Hey everyone!
Just wanted to share my DIY home networking setup that I’m pretty proud of! I’m definitely no IT professional, but I decided to tackle this project myself and learned a ton along the way. I still have some cable management and cleanup to do, but everything is up and running!

A little background:

My property is a triplex with two rental apartments in the main house and my owner-occupied apartment above the garage. My goal was to provide reliable, high-speed internet to all three units while keeping everyone’s networks private and separate.

Garage / My Apartment:

Rogers Xfinity 1.5 Gbps internet connection, with the modem/router located inside the grey enclosure in the garage.
TP-Link 5-port Gigabit switch.
Four hardwired Cat6 connections for my security camera NVR, office printer, Xbox, and outdoor TV on the deck.
My apartment uses the Rogers Xfinity Wi-Fi for wireless devices.
A Cat6 connection runs from the garage switch to the mechanical room in the main house.

Main House / Two Rental Apartments:

The incoming Cat6 connection feeds a TP-Link ER605 router.
The ER605 connects to an 8-port PoE switch that distributes the network throughout the building.
Two TP-Link Omada EAP650 Wi-Fi 6 access points, one dedicated to each apartment.
One apartment also has two hardwired Ethernet ports for tenants to use however they like.
Each apartment has its own dedicated Wi-Fi network and IP subnet.

Network Configuration, VLANs & Firewall Security:

This was by far the most challenging and rewarding part of the project!
I configured the ER605 router with separate VLANs, IP subnets, and six IPv4 firewall rules to isolate the rental networks from each other and protect my personal network.
Here’s how I configured the firewall rules:
Main Floor - Basement: Blocked
Basement - Main Floor: Blocked
Main Floor - Management LAN: Blocked
Basement - Management LAN: Blocked
Main Floor - Rogers Private Network: Blocked
Basement - Rogers Private Network: Blocked
I also created a custom IP group (ROGERS_PRIVATE_GROUP) covering 10.0.0.0/24, which is the subnet my personal Rogers network uses.
This was important to me because I didn’t want either rental apartment to have access to my personal devices, security camera NVR, printer, or anything else connected to my Rogers network.
My apartment operates directly on the Rogers network, while both rental apartments connect through the ER605 with their own VLANs and firewall restrictions.
I performed connectivity tests after configuring the rules. Attempts to reach the Rogers gateway from a rental network timed out, consistent with the firewall blocking access. I still have some additional testing to do to fully verify the management-network restrictions and isolation between all devices.

Network Performance:

The results have been fantastic so far!
I’m getting approximately 820mbps and 19ping across all apartments consistently using the EAP650 access point.
All three apartments share my Rogers Xfinity 1.5 Gbps connection, which costs me just $80 a month in Canada.
This was my first time doing anything this advanced with networking. I handled the Cat6 wiring, terminations, switches, access points, VLAN configuration, IP addressing, and firewall setup myself.
There were definitely some frustrating moments trying to get everything communicating properly while also keeping the networks separated, but I learned a lot throughout the process.
I know my cable management could use some work, and I’m sure there are things I could improve, but I’m really happy with how everything turned out!
My goal was to create something reliable, secure, and expandable without having to hire a professional networking company.
Would love to hear everyone’s thoughts, suggestions, or recommendations for improvements. Especially from those of you who work in networking professionally!

I need to use a Cat6a cable already in place for non-Ethernet communication, but would like to know this even in general:

Given the Cat6a twisted pairs all have different rates of twist (such as on this pic, green is visibly tighter than brown), does it mean the 4 pairs of conductors will have different length? Or the less twisted pairs are looser such that all 8 conductors all about the same length? By "about" I mean less than say 1" difference over 100ft run. Thanks!

EDIT: a big THANK YOU to everyone who's responded. Regarding the particular non-Ethernet use about which some folks were curious, it's a subwoofer line input, and I was looking at a tradeoff of whether to use one twisted pair to carry the signal (higher resistance) or several in parallel (length mismatch).

I understand that even for a full-spectrum sound the sub wouldn't need to be using, 1% of the 3rd harmonic of 20KHz is 167 nanoseconds, whereas 3ft difference at light (electric) speed in copper is 3.3 nanoseconds.

Based on your insight and ideas it'd induced, what I'll do is:

1. short each pair together at one end and compare their DC resistances measured at the other, thus obtaining the particular cable's difference between pair lengths.
2. I'll use the two closer twisted pairs to carry the signal in parallel, lengthening the shorter one of the two by the appropriate distance of slack at termination on the receiving end, making them even length before soldering it with the other one, stripe to stripe and solid to solid.
3. The remaining two pairs will act as an extra floating shield of sorts; I'll short them to ground on the source end.

Im decently tech savy and can follow instructions, but pretty lost on this one. None of the posts Ive read make sense.

I have two cheap LG TVs that I want to block from doing everything a TV is not supposed to do. All I use it for is streaming on the TV (peacock) and via an attached computer. Everything else (spying, ads, updates) can all get blocked.

My understanding is I need to do something on the router, but Im seriously confused as to what. Its a NetGear router that I own.

The rest of my network is just computers, phones, and a few wifi outlets.

Edit: Disconnecting the internet is not a solution. I still need the streaming apps on the other TV to work. As well as airplay on both TVs.

Hi all, first time posting here, would like to seek advice regarding my intended Wifi setup for my new place with 4 rooms in a high-rise flat. I have been informed of potential (highly likely) “dead zones” in similar flat layouts, and would like to not suffer from any angst as a result of it, if possible.

Adopting the access point (ceiling-mounted) method instead of relying on mesh nodes.

I’m totally not a technical person :’)

The broadband plan:
- Gonna recontract soon & also relocate to a new place at the same time. My ISP is giving a free Amazon eero Pro 7 10 Gbps Router for 10Gbps plan. From their website, it shows that the router has 2 10Gbps ports, a USB-C power slot and a reset button. (WAN is auto-sensing, ok to connect to any port)

Inside the DB box (have not bought the hardware yet):

- Patch panel & Fiber Termination Point wall box already installed by network infrastructure provider.
- TP-Link TL-SX105 5-Port 10G Desktop Switch
- TP-Link Omada POE380S 10G 90W PoE++ Injector
- Amazon eero Pro 7 10 Gbps Router and modem (from ISP)
- External USB fan for ventilation
- 4-way or 5-way power strip extension cord

Mounted on the ceiling:

- TP-Link EAP787 BE15000 Ceiling Mount Tri-Band Wi-Fi 7 Access Point
- A cat6 cable will extend from the DB box to the false ceiling (somewhere in the middle of the hallway) and connect to the ceiling-mounted Access Point (does not require a power point as an external PoE injector will “power” it)

Is the setup ok? Some of my fam work from home and do light gaming. We don’t have a smart TV or surveillance cams yet. Thanks for reading!

Greetings, I’m sure this has been asked and solved but I wasn’t able to find something that pertained to my exact situation. I’m looking for something advice on extending my WiFi to my shop(metal building). I previously had Starlink at my house and set up a mesh node in my shop, and with the roll up doors open I could get about 20-30mbps download speed which I was fine with. I have recently got fiber installed so I dropped the star link, the router I have now won’t reach reliably out to the shop (about 75 feet from the house) and I’m looking at getting some kind of WiFi adapter/extender/bridge. I’ve done a little research on the topic but can’t really find what the best solution would be. I’d like to be able to use the WiFi in the shop with the doors closed ideally. Any help is appreciated. Thanks!

Just wanted to show off my server rack. I've finally gotten it to a point I'm happy with until I can get kubernetes clusters. Ask any questions of specs etc.

is there reliable way how to transfer images or stream video from security camera over Wi-Fi (or any other wireless technology/network) between 2 points 150m away with mostly direct view? There is only one big tree between both points. But it is in the city where are hundreds wifi networks...

thank you

The wired connection between my mesh router and satellite went out so I went into my crawl space to investigate. I found this damage right where the cable enters the basement from the crawl space. I live in the woods and there are a lot of mice around so it seems likely that they chewed the cable. But the dark coloring around the damage looks like maybe a short circuit and burning/melting? I’m not use PoE so I thought that would be unlikely with a basic data only cat6 cable.

Anyway what is the best way to fix this and make sure it doesn’t happen again? Should I use conduit for all cable in the crawl space? Can I splice in a length of cable here (there are slack loops on the other side) or should I replace the whole cable? Thanks!

I have a StarTech rack, and am at the point where I get to begin installing my hardware.

I think these dealies just pop into the holes in the rails up and down the rack, and then I screw whatever I want like shelves, patch panels, into them….is there anything more than that?

Tp link omada

As the title says I'm looking for suggestions for a large and pretty old brick farm house. It's my grandparents place, theyre finally getting wired with internet and want my help. Problem is, I've only ever lived in small apartments so I've never had to worry about signal and therefore I just get the cheapest router with high speeds.

I've tried doing a bunch of research but I'm not very tech savvy, and the jargon just confuses me lol.

Looking for something that is able to handle streaming, and when the family visits for holidays maybe have 2-4 people on it at once (otherwise typically just 1 device at a time).

House in question is around 2800 sq ft.

Access point where comcast will be running the wire is in the far corner of the first floor.

I'm looking for something easy to set up- but most importantly it needs to be stable. I will be the one who has to go fix it when their internet goes down lol

Unfortunately hardwired is not an option.

Thanks in advance for your help!

Looking for a mesh wifi system. 3500sqft. Home. I have an old Google mesh system (1 router bridged from my isp router and one point put upstairs). The room at the front of the house only get at best 100mb download speed on a 1gb internet package. And often just drops and completely loses wifi. ( I have a m4 Mac mini and m1 macobook for reference.) my biggest issue is constantly losing internet connection.

There’s no Ethernet wiring in the upstairs of the home. And the router is hard wired to the living room (main floor back of home). Only spot it can be placed.

Looking for something that can carry close to the 1gb speed (at least 600+mb) to the “dead room”. Price range of 300-450CAD.

I’m thinking a wifi 6e triband system with 3 points? Need advice. :)

This is what I was thinking;
TP-Link Deco AXE5400 Tri-Band WiFi 6E Mesh System (Deco XE75) $379Cad.

But if there’s better options or alternatives i’m open to hearing.

I have this, anyone else who has this know what the best settings are?
Also I have comcast out here and the "boost a device" feature on their app doesn't seem to do anything. Doesn't help that it reads my PC as "Generic Brand Windows", so idk if that is a problem.

Hey everyone!

Just curious with these MoCa adapters, I always see diagram showing the adapter plugged into the home’s entire coax system, including the line out to the provider.

Then comes the complication of needing a POE filter.

If I have a jack in my bedroom, and there is the other end to that jack in the basement next to my modem, can I not put an adapter on each end of that coax to essentially make it a sealed system?

Do I still need a POE filter in that instance? Do the adapters still work in that configuration, or does it require a being on the same line/splitter system as the drop from ISP?

I’m sorry if these are dumb questions, just a man trying to get some ethernet in a nearly century old home 😪

Edit: also is there any sort of test I can do on the wires to ensure they are capable of MoCa? I want to use the GoCoax 2.5 system but I remember reading something about certain splitters being incompatible.

Hi all,

New to the group and I’ve had a scan through, but can’t find a previous post that seems to be specific to my issue.

The story so far…

I’ve run a length of Cat6A from my router into the loft, then down into an upstairs cupboard and into a TP Link unmanaged switch. The uplink has been tested and works fine. I’ve then made and ran 6A patch cables that run out of the switch and into two RJ45 modular keystone wall panels, bedroom one and bedroom two. Cat6A run through the walls and terminated at a secondary RJ45 modular keystone panel in either room. Bedroom two is running fine, cable tester shows all wires and in tact and no breaks. However, bedroom one is missing signal from several wires.

My mystery is that all runs of Cat6A from switch to termination all test fine (network switch to keystone, keystone to keystone, patch cable for testing in the bedroom), so are the keystones the problem? I purchased Cat6 modular keystone sockets from Amazon, but I’m using 6A. Could there be an interference issue here with the keystones being ungrounded? I’m reluctant to purchase shielded keystones if this is unlikely to be the issue.

Thanks in advance.

I have an ASUS ZenWifi XT12 as an upstairs mesh node. I noticed that both my PS5 Pro and PC will take up to 30 seconds establishing Ethernet connection to the 2.5Gb port. Is this a limitation of that port? I know the PS5 Pro has a 1gb port, but my pc is 2.5 and has the same issue.

Edit: The other 1gb LAN ports work fine. It’s only the 2.5Gb port I experience this.

Running this up a wall into the ceiling, through my attic about 60 feet, down through a studded insulated wall into my office. I don't see information if the shield is rated for the attic.

Hi guys/girls

This has been answered somewhat before but I’ve been given conflicting advice by my installer which is why I thought I’d rather check with the trust Reddit community first.

I have a rather small 95sqm 2 bedroom apartment but with very thick concrete walls. As a result, the wifi will literally not pass through the walls from one room to another.

I have the main router (TP Link AX1500) set up in my gaming room and would like to run two ethernet cables to different rooms in the apartment to set up TP Link Deco x10 units.

My questions is whether - with this set up - I will have a single network with seamless wifi or two separate network/wifi, i.e. my main router WiFi and then deco mesh WiFi.

My installer says I would have to buy a 3 pack deco set and replace my router altogether to have seamless WiFi but I’ve just purchased this router not too long ago and would hate to replace it.

TLDR - can I get seamless WiFi across an apartment with thick walls using a TP Link ax1500 router and 2-3 TP link deco ax10 units (with Ethernet connections).

Thanks in advance!

Newbie here when it comes to home internet and networking, and really need advice.

Living in the UK, new build house. Currently have BT Fibre to the house. 6 years ago I got a Linksys Velop MX4000 (2pk) from the Apple Store; plugged it in and that's been working fine until the last six months.

The main router is working fine, about six months ago the second node broke (physically) and the last weeks the main router has been playing up - cutting on/off, not best wifi signal at the backend of the house.

What should I replace it with? Just another home mesh network? - this is where it all goes over my head and need advice on.

Devices in the House

3 iPhones, 2 MacBooks, 1 iPad, 4 HomePods, 1 AppleTV, Hue Lighting systems (37 bulbs), Aqara devices (4 camera, multiple sensors), Tado Heating System (9 radiator valves).