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IT Club NETWORKING 3 – HOME NETWORKING Welcome! Please make a name tag! Why does it matter? Your ISP will screw you in a heartbeat for a penny but usually they get more Support from your ISP usually ends at the coax entering your house You may not be getting the best bang for your buck In order to troubleshoot you have to know the network layout Your parents probably rely on you to mange their internet too Benefits of designing your home network Generally you can save money by not renting or leasing an ISP modem/router Gives you a clear picture of what you may need to upgrade in the future Gives you a “map” to follow for troubleshooting problems Allows you to better communicate your network when you need outside support Gives you a general sense of accomplishment Steps to building out a home network 1. Planning Planning Planning! 2. Physical network infrastructure 3. Configuration of devices 4. Test and validate Planning! THE MOST IMPORTANT STEP! Measure twice cut once Like a vast number of things, networking requires a lot of planning first Planning ensures that all requirements for the network are accounted for and can be met If planned correctly you will have a plan for either expansion or upgrading in the future What should I plan for? Start your plan by assessing the needs of your network How many computers/devices/rooms need internet? How many connections do you need per room? How much bandwith will you need/pay for? Do you require wifi? How much area does the wifi need to cover? How many people or devices will use the wifi? Do you require a separate guest network? Do you require separate secure networks? Do you need remote access? Where is my MDF? MDF stands for Master Distribution Frame It is the central termination point for all network connections In a large building or campus there are also Intermediate Distribution Frames (IDFs) that service smaller sections of the building or campus but feed back into the MDF Pick a location for your main networking equipment to reside This is where all the connections in the house will end up Keep in mind any noise from networking/computer equipment Also keep in mind that some networking gear gets hot If you’re using a WiFi router pick a place that will give good coverage Planning the physical infrastructure Once you know the requirements of your network you can begin assessing what you need for your physical infrastructure Take measurements of the rooms that need physical cables Once you have measurements of the rooms you can determine the lengths of cable that you need For each length of cable add 2 to 5 feet extra for insurance Once you know how much cable you need for each location you can determine the total amount of cable that is needed Keep in mind that you may need more cable for other connections Planning the physical infrastructure How many connections total will you have? The number of connections per room will determine how many keystone jacks you need This will also help you pick the kinds of wall plates needed Do you need a patch panel to simplify termination? Does your network require backup power? Double check your physical plans! You should have the following The number of wired connections needed The size of the patch panel you will need if using a patch panel The number of keystone jacks needed The number of keystone wall plates and the number of ports per wall plate needed The total length of cable needed Picking Hardware Once you know the physical requirements for your network you can pick the hardware Start with picking a modem if not using an ISP modem (Don’t use an ISP modem!) Pick your router and switches next If not using a wifi router then pick your access point(s) The Modem You may elect to rent or lease a modem from your ISP, but often they are terrible quality and have a high failure rate Most modems on the market are supported by most ISPs, but check your ISP’s modem compatibility list before purchase! Ensure your modem is the right technology. I.E. Cable, DSL, or Fiber (however fiber devices are almost always required to be provided by the ISP) and the right version of the technology, I.E. DOCSIS 2 or 3 Be sure the modem you pick supports the speeds (upload and download) that you will or already do pay for If you have a lot of users on your network pick a modem with a lot of download and upload channels Suggested Cable Modems Arris is one of the most popular brands (previously Motorola) Arris SB6141 – DOCSIS 3, 343Mb/s, 8 Download/4 Upload Channels Arris SB6183 – DOCSIS 3, 686Mb/s, 16 Download/4 Upload Channels Arris SB6190 – DOCSIS 3, 1.4Gb/s, 32 Download/8 Upload Channels Arris SB8200 – DOCSIS 3.1, 5Gb/s, 32 Download/8 Upload Channels If renting from Comcast request an Arris TM822R. The other modems from Comcast are what are called “Gateways” and often fail terribly. The TM822R is only a modem and performs much better. The Router Decide if you want a WiFi router or if you want your WiFi to be separate from your router Remember that more expensive is not necessarily better and more antennas doesn’t mean better coverage. Pick a router that is capable of maintaining the speeds that you want If picking a WiFi router, one with a dual band radio is often best for performance If you need special features in your router keep them in mind when selecting a router (For example VLANs or VPN) Router Suggestions Ubiquiti makes great business grade routers for really great prices, but none of them are WiFi routers and require separate access points The TP-Link Archer series are generally pretty solid and feature rich (Lana… Lana… Lana… LAAANNAAAAA!!!!!!!) Asus is another popular brand (although I’ve personally had problems with them) Linksys is the consumer line from Cisco who is by far the leading networking company in the enterprise world Do your homework on any router you’re considering. Check consumer reports and features lists to be sure you have a good fit Switch(s) If your network requires more than 4 wired connections then you will need a switch For most home networks an unmanaged switch is more than adequate If you require more advanced features like VLANs then a managed switch will be required For most homes FastEthernet switches are more than adequate, however if your internet speeds are faster than 100Mb/s then you will need a Gigabit switch. Unmanaged Gigabit switches are cheap enough that they should be used for any unmanaged switch needs Switch Suggestions Stay away from Netgear managed switches Most major brands produce rock solid unmanaged switches TrendNET makes cheap and effective gigabit switches Managed switches are more expensive Cisco Catalyst switches can be had used for cheap, but not with Gigabit interfaces HP ProCurve switches have a lifetime, owner transferable warranty TrendNET, D-Link, and TP-Link also make managed switches cheaper than Cisco or HP, but may be less reliable or have less features and little community support Access Points Access points provide wireless access to wired networks. They provide an advantage to large homes where one central WiFi router could not cover the entire area Access points are also necessary for networks that do not employ a WiFi router Access points may act individually as singular networks, or may operate in unison as a single or multiple networks spanning multiple access points Some access points require a dedicated server to manage them and their networks Access Point Suggestions Ubiquiti UniFi Access points are excellent The Ubiquiti UAP-AC-Lite is a fairly low cost AP that offers enterprise features however some features require a dedicated server. Even without a management server they are excellent APs for home use The UAP-AC-Pro offers slightly higher speeds than the AC-Lite, 2 network links instead of 1, outdoor capability, and more options for PoE The UAP-AC-LR is very similar to the AC-Lite but offers a larger coverage radius Finalizing The Plan At this point you should double check your plan Go through everything step by step and make sure you haven’t missed anything Double check that the devices you picked fit your needs and your budget Be sure you did your homework on the devices you picked and that they will fulfil your needs You may now purchase the supplies for your network The last important bit, tools If you’re going to run cables or make cables then you will need some tools For making ethernet cables you will need a mod plug crimper capable of crimping 8p8c plugs You should also have an ethernet cable tester if you’re going to make or run your own cables. These come in all shapes, sizes, and prices A toning tool may be helpful but is not required For terminating keystone jacks or patch panels you will need a punch down tool. The hammer kind work best and are not expensive You will also need a way of stripping the cable. Some prefer actual cable strippers, some prefer to use electrician snips or scissors Laying Physical Infrastructure PULL, TERMINATE, TEST, REPEAT Run Forest^H^H^H^H^H^HCable Run! We’re now to the point of actually building our network The first step is to lay or run the cable to each location that requires a wired network connection Running data cable through walls is an entire course itself so we’re not even going to touch that one If you do want to in wall cables be sure that you do it right! It should go without saying that if you don’t own the space you shouldn’t be putting holes in walls and running data cables in wall There are some cheap and clever ways of running cable in a rental without damaging the walls or at least with minimal damage If possible try and label each cable once it’s been run The Almighty Duct tape Duct tape is cheap and easy to use but can peal paint or leave sticky residue Just stick your cables to the wall in any way that satisfies what ever level of OCD you have Keep in mind that duct tape doesn’t always stick well to walls and may fall off over time Don’t bother with gaffers tape, trust me, as a theater tech I tried and failed many times to keep cables on walls with gaff tape The Holy Wiremold Wiremold is a type of conduit that is often used for running data cables outside of walls It can either be screwed to the wall or stuck on the wall with adhesive It offers a nice path to run cable for a slightly easier experience It looks more professional than hanging wires The trusty floor If all else fails you can run your cables along the floor Be sure to push them into the corners between the floor and the wall to keep them out of the way Be sure everyone is aware that there may exist a tripping hazard Works best with carpet The SuperCombo U, U, D, D, L, R, L, R, B, A, Start Thumb tacks and small GearTies may excellent cable hangars They’re flexible and can better grip the cables If better support is needed the thumb tacks can be swapped with small nails ????????? Sometimes running a cable is tricky and requires trickery to be run Do this in anyway you can, but for the love of god do it safe! The Terminator Once you have all your cables run from your MDF to the various locations you can start terminating cables At the MDF end you should either use a module or punchdown patch panel or terminate with mod plugs (RJ45 plugs) At the other end it’s best to use keystone jacks Make your terminations one cable at a time and test the cable before moving on to the next cable Repeat until all cables are terminated and tested When terminating to a patch panel try and keep some sort of logical arrangement Hooking up Once all your main lines are in place and tested its time to start plugging things in Start with the modem and router Plug the incoming line from your ISP into your modem (cable or dsl) Then plug your router into your modem. Be sure that you plug in to the WAN port on the router Plug in a computer to one of the other ports on the router and power up both the router and the modem Configuring the router To configure your router you will need to log in to the administration interface This is usually done by typing in Http://192.168.0.1 in a web browser, but some routers use different subnets so check your manual You will then most likely be prompted for a username and password. Generally the default login is printed on the back or bottom of the router and/or in the manual If it’s a new router once you log in your will be greeted with a setup wizard. The basic setup is generally very straight forward and requires little intervention other than changing the wifi password and SSID Configuring the router If you are unable to connect to the internet after configuring the router you may have to activate your modem Ensure that the connection from your ISP to your modem is properly connected and that your modem is powered on If it is a new modem you will need to call your ISP to activate the modem. However some ISPs may offer an online self service modem activation Your ISP will need to know the model number, the serial number, and the MAC address of your modem. For ARRIS modems a card is included in the box with all this information for easier access Continuing the hookup Once your router and modem are connected, configured, and tested you can build out the rest of your network If you are not using a switch or switches this should simply mean plugging in any wired devices to the LAN section of your router If you are using a patch panel then you must “patch” in your rooms to your router using patch cables. If you require more wired connections than your router can support then you should be using a switch Switches are generally “plug ‘n play” meaning that you can simply plug them in and they will work Switch! Network topology is a full course in itself but there are some things you should keep in mind Be aware of network loops! No device on the network should have any path back to itself! This causes major problems When installing switches, one port of the switch should link back to the router. We call this the trunk The rest of the ports are then open for other devices to be plugged in Again watch for loops! If you have two switches on your network then each switch should connect to the router with one connection each. The switches SHOULD NOT connect to each other! The Access Points Access points are a beast of their own and all of them are different For configuring access points it is up to you to research how to configure your specific access points Test network, please ignore You should now have a complete network! The next step is to test all your connections to ensure everything is working as expected If you encounter problems check your work carefully Troubleshooting wired connection issues Check that all cables are connected properly. Disconnect them and reconnect them to ensure they are seated properly Try using different cables Try using different ports on routers and switches Reboot the affected computer/system Reboot any switches between the affected device and the router Reboot the router