I’ve got my hands on a Netgear GS724Tv3 smart managed switch for cheap (€20). I got it because I thought it is cheap compared to normal hubs with much fewer ports and it is a nice opportunity to upgrade my network which is very basic and quite bad actually. Also the guy selling it is living around the corner and wanted to sell it. And it even has the 2x SFP connectors! If I want to go crazy later on (which I’d love at some point)
There are a lot of aspects that can be optimized. It all grew over time, why I have a separate router for VPN although I’ve got Proxmox running etc.
I want to improve the hardware setup for now. As you see, I’ve got a few hubs behind the actual DHCP server. In addition, the cable running to the second hub to the attic is 25m or longer (don’t remember exactly). When I copy media to my NAS, it gets max. 10MB/s and sometimes if I’m lucky it goes up to 100MB/s for a few seconds - although all components should be Gigabit. But yeah, long cable. I did see on the Netgear switch, that it can handle long cables better by putting more power on them. So I hope to have some improvement for this situation.
I’d like to remove the hubs and use the aquired Netgear switch.
Where would you recommend me to put it?
Location wise, I was thinking to put it on the attic, since I have plenty of room there and my wife will not complain about it. The only drawback I am thinking of is that the (copper) cable leading there is quite long. I was wondering if the best option would be to go with the long cable from the FritzBox to the Netgear switch and bring most hosts I have to the attic, so the Netgear can do the heavy lifting for LAN data, instead of the FritzBox.
I’m also curious to play around with VLANs etc. at some point. But so far, that is something for the future. Same goes for removing the VPN router and just run the VPN gateway on Proxmox LXC.
Perhaps someone has better ideas for improvement here?
Apreciate any suggestions <3
I hope you’re not actually using hubs (these should be switches) as these types of devices fell out of favor in the 90s. Otherwise that alone could explain your throughput troubles.
The environmental specifications say it can operate in the range of “32° to 131°F (0° to 55° C)”. I’d probably want a significant buffer to the upper and lower end just to be safe.
If you have a non-insulated attic I would probably pass.
The CAT5e standard supports cable lengths of up to “100 meters (330 ft) per TIA/EIA 568-5-A”. Assuming the cable has been put in after 2001 and is undamaged the cable length should not pose an issue.
I have a few ideas on how to improve your network. First, organize your equipment. Get rid of all TP-Link Gigabit hubs. Consolidate to one router if possible. Have the internet, firewall, DHCP server, and VPN server on one router. Connect all devices to your new Netgear switch.
My second idea is to keep the router with OpenWRT installed. Getting rid of or returning the Fritz!Box will depend on your ISP. If you provide the name, address, and telephone number, I can check my sources to see if you can replace the Fritz!Box. If we cannot replace the Fritz!Box, according to my sources, it can be put into bridge mode, basically turning the Fritz!Box into a modem.
My third idea is to avoid storing devices in the attic. It is alright to run Ethernet cables through the attic, but not to store equipment there. Attics are usually too hot to store equipment in.
Hi Shadowbane,
thanks for the ideas and advice!
I like the first idea since it aligns with my thoughts, that I already had.
Returning the FritzBox is not an option, because I bought it some years ago. I really disliked the routers that ISPs in Germany offered (where I lived back then) and the FritzBox seemed like a vastly superior option.
Indeed I did not think about the temperature aspect. I live in the Netherlands and my house is quite well isolated. The attic is actually a living space for guests and my hobby stuff including my Tower PC. And in the summer the house is quite nice inside. I think I’ll follow your advice to keep the NAS downstairs and monitor the temperature upstairs carefully.
I find this suggestion intriguing. I do like the userfriendly UI of the FritzBox and it still has quite a lot of functionality - even VPN nowadays as I noticed. Switching to Netgear as my main Router would mean I’d need to get familiar with the new UI.
I’ll have to think on that option, but I suppose it is nice to have options.
Given that you already own the Fritzbox, if it still gets updates, I would continue using it. However, the Fritzbox firmware must continue to receive updates for it to be used securely. If the Fritzbox is no longer getting updates, then Pow doesn’t have any other choices; he will have to learn a new user interface unless OpenWRT can be installed on his Fritzbox.
I didn’t know that what you call an attic is considered living space. Here in America, we would call what you refer to as an attic a third floor. I would still watch the temperatures during the summer and winter. If you are going to store any devices in your attic, you do not want the temperature to get any higher or colder than what @jode said.
Indeed I’ve considered once to install OpenWRT on the FritzBox and at least there are couple of guides how to do that online. So I guess it is possible.
But if it would stop to get updates, I’d probably just get used to the Netgear UI. That would be way easier
