# Home Network Setup



## Nikki (Aug 1, 2014)

I'm pretty interested to see what other people have, I love complex home networks with a bunch of machines to handle whole-house streaming etc.

Our network is pretty simple, just a basic Modem + Router + Home Server. Motorola SB6141 for Comcast, Asus RT-AC68W (White version of the AC68U - Paired with a PCE-AC68 on my desktop for near-gigabit over AC), and Ooma Telo for VOIP (Something like $3.50/m for taxes + fcc/whatever fees, the service itself costs nothing and has some amazing features). Using an Atom D2700 with 4GB memory + 2TB of storage for local media streaming (uShare for UPNP/DLNA, Samba for Windows, NFS for Linux/Mac/XBMC) and LXC Containers (Local OwnCloud, Postgres database for random projects)


----------



## MannDude (Aug 1, 2014)

Wireless from next door (with permission) connected to PC, connected to old netgear switch and everything else wired in directly.

Nothing fancy. It works, most the time.

I'm soon going to have fiber installed directly, just haven't been in a big rush since it'll offer me little improvement over existing setup. Next door has fiber and they don't mind me using it. Everything I do is very low usage. I don't download anything large and the only time I stream items is at night after they're already asleep.

EDIT: Local fiber company can do 300Mbps+ connections to my home... Maybe I should host some Raspberry Pi servers or something


----------



## linuxthefish (Aug 1, 2014)

Server 2008 R2 for DHCP and DNS, Procurve 2610-48 100mbit switch for all ports around the house and 8 port switch for places that need gigabit and for file server.

Internet is via android hotspot right now to wireless on PC's and laptop, as i'm too cheap to pay for good internet!


----------



## JahAGR (Aug 1, 2014)

Residential cable modem into pfSense on ESXi. LAN comes out one NIC and is distributed via consumer switches. Want to get some better ones eventually

Two wireless APs, one is a TP-Link running dd-wrt and the other is some ugly plastic Belkin thing that more or less works most of the time

Internet access is load-balanced via VPN across two VPSes.

In terms of the actual devices using the network...

TP-Link AP is dedicated to some IP cameras that are on wireless.

Three hypervisors, one NAS, desktop + laptop + few other random machines. Some of the VMs are on separate networks but those are internal to ESXi


----------



## HalfEatenPie (Aug 1, 2014)

Right now I'm on a Comcast Business line with the following network configuration:

The standard Motorola Modem from Comcast (I didn't put this in place), Server 2008 to handle DHCP and DNS (a total pain to deal with at times) connected to a 28 port switch. This 28 port switch connects the third floor rooms (where this setup is located), and also connects to the switch on the 2nd floor and the 1st floor. Each floor runs their own Access Points with the same SSID and all that. Entire house itself is wired with CAT6 cables.

In addition to Server 2008 running the essential work, we have several desktop-grade servers on the network operating as file systems, streaming servers, and whatever else that's needed.

It's not pretty, I never set it up (I actually don't manage it because I'm not the designated Network guy), but it gets the job done.


----------



## tonyg (Aug 1, 2014)

I have ATT Uverse and use two separate isolated networks.

One network is for VMware machines used for testing and web browsing. On this network I run my wireless.

The other network (no wireless) is for my backup servers, media server, printers and two workstations.


----------



## drmike (Aug 1, 2014)

My network is bailing wire and chewing gum right now 

Wiring is swell, all gigbit and a 24 port fully gigabit switch.

WIFI is blah, working on replacing that with something new and better and ideally outside (I am not a fan of transceivers in my home or office).  Contemplating some solar powered outdoor wifi - two units working together to cover my land.

Have to get new "modem" installed - rocking old beat down provider gear that is BLAH.

And working on a proper-like media storage server to feed the TVs and Rokus.


----------



## MannDude (Aug 1, 2014)

drmike said:


> And working on a proper-like media storage server to feed the TVs and Rokus.


Can Rokus access files on a local media server? If so, awesome. I just thought they could do like.. Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, YouTube, etc type stuff.


----------



## mojeda (Aug 1, 2014)

MannDude said:


> Can Rokus access files on a local media server? If so, awesome. I just thought they could do like.. Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, YouTube, etc type stuff.


You could setup a local Plex server, I believe there is an app for that.


----------



## Wintereise (Aug 2, 2014)

LR fiber handoff into Media converter -> L3 handoff from ISP -> FreeBSD box.

Using pf to run a pseudo NAT, and a couple Unifi APs for wireless. FreeBSD box / router also acts as a media / home server.


----------



## Schultz (Aug 2, 2014)

Pretty basic setup; modem+wifi combo, wifi network & cable, also have a storage server for movies & TV shows.

We're suppose to be getting fiber here "soon" cant wait. Download speed is about 4MB/s - 5MB/s and upload 0.5MB/s.


----------



## MCH-Phil (Aug 2, 2014)

MannDude said:


> Can Rokus access files on a local media server? If so, awesome. I just thought they could do like.. Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, YouTube, etc type stuff.



Roku's require a lot of media to be transcoded.  I, personally, hate transcoding media.  I have a WD LiveTV that plays everything I throw at it without transcoding.  Roku is just gathering dust, sadly.

My home network is really basic though.  CenturyLink modem -> Netgear R6250 -> devices.  

All my media is stored on my desktop.  Few TB's of media, streaming to the WD LiveTV.  I have a new 4tb disk I need to add to the collection also 

Simplicity is the best way.


----------



## sv01 (Aug 3, 2014)

Asus Modem/Router -> Debian (act as Gateway/Pron Filter/Squid Proxy/DHCP Server/DNS Server/Fle Server -> TP-LINK Switch 30 Port -> Devices

download speed : 10 mbps upload 1 mbps


----------



## SPINIKR-RO (Aug 3, 2014)

Comcast box in bridge mode

|

UBNT Edgemax Router

|

Switch

|__ work/private vlan

|___ Wifi vlan

As much as I dislike Comcast for various reasons, I get a steady 50/5Mbps 24/7.


----------



## SGC-Hosting (Aug 8, 2014)

Our home office has a VPN server, a 12TB file share (where we store documentation, ISO files, VPS templates, config files, etc..), a "test" datacenter on its own vlan (for when we are getting ready to test new configs or send out a bunch of servers  to a datacenter), backup-backup server (our deployed servers backup to individual backup servers... then those backup servers backup to this one machine)...

My apartment has a VPN server, plex server, a file share, and several access points scattered throughout -- those are the only permanent servers.. i have a small "cloud" rack that gets re-purposed almost weekly for personal learning and one-off projects


----------



## nDesign (Aug 8, 2014)

2x 4G Router; from different companies 

|

TP-Link TL-R470T+ Load balance

|

Unmanaged Switch

|__3x AP

|__NAS

|__Printer

|__TV

|__Few Computers...

Not the prettiest network, but at least I have some sort of internet connectivity...


----------



## trewq (Aug 10, 2014)

nDesign said:


> 2x 4G Router; from different companies
> 
> 
> |
> ...


Is it expensive just running of mobile data?


----------



## nDesign (Aug 10, 2014)

trewq said:


> Is it expensive just running of mobile data?


Not really, I have "unlimited plan" for about $27 each, so $54 for both and the DSL was costing me about $80.

The main reason for the two routers is that I need a stable connection, the DSL was unreliable at all.


----------



## scott2020 (Aug 11, 2014)

I have had good luck with a combo of Plex and PlayOn with my Roku's.  PlayOn does good on transcoding but it does take a decent machine to do so.  It has a lot of cool plugins too.

I have a cable modem to  Asus WiFi router and a 16 port gigabit switch.  I also connected in a few DECA adapters to talk Ethernet over coax.


----------



## DamienSB (Aug 11, 2014)

I have a Cisco 6513 with a sup720-3b as my home router.


----------



## Imam86 (Aug 12, 2014)

At my boarding house (_so simple_). :huh:

Internet (USB Modem)

|

PC

|

Switch

|

|__ Mikrotik RB

|__ Wireless Access Point

      |__ Free Internet for Neighbors (12:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.)
 

I put my photo on the hotspot login page.
That was how I became known by neighbors.


----------



## Jonathan (Aug 12, 2014)

House is pretty simple, office is another story.

Here's home.

DSL Router

|

PC

PC

Wireless AP

|__Printer

|

Switch

|_PC

|_PC

|_PC

|_TV

|_TV

|_TV

|_DirecTV Receiver

|_DirecTV Receiver

|_DirecTV Receiver

|_DirecTV Receiver

Think I got everything.


----------



## TruvisT (Aug 12, 2014)

Mine is... well... very big and complicated and actually growing.


```
Internet
|
PFSense Box (vpn/firewall/snort/ect...)
|
24 Port GB Switch with +4 SFP
|
| Windows Server 2012 running AD/Hyper-V(several VMs for services, work stations, ect...)
| Several Workstations
| Wireless G/N/AC Access Point
|  |_ Wireless Printer
|  |_ Several laptops
| NAS 2x3TB RAID-1
| NAS 2x2TB RAID-1
| 8 port Gigabit Switch
|  |_ Printer
|  |_ Windows Server 2012
|  |_ Other computers
```


----------



## Coastercraze (Aug 14, 2014)

Cable modem -> Linksys E1200 wireless router

Nice and simple. Does what i need it to


----------



## PCS-Chris (Aug 17, 2014)

When I was a bit younger I used to run NT4/Server 2000 with a domain and active directory at home! Overkill doesn't really cut it, but was a great way to learn.

Much more simple now:

Asus RT-N66U Gigabit Router

BT Openzone Modem (80Mbps down / 20Mbps up)

HP Microserver N40L, modded with 6x 3TB WD Red's in Linux software RAID6.

Every PC in the house backs upto the microserver daily, and also acts as central storage for photos, music etc.


----------



## wlanboy (Aug 17, 2014)

Internet
|
Cisco Router (firewall)
|
8 Port GB Switch
|
|__Wireless Access Point
|     |__ Thinkpad (main device)

|     |__ Nexus 7 Tablet
|     |__ Longshine Wireless LAN adapter

|            |__ XBox 360

|            |__ LG television with Google Cast

|
|__ ZBOX HD-ID11 (2 TB E-Sata + 500GB USB 2 HDDs) <-- main streaming device

|
|__ Raspberry Pi I  <-- Camera server & Arduino remote controll

|     |__ Arduino Bluetooth weather station

|

|__ Raspberry Pi II <-- Debian 24/7 vpn/ssh remote access server


----------



## David (Aug 20, 2014)

Comcast (30mbps down / 10mbps up on a good day)

|

TC8305C DOCSIS 3.0 IPv6 Modem

|

TL-WR841N

|__ 7 Laptops 2 PCs, 3 tablets, 3 mobile phones, PS3, and printer.

Still waiting for IPv6 to be rolled out in my area though.. got the hardware just need the cable company to push it out.


----------



## trewq (Aug 20, 2014)

ADSL2+ (7mbps down/1mbps up) IPv4/IPv6


|


Billion 7800N (Modem/Router)


|


|-PC1


|-PC2


|-Printer


Wireless Bridge 1 (Connecting to Billion via wifi and acting as additional access point)


|


|-NAS


|-Raspberry PI


Wireless Bridge 2 (Connecting to Wireless Bridge 1 via Wifi)


|


|-PC3


2x Samsung TV connecting to Wireless Bridge 1 via Wifi


4x Laptop connecting to Billion via Wifi


6x Mobile phone connecting to Billion via Wifi


3x Tablet connecting to Billion via Wifi


3x iPod Touch connecting to Billion via Wifi


I had to connect the TVs to the Wireless Bridge because the network was getting too congested with them connecting to the Billion.


----------



## MartinD (Aug 21, 2014)

Nothing particularly fancy here...

INTARNUTS

        |

ADSL Router ------ WiFi  (TV, Sky, laptops, Mobile Devices)

        |

        |---------------- IP Cameras and some security stuff

        |

        |

Cisco SG300

        | ---------------- Main Desktop PC in office

        | ---------------- NAS (NetGear ReadyNAS)

        | ---------------- Server (HP Micro Server)

        | ---------------- RaspBerry Pi (Controls/monitors various... things  )

        | ---------------- IP Camera Network (controlled/accessed via Server above)

        | ---------------- IP Phones

        | ---------------- Printer


----------



## HalfEatenPie (Aug 31, 2014)

*Moderator Notice:*

This thread has been merged into the current thread from a previous thread.  

==============

So some of yall work from home.  

Awesome!

So what's on your home network?  Do you have a server on the home network?  How about the way going out?  Do you have only one ISP?  Or do you have a backup Android device?  

Only reason I ask is because...  the internet recently went out in our house (damn ISP!).  Luckily, I can still live off of my WiFi hotspot on my phone!


----------



## aggressivenetworks (Aug 31, 2014)

Well I telecommute to job so i have to have a spare connection. I live in the country so our cell signal is basically shit. The fastest dsl they have is 5 meg and that is even unreliable. So I also have excede internet which is fast down but the upload is slow and latency sucks. What out when it rains hard it goes offline completely!


----------



## Schultz (Aug 31, 2014)

Nothing too fancy. Normal cable network with a backup 4G network which has had to be deployed 2 times this year alone.

Media server with about 500GB of legally purchased movies & TV shows.

We have about 5 users on my home network.


----------



## GIANT_CRAB (Aug 31, 2014)

Schultz said:


> Media server with about 500GB of _legally_ purchased movies & TV shows.


toplel


----------



## HenriqueSousa - WebUp 24/7 (Aug 31, 2014)

At the moment I'm using directly from the ISP router to my working computer, with 2x 4G equipments, plus my phone as last resource if everything fails.

But I'm working in a solution to add an extra layer of security, by adding a computer with pfsense.

- Henrique


----------



## HalfEatenPie (Aug 31, 2014)

Schultz said:


> Media server with about 500GB of legally purchased movies & TV shows.


Haha well kudos to you!  All I have is a Netflix account that takes care of all that for me at the moment (too bad it doesn't help me in situations like this...)



HenriqueSousa - WebUp 24/7 said:


> At the moment I'm using directly from the ISP router to my working computer, with 2x 4G equipments, plus my phone as last resource if everything fails.
> 
> But I'm working in a solution to add an extra layer of security, by adding a computer with pfsense.
> 
> - Henrique


Has your network ever failed that you were stuck with your last resort? (Your phone?)

My phone's WiFi hotspot isn't bad... But I just wish I had my internet...


----------



## HenriqueSousa - WebUp 24/7 (Aug 31, 2014)

HalfEatenPie said:


> Haha well kudos to you!  All I have is a Netflix account that takes care of all that for me at the moment (too bad it doesn't help me in situations like this...)
> 
> Has your network ever failed that you were stuck with your last resort? (Your phone?)
> 
> My phone's WiFi hotspot isn't bad... But I just wish I had my internet...


Since I remember, I only used my phone to work when Internet and power lines were all down, and I had to use my phone as hot-spot for my laptop.

It was a fun day ahahah


----------



## Schultz (Aug 31, 2014)

HalfEatenPie said:


> Haha well kudos to you!  All I have is a Netflix account that takes care of all that for me at the moment (too bad it doesn't help me in situations like this...)
> 
> Has your network ever failed that you were stuck with your last resort? (Your phone?)
> 
> My phone's WiFi hotspot isn't bad... But I just wish I had my internet...


Wish I had netflix! 

We don't have that here in the land of Australia.


----------



## HalfEatenPie (Aug 31, 2014)

Schultz said:


> Wish I had netflix!
> 
> We don't have that here in the land of Australia.


I'm a bit north of you  (back in Korea now anyways... my trip to the US was short-lived).  

VPN with static routing helps with no netflix-ness


----------



## drmike (Sep 1, 2014)

I am challenged here with lack of anything great for bandwidth...

In years past, and at other location I always had three different providers and a failover setup.  I had lots of options (fiber, wireless ISP, DSL, EVDO, etc.)

Now I have the residential bandwidth and a 'droid data plan that is shareable via wifi.  The 'droid and local cell options suck.  No throughput and of course the cost per gigabyte is offensive.  The droid share is meh, slow, sucky, better than nothing.

Had an outage last week and made do with the 'droid for 3-4 hours.  I need to string something better together to connect that to the LAN somehow.


----------



## HalfEatenPie (Sep 1, 2014)

drmike said:


> I am challenged here with lack of anything great for bandwidth...
> 
> In years past, and at other location I always had three different providers and a failover setup.  I had lots of options (fiber, wireless ISP, DSL, EVDO, etc.)
> 
> ...


Ugh.  That sounds like fun.

We finally got the ISP tech in here to check our upstream and it turns out when another ISP was making changes they unplugged the cable for our apartment.  Ugh I hate ISP techs sometimes (not the guy that came to our call but the other ISP techs).


----------



## Nikki (Sep 1, 2014)

There's another thread created by me pretty much exactly like this 

https://vpsboard.com/topic/4922-whats-your-home-network-like/


----------



## HenriqueSousa - WebUp 24/7 (Sep 1, 2014)

Nikki said:


> There's another thread created by me pretty much exactly like this
> 
> https://vpsboard.com/topic/4922-whats-your-home-network-like/


@HalfEatenPie Merge the threads.


----------



## HalfEatenPie (Sep 1, 2014)

Nikki said:


> There's another thread created by me pretty much exactly like this
> 
> https://vpsboard.com/topic/4922-whats-your-home-network-like/


Gee wiz.  Thanks!  

Merged!


----------



## Taronyu (Sep 1, 2014)

There are some awesome posts in /r/homelab about this: http://www.reddit.com/r/homelab/


----------



## KuJoe (Sep 1, 2014)

Just ordered this to replace my failing Cisco(Linksys) router at home: http://routerboard.com/CRS109-8G-1S-2HnD-IN

I was going to order the 24 port version, which was only $8 more for a used one on eBay, but decided to get a 24 port 10Gbps Infiniband switch to play with instead. I'm going to be replacing my single bay Synology NAS with a custom USB 3.0 SSD NAS instead.


----------



## hostinghouston (Sep 3, 2014)

Mine is pretty simple, but we have a lot of devices that use our network, because we are geeks...and have 3 kids....and, well, coz we can! lol

Internet Connection is AT&T U-Verse 18Mbps soon to be replaced with Suddenlink Cable 50Mbps. Connected by the stock AT&T modem/wifi router they supply. It's not the best, but it gets the job done.

My main PC is a Gateway All-in-One, with an AMD Quad Core CPU. I upgraded the machine to include an SSD and went from 4GB RAM to 8GB RAM. I'ts 3 years old and runs like a dream. It's also touchscreen with 21.5" screen.

My wife then has an Dell laptop she uses and does all her stuff on. It's nothing fancy, but she likes it.

Roku Streaming Stick and a Roku 3 hooked up to our two TV's for streaming. My main PC has a plex server installed so we can watch all our medai content which we just store on a external drive for now until I get an Intel NUC to handle all that stuff.

Nintendo Wii, 2x iPad Mini's, an iPad Air. I use the iPad Air, my wife uses the 2nd gen iPad Mini and the other iPad mini was the 1st gen my wife upgraded from which we kept and use exclusively for the kids. We homeschool and have found that using the iPad for researching and teaching is a vital tool.

I also have a range extender and various other devices sat around.


----------



## KuJoe (Sep 3, 2014)

Awww... the new router/switch I ordered won't be in stock for at least 1-2 weeks so I ordered the 24 port version instead. Might need to make some modifications to my desk to mount it properly now.


----------



## betatester (Sep 4, 2014)

Yeah, late to the game but here is my setup. This took a while to build.

Cox w/ 50MBps down & 15 MBps up (typically 20/3) @ 300GBs/mo soft limit (w/ free monthly overages notificatoins   )

Scientific-Atlanta WebSTAR DPC2100 Cable Modem DOCSIS 2.0 w/ Netgear CD3000 DOCSIS 3.0 replacement on station w/ APC Back-UPS ES 8 Outlet 550VA

 |__ Western Digital My Net N900 Central w/ 1TB integrated network storage - quad networks | dual 5GHz Guest & Hidden SSID and dual 2.4Ghz Guest & SSID1 ch 4 on UPS

   |__ NAS -  Iomega 2TB RAID 1 w/ Plex media w/ 2TB USB backup on UPS

   |__Office via Belkin F5D4085 Powerline AV500

      |__  Desktop w/ 3 NICs & ASUS PCE-AC66 w/ Plex Server & VMs - i7 2.6k w/ 16gbs w/ APC Smart-UPS RM SMT1500RM2U

      |__  Raspberry Pi B+ testing on SSID1

   |__Home Cat 5 wired network    

      |__  Living Room - Asus RT-55n w/ quad networks | 5GHz (disabled) & 2.4Ghz Open network w/ isolation and duplicated SSID1 ch 11

      |__ Every single person who walks in my house's WiFi device on the open\isolated network & my various devices

   |__Garage via wireless bridge on DDWRT'd Linksys WRT54GS SSID1

      |__  Linksys WRT150 home network Pen-tester

      |__  Netgear Prosafe FVS318v3 - subnet on APC Smart-UPS RM SMT1500RM2U

        |__ 2x Cisco 1900 Switches w/ every friends* pc requiring repair & upgrades - currently 6 w/o

      |__  ECS thin ITX NM70-TI for VPS testing  & upcoming NAS/Firewall Build


----------



## TekStorm - Walter (Sep 4, 2014)

Mine is simple, I have a moderm from the company with unlimited, with high speed business and a wireless connection, it simple but it gets the job done.


----------



## rmlhhd (Nov 12, 2015)

Sorry for bringing back a year old thread!


So... it's been a year now! How have your setups changed?


I've been reading through this thread and some of you have interesting topics.


In the UK, RAM and SSD's are becoming increasingly cheaper allowing for some quite beefy systems for a small price. 


At the moment I've got -


TP-Link TD-W9980 (BT Fibre VDSL2+)
1Gbps TP-Link Switch
Synology  DS215j NAS - 3 x 3TB
Gigabyte Brix 2955u - Home Server


I've also got two Routerboard's but their not being used at the moment.


I'd love to build a nicer home setup with some beefy servers but I'm not home much so I went for the dedicated server route with my own ASN, IP Space and Ubiquiti EdgeRouter Pro 8 


Sorry I don't have any server porn to show you. I hope some of you can share your home server porn.


I found this on reddit in r/homeserver - I don't know what it is about it but I like it a lot - http://i.imgur.com/MXiipoR.png


----------



## KuJoe (Nov 12, 2015)

Primary router:
1x Mikrotik CRS125-24G-1S-2HnD-IN


Secondary routers:
2x MikroTik hAP lite (1 on opposite ends of the house)


Miscellaneous switches:
1x TP-LINK TL-SG105
1x TP-LINK TL-SG108


Network monitoring:
Observium on Raspberry Pi 2


Network Storage:
1x Synology DS110j
1x Synology BC115j


PoE Injectors:
2x NEEWER Autoranging Switching 48V-0.5A Wall Plug POE Injector


IP Cameras:
2x Hikvision DS-2CD2032-I


----------



## JahAGR (Nov 13, 2015)

A year later the only real hardware changes I made were upgrading to a semi-managed switch so I could use VLANs and replacing failed NAS hardware. I did try to simplify some of the software aspects of my network so I can sleep better etc


Internet connection:


Arris CM820A cable modem


Router-type stuff:


pfSense VM on ESXi


Ubuntu VM doing recursive DNS


Switches:


TP-LINK TL-SG108E


Various other 5- and 8-port consumer grade gigabit switches


Servers:


3x ESXi hypervisors - 16GB 2x Xeon each


Network monitoring:


Observium VM on ESXi


Network storage:


Windows Server 2012 R2 physical HW RAID


IP cameras:


MayGion/Wansview outdoor, Wansview indoor pan/tilt wireless


_How do I get the forum to not have huge spacing between lines in my posts?_


----------

