Network Advice

Fergal82

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Hi

I’m just in the process of running an Ethernet cable up to the loft from my router in the living room.

(I’m going to feed it to a Ethernet switch then to a Unifi AP - haven’t got round to the specifics of this ye

I’ve found an old cable that I received with my no longer used BT UHD box and it looks a good length (10m I think)

I can’t see any markings on the cable to identify it, just wondered will it be ok to use?

I also found a cat 7 cable and this looks like it’s 10m as well.

Or do I need to get a new one off Amazon?

👍
 
The BT UHD Cat X cable will probably be fine as long as it is undamaged.
Just out of interest, (I’m a networking novice) do I need an Ethernet switch and a Poe switch in the loft?

Im planning on a unifi ap mounted on the ceiling of my landing hall but also want to run Ethernet cables to a couple of rooms.
I also might put in an outside access point for the garden sometime in the future.
 
POE switches have pro's and cons. Pro's you only need a single plug socket to power multiple devices. Cons, compared to a non-POE switch they tend to be more expensive. So depending on how many connections you need that are powered vs total number of non-powered connections you may want a single poe switch or you may want a small poe switch and a larger non-poe.
 
Sorry to harp on!

My loft (like most lofts) gets swelteringly hot, will a network switch be ok up there? I was also thinking of putting a couple of other wired network hubs (hive,hue,Sonos) in the loft as well

I was thinking of a shelf or cabinet to put these switches in / on, do I need to put a fan in it to keep it cool, or is the loft not a great location at all?

Any tips or guidance would be appreciated 👍
 
Some people have network equipment in their lofts and have no problem at all. Some of it will be down to the type of roof (warm or cold). airflow, moisture etc
Putting other hubs up there, so far away from the devices that they control can also be problematic. Personally i would try and keep these types of hub out of the loft.

If your loft is dry and has reasonable air circulation and is not prone to filling with snow, blown up through the eaves or open rafters, then you should be fine and a shelf, or even a small open rack maybe fine. If on the other hand it is not dry a small enclosed cabinet maybe what you need.
 
Some people have network equipment in their lofts and have no problem at all. Some of it will be down to the type of roof (warm or cold). airflow, moisture etc
Putting other hubs up there, so far away from the devices that they control can also be problematic. Personally i would try and keep these types of hub out of the loft.

If your loft is dry and has reasonable air circulation and is not prone to filling with snow, blown up through the eaves or open rafters, then you should be fine and a shelf, or even a small open rack maybe fine. If on the other hand it is not dry a small enclosed cabinet maybe what you need.
Top man, thanks for the help
 
Repost from another thread.


Quick unifi question for the experts.

I’ve got the unifi network app on my phone and on the dashboard there is a picture of the world and it keeps changing colour.

When I first setup it was white with a little bit of green at the bottom, now it’s fully red.

Just wondered what this is telling me?

Also I set everything up on an auto / recommended setup, are there any settings you would recommend tweaking or shall I leave as it is?

Also I’m on my second Dream Machine, first one died (fans running continuously) within 6 hours ish.

Net XL sent out a replacement next day and took the broken one away - very happy with that!


602B9627-2C91-40F3-8531-557B25CEDF0C.jpeg
 
Repost from another thread.


Quick unifi question for the experts.

I’ve got the unifi network app on my phone and on the dashboard there is a picture of the world and it keeps changing colour.

When I first setup it was white with a little bit of green at the bottom, now it’s fully red.

Just wondered what this is telling me?

Also I set everything up on an auto / recommended setup, are there any settings you would recommend tweaking or shall I leave as it is?

Also I’m on my second Dream Machine, first one died (fans running continuously) within 6 hours ish.

Net XL sent out a replacement next day and took the broken one away - very happy with that!


View attachment 1308527
Just in case anyone else was looking for the answer to this, the world is showing your internet capacity.

Im guessing that the kids were hammering you tube / Netflix when I took this screenshot!
 
Installed an outdoor ac mesh today just wondering if anyone has set one up and can recommend any settings that need tweaking?
I set it to outdoor mode on but within configure I was unsure whether to leave this setting on or off (2nd photo)?
838C5DBB-D159-4F20-AE76-C050B6F0BBB1.jpeg
B77DEA29-4C32-4229-854D-BB1645B5BD46.jpeg
DA003E41-88AE-4FF5-AFBB-003AEF9AC857.jpeg
 
Well I’ve never had Wi-fi so consistently strong in the garden (usually drops in/out) so I’m glad to say that all the crawling around in the loft, the blood, sweat and tears were well worth it!
 
Make sure that Meshing is OFF - it can cause problems with wired backhauls (unless you are running in mesh with no wired backhaul then leave it on!!). Have a look at the power on the radios and turn it off auto and try with 5G at medium and 2g at low so that it doesn't talk all over your UDM or your other AP. If its too low you can always turn it back up, but I managed to stream Netflix off a non LOS outdoor AP at 30m on those settings. Outdoor Mode settings dont apply in the UK (AFAIK) its for countries that limit outdoor radio power, so that can stay off. Mine has made my garden much more useable with technology. I put one in for a client last weekend to finish off his £30k patio (yes I was shocked too), he is more than happy. Enjoy
 
Make sure that Meshing is OFF - it can cause problems with wired backhauls (unless you are running in mesh with no wired backhaul then leave it on!!). Have a look at the power on the radios and turn it off auto and try with 5G at medium and 2g at low so that it doesn't talk all over your UDM or your other AP. If its too low you can always turn it back up, but I managed to stream Netflix off a non LOS outdoor AP at 30m on those settings. Outdoor Mode settings dont apply in the UK (AFAIK) its for countries that limit outdoor radio power, so that can stay off. Mine has made my garden much more useable with technology. I put one in for a client last weekend to finish off his £30k patio (yes I was shocked too), he is more than happy. Enjoy
Thank you for the reply, it’s really helpful for a network novice like myself.

“Running in mesh” Is this if I didn’t have a cable connected to the Lan port on the Poe injector? I have so I guess it’s not running in mesh?

Thanks for the advice re the radios, I will have a play and see how I get on 👍

£30k patio!!! 😎
 
Yes mesh is when your AP isn’t wired to your network and uses some of its 5G bandwidth to talk to another AP that is wired forming a wireless link between the two. Sometimes if you leave it on, the AP can get in a bit of a tizzy as it tries to talk wirelessly and wired at the same time, resulting in severe performance loss.
It’s always a good idea not to leave Ubiquitis radios on Auto as this often results in them defaulting to maximum power and then they effectively try to shout over one another. This can result in poor or no hand off between APs and your device hangs onto a weaker signal rather than moving to a closer AP. And you end up with poorer performing WiFi.
 
The good thing is once you start to understand it, it makes sense. I am by no means an ‘expert’ I just read a lot and tinker a little. The nice thing with Ubnt gear is there are lots of quality tutorials on YouTube if you get stuck. Start by learning the basics and soon enough you will be a sad git like me, reading the radio propagation patterns for different APs. On the good news front I see that they have AC Lite WiFi 6 APs in the EA store. If they are the replacements for the existing AC Lites we are in clover.
 
I'm fond of saying - I can describe ethernet in pamphlet, my reference texts on Wi-Fi are now well over thousand pages.

I rather like the O'Reilly books on IT if you want something more "bits and bytes" and generic - but I always say they are written by IT pros for IT pros - they don't "Janet and John" you like some of the MS self study guides do. From O'Reilly, the "bat" book is their Wi-Fi one (plus a couple of supplementaries covering N & AC.) They aren't for the feint hearted though.
 
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Installed an outdoor ac mesh today just wondering if anyone has set one up and can recommend any settings that need tweaking?
I set it to outdoor mode on but within configure I was unsure whether to leave this setting on or off (2nd photo)?
View attachment 1311019View attachment 1311020View attachment 1311021

How are you finding the AP Mesh outdoor access point? Is it stable? I am thinking about getting one of these for my garden. Currently I only have one UAP-AC-HD access point on my landing and it provides plenty coverage for the entire house, but the signal strength at the back of the garden about 15m out where I have my table and chairs is only 1 bar at best. I've done a speed test and I am getting about 20-50mbps inconsistently there, internet does work but the signal strength is quite flaky it drops in and out and sometimes my phone drops the signal completely. Its not something that needs fixing urgently but with the recent nice weather and the lockdown in place this will be my next project so to speak.
 
How are you finding the AP Mesh outdoor access point? Is it stable? I am thinking about getting one of these for my garden. Currently I only have one UAP-AC-HD access point on my landing and it provides plenty coverage for the entire house, but the signal strength at the back of the garden about 15m out where I have my table and chairs is only 1 bar at best. I've done a speed test and I am getting about 20-50mbps inconsistently there, internet does work but the signal strength is quite flaky it drops in and out and sometimes my phone drops the signal completely. Its not something that needs fixing urgently but with the recent nice weather and the lockdown in place this will be my next project so to speak.
So far so good for me, not been in a week yet though. I’m now getting full signal and the same speed in the garden that I get when stood right next to the router. I used to get half that with my previous setup.

I know what you mean, I took advantage of the nice weather and got up on a ladder last week. The only downside was I spent a fair amount of time running cables in the loft and it was sweltering up there 😢

Glad it’s all done now though, as said before, well worth the time and effort.
 
I’ve had mine installed 3 weeks now and it’s rediculously solid. Made the patio more useable for working outside and relaxing.
 
thanks both for the feedback, its good to know the AP works well. Will be ordering one soon. Think I need to put the garden lights up first though otherwise misus might get cranky if I start faffing around doing the wifi instead of the lights which have been sitting in my garage since last year and I did say I would be getting around to that next :rotfl:
 
My wife was quite the opposite. She wanted WiFi so she could sit outside an use her laptop.
 

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