Home network cabinet?

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  • atgcpaul
    Veteran Member
    • Aug 2003
    • 4055
    • Maryland
    • Grizzly 1023SLX

    Home network cabinet?

    The cable internet connection is right in my dining room/kitchen so that's also where I have my cable modem, WiFi router, small network hub, NAS, soon to be NVR for my cameras, and in the future probably a home automation hub. It's definitely not what I or SWMBO want to look at every day. I think I can easily move the internet hookup to the basement and I think it makes sense to then distribute the network to the rest of the house. Does anyone have a home network cabinet? Any advice to give on setting one up?

    Thanks,
    Paul
  • LCHIEN
    Internet Fact Checker
    • Dec 2002
    • 20913
    • Katy, TX, USA.
    • BT3000 vintage 1999

    #2
    From a wifi signal propagation standpoint you want your Wifi to be located centrally with as few walls, and the walls being less dense (i.e. thin wood stud and sheetrock walls are fairly transparent but thicker concrete/earthen walls and metal studded walls are less transparent. Basements are not the best for signal propagation if you have a three story house for example.
    If you have those little vertical Wifi antennas I suspect the radiation pattern is horizontal more than vertical which exacerbates the problems with a basement.
    I have not tried anything like what you are suggesting so I can only conjecture from what I've heard and my somewhat limited experience with RF as an electrical engineer.
    Perhaps mesh networks will help you and I don't know if you have a one story with basement or one of these modern condos with three floors above ground. We don't actually have basements here in the coastal plains of Texas... We'd have indoor swimming pools.
    Loring in Katy, TX USA
    If your only tool is a hammer, you tend to treat all problems as if they were nails.
    BT3 FAQ - https://www.sawdustzone.org/forum/di...sked-questions

    Comment

    • atgcpaul
      Veteran Member
      • Aug 2003
      • 4055
      • Maryland
      • Grizzly 1023SLX

      #3
      We live in a split-level ranch where the finished walkout "basement" is below our bedrooms in one unit, the LR/DR/kit over a crawl space in the central unit, and the garage on a slab at the end unit.

      There will be an access point (AP) in the new home office off the LR which shares a wall with the garage. That'll cover me when I work in the garage shop as well as out in the front yard. There will be one in the kitchen (not far from the office but separated by a wall and pantry) to cover the back deck, one in the basement to cover the downstairs bedroom and home theater area, and a 4th which may go in my daughter's closet to cover that end of the house and the side yard.

      My network savvy coworker directed me to an article which is kind of what I was planning to do. Although my routers work in a wireless mesh, I will still have them do a home run to the switch with Cat 6 cable. Now I just need to find a suitably sized switch, etc.

      Comment

      • atgcpaul
        Veteran Member
        • Aug 2003
        • 4055
        • Maryland
        • Grizzly 1023SLX

        #4
        I found a cheap and easy solution! I asked my wife.

        Instead of running coax and a power supply to that closet, I set it up on an existing bookcase next to the projection wall There was already power and coax there. The problem with this spot is it won't be convenient to fish cables there. It backs up to a cinder block wall.

        I also bought a $30 network switch off someone on FB marketplace that I'm already using.

        ​​​​

        Comment

        • jealoustrial
          Handtools only
          • Nov 2022
          • 1

          #5
          Originally posted by atgcpaul
          I found a cheap and easy solution! I asked my wife.

          Instead of running coax and a power supply to that closet, I set it up on an existing bookcase next to the projection wall There was already power and coax there. The problem with this spot is it won't be convenient to fish cables there. It backs up to a cinder block wall. I also bought a $30 network switch off someone on FB marketplace that I'm already using.

          ​​​​
          It's a great idea bro.

          Harry,

          Comment

          • dbhost
            Slow and steady
            • Apr 2008
            • 9209
            • League City, Texas
            • Ryobi BT3100

            #6
            Originally posted by atgcpaul
            I found a cheap and easy solution! I asked my wife.

            Instead of running coax and a power supply to that closet, I set it up on an existing bookcase next to the projection wall There was already power and coax there. The problem with this spot is it won't be convenient to fish cables there. It backs up to a cinder block wall.

            I also bought a $30 network switch off someone on FB marketplace that I'm already using.

            ​​​​
            If you can't fish wires / cables there, you can always surface mount some raceway like the Legrand I think they call it Corduct. I have a bit of it in my front bedroom to route cables for the PS4 and TV as it is on the exterior wall where fishing cable would be all but impossible.
            Please like and subscribe to my YouTube channel. Please check out and subscribe to my Workshop Blog.

            Comment

            • dbhost
              Slow and steady
              • Apr 2008
              • 9209
              • League City, Texas
              • Ryobi BT3100

              #7
              Originally posted by atgcpaul
              The cable internet connection is right in my dining room/kitchen so that's also where I have my cable modem, WiFi router, small network hub, NAS, soon to be NVR for my cameras, and in the future probably a home automation hub. It's definitely not what I or SWMBO want to look at every day. I think I can easily move the internet hookup to the basement and I think it makes sense to then distribute the network to the rest of the house. Does anyone have a home network cabinet? Any advice to give on setting one up?

              Thanks,
              Paul
              I never saw the original post, sorry, but yes I do. How elaborate do you want to get? And remember your WiFi will be impacted BADLY by moving the router to the basement. If you have a mesh system though, just add additional mesh nodes (routers) with wall mounts or ceiling mounts if you can get power there. I have the Eero Pro 6 system and I have no issues with WiFi. My setup was easy though, single story home with no basement, so I stuffed it in a closet and mounted the second router to the master bath wall by the vanity.
              Please like and subscribe to my YouTube channel. Please check out and subscribe to my Workshop Blog.

              Comment

              • dbhost
                Slow and steady
                • Apr 2008
                • 9209
                • League City, Texas
                • Ryobi BT3100

                #8
                Just a stupid should have thought of this earlier thing, but seriously consider getting a WiFi 6 mesh router system if you wan to base your main cabinet in a basement. Mount your mesh member routers in as inconspicuous as possible of a location. I have mine up on a wall mounted up to look a lot like a smoke detector. The WiFi 6 mesh stuff is more expensive, but worth it. Oh and FWIW, not all of them have mounts or mounting holes. If need be a 3D printed mount can be done to make it work. Let me know if you end up in that situation. I have the print file for the Eero Pro 6 and 6e... Can come up with others most likely... If you can't print I might be able to help you out for the cost of filament and shipping...
                Please like and subscribe to my YouTube channel. Please check out and subscribe to my Workshop Blog.

                Comment

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