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Kirala Hcsirf
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Posted - 2008.09.25 18:08:00 -
[1]
I'm looking for a bit of advice from people who are a smarter than I on routers, switches, IP addresses, and home networks. I'm not a newbie to this stuff, but my current home project is a bit beyond me. Any and all advice greatly appreciated.
Here's the deal: I am re-wiring my whole house (long story). I am installing a lot of wall plates in my house and for each one I want to have an active ethernet port. In total, I will be installing 24 active ethernet ports. I am doing this so in the future we can move our offices, put printers in other rooms, etc... basically, we just want to be networked.
Currently we have a a 4-port router (a standard linksys one with wireless) and I am thinking I need to connect a 24-port switch to the router and then wire all my ports off of the 24 ports in the switch to make them all active.
So, it will sort of look like this:
Phone Co. -> DSL demarcation -> Modem -> Router -> Switch =>> 24 different ethernet ports (throughout the house)
But I'm a bit confused on how to configure this so it works optimally. I have never worked with a switch before to this extent, so I have some questions for you smart folks:
* Should and can I configure static IP addresses for each port using the switch, or will the router do that using DHCP?
* Can I still use the router's wireless if I need to? Will the router's firewall still work?
* If I want to do head-to-head between two computers, can I give them a static address if I need to, even if I haven't initially configured them as such?
You get the idea, eh? Basically I want to know the best configuration to make it fast, reliable, no data collisions, etc...
Also, although I don't anticipate using more than a few ports at a time, in the future I am hoping to connect various fun devices to the other ethernet ports (such as a fax machine, or if they ever make speakers I can send music to over ethernet I'd get lots of those, etc...), so I'd like, if possible, to be *able* to use all 24 ports at the same time.
Am I basically doing the right thing? Anyone out there have any advice for me?
Sorry for the wall of text and thanks in advance for any and all advice/help!
Kirala
Ps: we have both PCs and Macs.
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Kirala Hcsirf
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Posted - 2008.09.25 18:08:00 -
[2]
I'm looking for a bit of advice from people who are a smarter than I on routers, switches, IP addresses, and home networks. I'm not a newbie to this stuff, but my current home project is a bit beyond me. Any and all advice greatly appreciated.
Here's the deal: I am re-wiring my whole house (long story). I am installing a lot of wall plates in my house and for each one I want to have an active ethernet port. In total, I will be installing 24 active ethernet ports. I am doing this so in the future we can move our offices, put printers in other rooms, etc... basically, we just want to be networked.
Currently we have a a 4-port router (a standard linksys one with wireless) and I am thinking I need to connect a 24-port switch to the router and then wire all my ports off of the 24 ports in the switch to make them all active.
So, it will sort of look like this:
Phone Co. -> DSL demarcation -> Modem -> Router -> Switch =>> 24 different ethernet ports (throughout the house)
But I'm a bit confused on how to configure this so it works optimally. I have never worked with a switch before to this extent, so I have some questions for you smart folks:
* Should and can I configure static IP addresses for each port using the switch, or will the router do that using DHCP?
* Can I still use the router's wireless if I need to? Will the router's firewall still work?
* If I want to do head-to-head between two computers, can I give them a static address if I need to, even if I haven't initially configured them as such?
You get the idea, eh? Basically I want to know the best configuration to make it fast, reliable, no data collisions, etc...
Also, although I don't anticipate using more than a few ports at a time, in the future I am hoping to connect various fun devices to the other ethernet ports (such as a fax machine, or if they ever make speakers I can send music to over ethernet I'd get lots of those, etc...), so I'd like, if possible, to be *able* to use all 24 ports at the same time.
Am I basically doing the right thing? Anyone out there have any advice for me?
Sorry for the wall of text and thanks in advance for any and all advice/help!
Kirala
Ps: we have both PCs and Macs.
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Jana Clant
New Dawn Corp
New Eden Research
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Posted - 2008.09.25 18:36:00 -
[3]
 Originally by: Kirala Hcsirf
* Should and can I configure static IP addresses for each port using the switch, or will the router do that using DHCP?
You can configure IPs manually if you wish, but since your router is going to be connected to the switch, there is no need to, the router will pick up all the connections and organize everything itself. (when you connect a router to a switch, the switch basically becomes an extension of the router)
Originally by: Kirala Hcsirf
* Can I still use the router's wireless if I need to? Will the router's firewall still work?
Your router should be able to simultaneously handle ethernet and wireless connections. (with the firewall on, of course) In any case, it doesn't hurt to check the router's manual, as it will most likely provide the definite answer.
Originally by: Kirala Hcsirf
* If I want to do head-to-head between two computers, can I give them a static address if I need to, even if I haven't initially configured them as such?
Yes, just access your router's interface and bind the 2 MAC addresses to 2 specific IPs of your choice.
Join New Eden Research today and never worry about queues again!
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Kirala Hcsirf
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Posted - 2008.09.25 18:57:00 -
[4]
Thanks! That's exactly the sort of answer I was looking for. You rock.
Now if I could only figure out how to get IP-addressable speakers...
Kirala
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Pwett
Minmatar
QUANT Corp.
QUANT Hegemony
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Posted - 2008.09.25 19:08:00 -
[5]
My advice if you're going to spend the time running Cat-5e, also at least run some speaker wire.
And, if your router has any sort of Virtual NAT with auto IP designation, than simply put use a crossover cable between the router and the switch and the router / switch will simply be a single unit. Then as time goes on, you can daisy chain switches with crossovers until you reach the ultimate limit of your router.
btw - www.cablesforless.com :)
_______________
Pwett
CEO, Founder, & Executor
<Q> QUANT Hegemony
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Kirala Hcsirf
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Posted - 2008.09.25 19:25:00 -
[6]
Originally by: Pwett
My advice if you're going to spend the time running Cat-5e, also at least run some speaker wire.
And, if your router has any sort of Virtual NAT with auto IP designation, than simply put use a crossover cable between the router and the switch and the router / switch will simply be a single unit. Then as time goes on, you can daisy chain switches with crossovers until you reach the ultimate limit of your router.
btw - www.cablesforless.com :)
Coolio. That's good advice re: the speaker cable, but I spent all last night running 1500 feet of cabling, and my contractors are supposed to be doing the drywall today...I've just not got it in me to crawl around as much again today...
I'll definitely chain up the router/switch as you say.
Thanks!
K
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Tony C'dale
Supernova Security Systems
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Posted - 2008.09.26 03:26:00 -
[7]
I helped a buddy of mine do this same thing a few months ago in his house....sounds like you did it the smart way before the walls were up! I'll be happy if I don't see any fish tape for a long while. We ran 15 lines from all over the house to his basement to a patch panel and then into a cisco 2950, 14 for drops and 1 connected to his wireless router which stayed upstairs, so he could get decent signal (and thats where his modem was). Made it fairly nice and neat. Set up one of the pc's as a "server" so he could share music between computers and he was happy.
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