I have my WiFi router located close to the central panel. The cable modem and main gigabit switch are inside the panel. There is an AC power outlet (GFCI) inside the panel.
>> 
>> Finally, document everything! Someone did mention photographing your wiring before the walls are sealed up, which is an excellent idea. I actually videotaped mine, while I narrated the locations. This makes it easier to understand where things are located. I also labeled both ends of every drop (at the wall plate and at the panel) as well as in an excel spreadsheet.
>> 
>> This is a fun and challenging project, but doing it with good planning and thoughtfulness will pay off greatly in the long term. Good luck!
>> 
>> HTH,
>> Dave Fylstra
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