The right network components

When planning your smarthome, it is important to choose the right network components. I always try to achieve everything primarily by cable and only in exceptional cases by radio. And I do not want to have an ideological discussion about radio radiation here. The principle with me is therefore. Where it is easy, a cable is taken, otherwise just a wireless solution.

Ethernet

Therefore, a GBit Ethernet network was installed throughout the house and every single network socket was realized as a double connection. Each floor has its own power-saving GBit switch which are connected by a cable. Thus, the network traffic is separated within one floor and does not affect the other floor. Whereby this effect has already been largely eliminated by the use of switches.

Internet access is relayed via a Mikrotik hEX S Ethernet router running OpenWRT. Since this also offers an SFP port, I want to replace my provider’s fiber optic box in the long term.

WLAN

In addition, there is a Ubiquiti UniFi 6 Long-Range Access Point in the hallway which runs under OpenWRT too and offers a WLAN in the 5 / 2.4 GHz range including roaming (802.11r, 802.11k and 802.11v).

To improve the reception in the garden, an AVM Repeater 1160 running with OpenWRT, was also installed in the shed.