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Question

Help wanted for home server/network project

Mar 27, 2016 10:14PM PDT

I'm thinking of setting up a home server/network and did this diagram for visual reference. My question is, do I plug a WiFi network adapter into a switch connected by cable to the ethernet port, or do I do it the other way round; that is connect the adapter to the ethernet port and then the switch to the adapter? Thanks if anyone can advise me here Wink

http://i285.photobucket.com/albums/ll58/ajenery/connectvtyDiagSimpl_zpsunro9vdh.png

Discussion is locked

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Answer
Not a setup I'd deploy.
Mar 28, 2016 7:47AM PDT

The usual is the server is directly on the router via Ethernet for best speed.

Your setup would have speed issues from the onset since WiFi airspace is shared. You chewed up some of your airspace with the WiFi link from the router to the server plus a second WiFi on the server. Why you did that is unclear what 99.99% of the servers I've seen are on the router and don't need their own WiFi. They are on the LAN so they are accessible via WiFi.

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Thanks for great advice
Mar 28, 2016 9:09AM PDT

Many thanks. I've not actually set it up yet, just thinking of how best to go about it. So, anyway, you're saying that I only need the router and not an additional switch and WiFi network adapter on the server as well? This sounds good to me. Reason I thought of a separate switch is that I was told that using the same router for both network connections to clients and Internet connection would also create bottlenecks. I take it I will still need WiFi network adapters on client systems Wink

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Almost there.
Mar 28, 2016 9:39AM PDT

First, let me tackle the router and switch area.

Here I found years ago that to eek out the best network performance I would place a switched hub like this:

Router (LAN port) -> Switched Hub -> Wired devices.

I only do this after I try it without the Switched Hub. Better routers have OK internal hubs so this isn't done nearly as often.

Next you may be thinking of old school non-switched network hubs. Today's hubs are switched.

Finally the WiFi airspace is shared. so let me note https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_WLAN_channels where you can see there is only one non-overlapping channel in 802.11n 40MHz OFDM mode.


I'd go with a classic setup first before I'd go with another WAP on the server. I'd also consider the newer 2.4 and 5 GHz routers since the clients could be on 5GHz and not have any (well very little) impact on the 2.4GHz users.

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Brain's a bit scrambled now ;)
Mar 28, 2016 8:34PM PDT

Really helpful tips, however I would have to change:-
Router (LAN port) -> Switched Hub -> Wired devices to Router (LAN port) -> Switched Hub -> devices with WiFi adapter because there is no way I'm going to run yards and yards of ethernet cable from the hub/switch to client systems, so it must be a WiFi network, not wired.
All I'm looking to do is establish a simple wireless home network and I just need to know what is the simplest (but still efficient) way of doing this in terms of the physical connectivity.
I currently have a combined WiFi router-modem for my Internet connection via USB dongle, but the connection could be wired via ethernet cable to the ethernet port...

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That last piece?
Mar 28, 2016 9:31PM PDT

Router (LAN port) -> Switched Hub -> Wired devices to Router (LAN port) -> Switched Hub -> devices with WiFi adapter

The last part didn't make sense. Now if you had a WAP plugged in the last Switched Hub, then I can see it. But you still have to know your channels and OFDM setting.

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Going round in circles now :p
Mar 29, 2016 3:18AM PDT

You said 'Router (LAN port) -> Switched Hub -> Wired devices' and I said I would have to change this to 'Router (LAN port) -> Switched Hub -> devices with WiFi adapter' - because I don't want ethernet cables from the server to clients.

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Bit lost now :/
Mar 29, 2016 10:04AM PDT

Okay, if I can't have WiFi for both the Internet router and the switch connected to the Ethernet port because of shared airspace (as suggested...), then the only other way is to have the Internet router (which is actually a router-modem combined) connected via Ethernet cable and either a PCIe or USB wireless network access point. Or could I use the Internet router-modem as the NAP and save some money. Then I just add WiFi network adapters to client systems. Is this right?

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Well you can if you go with 20MHz OFDM.
Mar 29, 2016 10:31AM PDT

It's out there at the Wikipedia and other sites.

But then you go and write you want to use a PCIe or USB as the WAP. Hey, it's your time and setup so the access will only be as reliable as the PC masquerading as a WAP. Here I'd just use a "router as a WAP" (google that) since it's cheap, reliable and not nearly as much work as getting PCs to be a WAP.

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About the client adapters.
Mar 29, 2016 10:51AM PDT

I forgot to answer but yes. If they don't have such. As all the laptops have this today I haven't added these for years.