Networking for dummies

[Barx]

ok, this thread needs clearing up a bit so here goes. n.b. this could turn out loooong.

Firstly, switches come in many sizes - 4, 8, 16, 24 port. For the price, your best getting one that

a) has enough ports for your current plans

B) has a few extra fo future development

I find the netgear switches to be awsome value and rock solid in use.

If your only planning on max speeds 100Mb/s then go for

8 port:

Netgear FS108 8 Port 10/100 Ethernet Network Switch FS108 (0606449037616) | eBay

16 port:

Netgear ProSafe 16-Port Fast Ethernet Switch - FS116 | eBay

or gigabit speeds use

8 port:

Netgear GS108 ProSafe 8-Port Gigabit Desktop Switch | eBay

16 port:

Netgear ProSafe 16-Port Gigabit Desktop Switch - GS116 (0606449035001) | eBay

Obviously these are just examples, shop around for best prices.

Next, Cables. Unless absolutely every point requires 2 points (and hence cables) dont bother with shotgun cable. Get a 305m box of cat5e utp (you could also look into cat6 for more future proofing). Run 1 cable per point and YES you can use this stuff for phone sockets. If you dont plan load of points then terminate the cable at the router/switch end into some of these

PACK of 2 MODULAR QUAD FACE PLATEs in WHITE PLASTIC | eBay

You fit 4 modular jacks into each. You your chasing cable in these fit onto standard double metal backboxes. If you trunking, they also fit double surface patresses. Then use some 1m (or more if required) premade patch cables to connect from these places to your switch. I say to use these as they are made using stranded utp, The box you buy will be solid core and more prone to mechanical damage. Again I'd advise using faceplates and patch leads at the appliance end. Yes, you can use the IDC insertion tool to make off the modular jacks, it's actually the right tool

Router, If you don't already have the router then you wont know how many ports are on it. Some have 4 others only 1.

If 1 then everything connects to switch, then switch to the router.

If 4 then you have options. The 4 ports are essentially a built in switch, if anything has high internet requirements (possibly server depanding on what it is used for) then connect direct to router. If multiple puters are using the network intensively then the standalone switch could become a bottleneck. Though I really doubt you will have such problems. Also, if the sever is more to server files, data to the puters then connect it to the switch as it will manage multiple connections better rather than having to send the data through a single port for the router to then pass it round some more.

Told you this could get long, anyways, think that clears up a bit. Any other q's. You know where I am...

 

[NozSpark]

Looking at your diagram I'd also run you telephone lines to your switch you could then using

run-IT-direct, BT to RJ45 Plug Solution, BT to RJ45 Converters & Leads, Patch BT Lines over RJ45

configure any of your network sockets to be telephone sockets

 

[Sidewinder]

I went for a Draytek, a few teething problems setting it up for multiple internal networks, but you won't want that.

I have 1 wired & wireless shared IP pool for file & printer sharing & a guest network that can only access the internet here.

I still have a few spare.

I can dig out the model number of the unit I got, but it does VOIP also.

Very robust, and programmable, can do all sorts of things that your average Netgear, Belkin etc. is not capable of.

They are SOHO/SME targeted.

 

[Apache]

I went for a Draytek, a few teething problems setting it up for multiple internal networks, but you won't want that.I have 1 wired & wireless shared IP pool for file & printer sharing & a guest network that can only access the internet here.

I still have a few spare.

I can dig out the model number of the unit I got, but it does VOIP also.

Very robust, and programmable, can do all sorts of things that your average Netgear, Belkin etc. is not capable of.

They are SOHO/SME targeted.

Sidey - I'm a vet. I understood about 6 words in that post!

Are you trying to tell me you may have one for sale? If so does it do wireless as well as wired?

My free Sky Netgear one came with a sticker. You just type the network key in and away you go. Dead simple. The only other thing I did was change the default administrator password. That was all. So simple.

Great if these fancy ones can bring the car round, make me a cup of tea and sexually satisfy a woman, but can I work the fecker!

Realistically we send a few emails, search for a bit of info on the internet and prat about on ebay, here and youtube. Not a heavy business transferring large files. I thought it would be a way of getting a fast connection to all computers and allow printer sharing. Maybe I was best with the old system where I walked through to the printer with my laptop and plugged in the USB!

This must be what my clients feel like when I try to explain the physiology behind their cats diabetes.............

 

[steptoe]

Apache, first up,

changing your admin password does sod all but make you feel safer, the IP of your router is still out there to be exploited,

hide the network at the very least, then shut down all the MAC addresses,

then turn off all your PCs that run windows,

oh, and if you still want to use 2 different OS's use MAC,

cos Im having a gamble that your router will be using LINUX,!

 

[Apache]

hide the network at the very least, then shut down all the MAC addresses,)

I turn the router off when I'm not using it. To connect they would have to park outside my house and that's not even a public road. I live in the middle of nowhere.

To be fair if people were not lax with their wireless I wouldn't have had internet access in our student house!

 

[Robojin]

sorry Noz,I thought after a simple 4 port switch it went all technical and high falutin,

just I have a 4 port switch he coulda had but obviously not much use to him with that amount of things to plug in.....

unless you have a cunning plan.?

could he plug a switch into a switch????

sorry if thats a stoopid no no,

just a thought.

Yes Steps it's called cascading, common place in big networks, typically no more than 7 branching is the rule of thumb, I have mine setup with an 8 port into the hub, and then a 5 and 8 port running off that 8 port, it's possible to have two links between switches (dual paths for redundancy) but this needs a managed switch supporting Spanning Tree Protocol (not normally for domestic) to avoid something called looping which can impact on network performance due to extra traffic

 

[Robojin]

Patch if it's you who has to manage it then keep it simple, e.g. if Windoze is what you are used to stay with it (Sorry Canoeboy, Steps) "if it works don't fix it", unless you were happy to spend the time to learning to navigate a new interface which can be fustrating

Min 2x CAT5e/6 to each room extra 2x for future (convert to phone line with kit which ship with simple instructions) terminated in CAT5/6 modules as has been mentioned in reply

Hang possibly an 16/24 port switch of the back your free router (free and work well 99% of the time), if you need more ports in room down the line cause you don't have enough outlets, install a local switch 5-8 ports

Printing to any printer from any PC should be straight forward once the individual PC's are told what is available and you decide the default printer for each PC. The only point where this could get complicated is if you want access restrictions via the use of Logins

I would recommend perhaps a NAS for local backup, and possibly a Cloud based solution too, just a shame that hard drive prices have doubled this month due to the floods in Thailand effecting the supply chain

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I use the netgear smart switches at home and work, they are very good, only gripe is the setup disk isn't for OSX but windows only

So is that Netgear suggesting OSX is rubbish?

 

[timgdean]

connect your router (old/new) into your switch. Then run cat 5/e to your points .Often worth buying a larger switch than you need 16-24 way good prices.

Could also use a patch pannel ifor the ends of the cables and put a pbx in. use say 1-12 for data and 13-24 for phone. (also you can run a pair of cables to each point.

Put your printers on network adapters easy to configure

T.