The title sounds like bitching but this post is more a request for advice. I’ve wanted to pull the trigger for six months now on buying my own router/modem and WAPs. I have a google mesh and it sucks, and I want to build a nas w/ plex and add a firewalla (or similar) to remove ads and manage my network. I’ve learned a lot already, but lately am hung up on the specifics. I honestly have no idea what equipment to buy to accomplish my goals. I don’t know the pitfalls of x vs y router, or when I’m spending $300 and only needed to buy an $120 part because I don’t need certain features, etc. I was looking around for something like the PCMR logical increments guide, but that doesn’t seem to be a thing in this world. My hope is to spend maybe 1k or so and get started. Can I get some direction from you kind folk?
Addendum info: My home isn’t wired for the WAPs, but I have a few hundred feet of cat6a cable at my disposal. Internet only comes in at one port upstairs in a corner over the garage. I do happen to own a 24 port switch and an old PC I plan to use to run the NAS. It’s about a 2k sq. foot home, but fairly spread out.
You don’t mention what level of expertise you’ve got for this, or if there’s anyone you can reach out to for assistance. I think guyman384’s advice to treat this as two projects (wiring infrastructure, the server(s).
You didn’t mention how many floors to the home. If it’s a single floor, I suspect 2 AP’s will be sufficient. If you are planning to do something like Plex, have a desktop computer, or a networked printer, consider running Cat5/6 connections to where ever those will be located. For the nextwork gear, I can highly recommend the TP-Link Omada kit. I use it at hoe, in part becuase I do the network management at work all day, and want something that will just work, but give me a high degree of control. Ubiquity is popular in this space. We use UBT at work, I like the Omada better. I have a small fanless PC that I’m using to run pfSense. PfSense is good because the defaultr config works well, but then you can make the install more sophisticated as you learn.
With regard to the server environment, I’d like to hear more about your use case. My go-to response, though, would be to plan on purchasing a Synology NAS, and use the old PS for delivering Plex or some such. Especially true if you have multiple PC’s in the home, or a diverse OS population (Windows, Linux, Mac)
Gotcha! To answer your questions I’m fairly new. I’ve built a computer and done some network work but don’t know offhand how to provision or anything that rigorous. I’ll definitely treat it as two projects. It’s a two floor home. And I appreciate the recommendations! I want to use the server, and home network as a whole, as a learning opportunity. Think of it as a practical component to match the CCNA which I’m intending to take.