Cross posted from GD

Home network question.

Finishing our basement.

I have my main (only) wi-fi router upstairs in kitchen.

I have a line ran from it (kitchen router) to our basement.  That line terminates in my media closet where I'd like to add another... (NEED HELP HERE-ROUTER???)

Am I looking to add another ROUTER?  I have tons of cat5 the home builder left me so I ran additional lines from the media closet to all the other basement rooms.   I wish to hook all those lines into a (ROUTER?) in my media closet for a hard line connection to the other rooms.  

GD said I need a simple unmanaged SWITCH.

I've since done some quick research and discovered that you can SLAVE a 2nd wi-fi router to act as a switch/wi-fi booster

If I do this-slave a 2nd wi-fi router in my basement to my main wi-fi router upstairs,
1) that will amplify my wireless signal in basement correct?
2) I can simultaneously plug my long runs of cat5 I ran to other rooms into my slaved basement wi-fi router for more stable wired connections correct?

3) if I used my SLAVED router in basement to act as both a wi-fi booster/amplifier AND ran hard wired connections over it, would it degrade my total signal?

BONUS POINTS if you give me advice on which router to go with to do all this?

Thanks A LOT guys

Run cable runs to patch panel
terminated to keystones
Install switch,  lets go with a Netgear ProSAFE FS116NA
Patch with 3ft patch cables
for wireless go with a Unifi 3-pack, one on each floor.

First off I'd go with a gigabit switch instead of a fast ethernet one like the one posted above.

Anyway OP you have your internet going into a modem and then into a router(this can be done with a single device). For your home device it has I'm guessing a wireless access point built in and a swtich. It is best to think of each device separately even if they are integrated.

To add more ports you want to add another switch. That switch will talk to the switch in your router and add extra ports. If you want more wireless then you can add additional access points to the system plugging them into one of the switch ports be it on the router or the add in switch.

Ideally if you are going with multiple access points having multiple ones that are on the same network name help. I'd agree with the poster saying get ubnt unifi pro ac access points(under 150 a piece). They are powered over the cat 5 cable via a system called power over ethernet. They come with injectors that are pulled in between the switch and the access point. Those are controlled by either software you install on your computer or via a controller they make. FYI the controller doesn't have a poe injector with it although it can run off mico usb.

Ideally your cables will homerun to a single area where you can put a patch panel in and put your networking gear near it.

If you decide to put in the UBNT access points in multiple areas I'd disable the wireless on your router(log into it via its web interface and turn off the wireless) and just run the unifi access points.

UBNT Access points
https://www.amazon.com/Ubiquiti-Networks-802-11ac-Dual-Radio-UAP-AC-PRO-US/dp/B015PRO512/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1485842047&sr=8-1&keywords=ubnt&th=1
Controller to run it(you can use the software for free instead)
https://www.amazon.com/Ubiquiti-Unifi-Cloud-Key-Control/dp/B017T2QB22/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1485842047&sr=8-8&keywords=ubnt
Their 8 port switch with 4 ports that can power devices so you don't need those injectors.
https://www.amazon.com/Ubiquiti-US-8-60W-Unifi-Switch/dp/B01MU3WUX1/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1485842283&sr=8-1&keywords=US-8-60W

Be careful there is a switch that is like 10 bucks less that doesn't power as many poe devices.
You can get their bigger switch if needed. With the cloud key, the switch, and access points you have one software that you run off the cloud key that can manage the rest of it. You have some other options but the ubnt stuff is hard to beat for the price and ease of setup. You can also just use the access points with their included poe injectors(power supplies), get a switch of your choosing(again I'd go gigabit), and run the control software for the access points off a desktop.

Thank you both for your assistance.  

As I read and re-read your posts, I begin to understand more.

Could I simply plug my new basement switch into the existing router/switch main unit upstairs and then run two lines off that new switch in basement to those new access points (APs) you guys recommend in my basement?

Leave my existing router/wireless unit upstairs alone (leave wi-fi intact) and run the switch in the basement with 2 wireless APs off of that?

Are the APs pretty much plug-and-play?  Or, do you have to configure them?  I understand that switch is pretty much plug-and-play.

Thanks a ton gents.  You guys are very helpful.  I appreciate it.

I've been replacing my home network with Unifi.
You can run the cable from your existing upstairs router to the basement switch.
Then run a short cable from the switch to power insert-er (powers the AP) then a cable to the AP.
Then
There is a little setup on the AP. Download the Unifi controller and install.

The below was taken from https://www.stevejenkins.com/blog/2015/09/how-to-install-a-ubiquiti-unifi-access-point-pro-uap-pro/
Configuring the Ubiquiti UAP-PRO
Remember when I said the UAP-PRO was not a consumer device? Here’s where that becomes an issue. The UAP-PRO doesn’t have its own a web interface to configure, so you have to install a piece of software called the UniFi Controller on one of the computers that’s physically connected to your local network or existing router with an Ethernet cable. You can download the UniFi Controller software (for Windows, Mac, or Linux) directly from Ubiquiti at this link.

You won’t need to keep the UniFi Controller software running all the time, but you will need to have it running to set up the UAP-PRO, or change any settings later (don’t worry… you probably won’t have to change anything later). I recommend running it on a desktop system, and again… it must be connected via a network cable to the same physical network as the UAP-PRO.

After downloading and installing the software, run it. It will take a minute to initialize. It’s actually setting up a private web server on the local computer that you’ll access with your web browser. When it’s running, it will prompt you with a button to “Launch a Browser to Manage Wireless Network” to access the Controller.

Your UAP-PRO will be in a condition called “Awaiting Adoption,” meaning it hasn’t been “adopted” by (or added to) any network yet. If the UniFi Controller software “finds” the UAP-PRO right away and attempts to adopt it, great. Just follow the steps in the wizard to get up and running: along the way you’ll have to create a new admin user and password (this is only to configure the UAP, and not the same thing as the network name or password required for devices to join the WiFi network), and you’ll answer some questions like what network name you want to use, what password people will use to access the network, etc.

But if the UniFi Controller software doesn’t find the un-adopted UAP-PRO, don’t worry. It didn’t find mine right away, either. Just keep hitting “Next” or “Skip” to get into the main Dashboard area of UniFi Controller. Once in the Dashboard, click on the Devices icon in the left column. If you see a UniFi AP Pro in the list waiting for adoption, go ahead and hit the ADOPT button. If you don’t see anything, look near the bottom of the screen and click the Settings icon. Then click the Controller menu item on the left side, and make sure “Make controller discoverable on L2 Network” is checked. Hit APPLY then the X at the top of the screen to go back to the Dashboard. Now go back to the Devices icon and see if your UAP-PRO is there yet. If it’s not, check all your connections, make sure it’s powered, and temporarily turn off the Windows Firewall (you can find it in the control panel). That might make it easier to find.

If you still can’t find it, there’s not much else I can tell you that will help, besides verifying everything I’ve explained to this point. Eventually, it will show up in the Devices list, and you’ll be able to press the ADOPT button. It will take a while for it to join your network. Once it does, go back into the Settings icon (at the bottom of the Dashboard) and go through the following Menu items:

Site: Choose any site name you want (like Jenkins House), then choose your Country and the local time zone. I recommend turning on Automatically upgrade AP firmware. Leave everything else at the defaults.

Wireless Networks: If the Controller didn’t auto-detect your UAP when it first started, you’ll have to manually set up your WiFi network here. Click the CREATE NEW WIRELESS NETWORK button. Choose a name for your network to broadcast (also called the SSID). It’s OK for you to use the same network name that you were previously using on your wireless router, and as long as you also use the same security type and password in the next step, all your devices should “just work.” Or, if you want to make a separate network name, you can do that. Make sure the Enabled box is checked, choose WPA-PERSONAL for the Security, and enter a Security Key (the password people will need to join your network). Don’t check the Guest Policy box, or worry about any of the Advanced Options. Press SAVE when you’re done.

Exit back out to the Dashboard with the X in the top right corner. If you click on the link of your UAP, you’ll see its status in the right column. It might say something like “Provisioning,” which means it’s saving the stuff you just set. It might also indicate that it’s updating its firmware, since you just turned on automatic firmware updates. If that’s the case, wait a few minutes for it to finish up. When it’s showing green and “Connected,” it’s ready for you to test.

The UAP-PRO should now be showing a blue LED ring, which looks especially awesome in the dark:

These folks are giving you great advice.

router-->switch--->access points

Ubiquity gear is worth it. Do it.

Once you set it up, your home wifi will work perfectly.

I have a consumer d-link router going to a t-link switch and to one Ubiquiti access point.

Saving up to replace my router with a better router that just does routing (Ubiquiti, Microtik or build my own and use PFsense software)

I have a Cisco switch I can send you if you want to cover shipping.

You guys rock.   Keep it comin!  Thanks to all of you!

Wow.  Very generous!  Thank you sir.  

How can I pass that up?   I can IM You.

yes im me I have 5 cisco switches and 2 routers for my CCNA lab they are a little older but I got them for free and I will not charge for them since I didn't' pay.

Switch is plug and play for anything most would do(you have managed switches that can be programmed but for home use you don't).

Personally I'd turn off the wifi on the router and put another unifi ap there. That way all of them will be the same. It will help with pass off between units(so if you move a laptop or phone they will pick the best access point vs having a preferred one).

Guys.  Thanks a ton.  Been researching and understand what you're laying down.

Will cat5 line be sufficient for my needs?   Simple home network internetting.   iPhones an iPad and 1 seldom used laptop.

I wouldn't run less than cat 5e although most stuff now should be at least it.

If you really want to future proof skip to cat 6a or cat 7 which will support 10 gigabit. It isn't something you need now, it is something that in 10 years might matter.

Also if you are in doubt run extra cables. It never hurts to use some excess here as it will be more of a pain in the ass to add more later.

CAT 6A if you want to support 10G RJ45 home networking.
Its double the cable cost, but well worth it if you are future proofing.

1000ft spool of good CAT6a is $235

https://www.firefold.com/064-series-cat6a-shielded-cable

THe future is now :-)

10G dual RJ45 NICS are $110 on Ebay:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Intel-OEM-X540-T2-10G-Dual-RJ45-Ports-PCI-Express-Ethernet-Network-Adapter-/142022690949?hash=item2111364885:g:arMAAOSwn8FXSp04

Yea while the nics and switches have been coming down. Still it is something that most will not need for a while.

Still if one is wiring stuff up it wouldn't hurt to plan for it.

Thanks guys.

The main line from attic (radio/router) to the basement is already cat5.  Builder ran it from attic to basement and left a bundle a few hundred feet long down there for me to do my thing.  

I'll just have to make do with that (cat5) as I don't think I could re-run from attic to basement (no access)

Am I thereby limited/throttled by that cat 5 source line (attic to basement)?

Would it be a waste to run anything but cat5 off that new switch in my basement?

Ordered the Ubiquiti US-8-60W switch and 2 of those Ubiquiti PRO Access Points based on your guys' advice.

Thanks gents!

The Unifi stuff is great. Just converted my whole office over.

I know this is a somewhat old thread but people can should know that if they are connecting devices up to 30m apart, regular CAT6 will run 10GIG just fine.  It's part of the official spec.  So if you're connecting a server to server, server to the now affordable 10GIG switches, to NAS, etc. those devices are generally in very close proximity.

There is also a non-official CAT6e spec that can run 10G at 100m.  It differs from CAT6A in that it is non-shielded and has twice the pair twist rate as CAT6.  As long as you keep the terminations tightly twisted, it runs perfectly fine at 10GIG without having to worry about the shielding.

You don't want to run those in a desktop unless you put in dedicated fans for them.  The design assumes air flow from a server.