Deploying RJ45 in a house with Wi-Fi, Phone and a backup disk

Hardware Questions and Recommendations
1

drawing
drawing1260×993 136 KB

Hi,

my house is currently configured as shown on the drawing. I own a house with RJ45 everywhere but I can only use 1 plug for now. I would like to solve these 3 problems:

  • bring internet to the 2nd floor (through RJ45 and optionally Wi-Fi)
  • install a small server (preferably through RJ45) with a disk I can backup my laptop to
  • plug some of my devices through RJ45 instead of Wi-Fi where possible

What is causing trouble in the current setup is that the SFR box on 1st floor could distribute the LAN through RJ45 but it is already connected to one RJ45 plug to receive internet from the garage and the other plugs are too far away from it.

One idea to solve my problems would be to buy 2 devices to replace those from SFR:

  • one device in the ground floor would receive internet through the optic fiber and would distribute it to several RJ45 plugs nearby
  • one device on first floor would receive internet from a RJ45 and would distribute both Wi-Fi and phone. It would also serve as a backup server where I would plug a disk.

I'm ready to buy what I need but I would like to avoid having more than 2 devices running continuously.

Any idea?

2

You can attach an openwrt router to one socket in every floor to have wifi there.

Pull double cables vertically.
I cannot pull the rest of plan together with openwrt firmware.

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3

Are any two of the sockets close enough to run a cable ?
If so then use 1 of those for your SFR box and patch the ONT connection to that in the garage. The run a cable from a LAN port on the SFR to the other socket. Put a simple 5 port gigabit switch (<£10) in the garage, patch the other 5 sockets in the garage to the switch. That should give you internet on all 4 remaining sockets on the 1st and 2nd floor. If you want wifi on the 2nd floor then as suggested above, use a simple AP connected to one of the sockets.

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4

I'll start by saying that this really doesn't seem to be an OpenWrt related topic, although one or more OpenWrt devices could certainly be used in your scenario. With that in mind, unless there is a specific connection with OpenWrt, this topic is somewhat off-topic here.

Can you further qualify this statement? Specifically, I think you're always going to need the PON device in your system. And, if you're using the phone line provided by the current router, you'll need that, too.

There are several ways you can approach the issue, but you'll certainly need more equipment -- at a minimum another device on the 2nd floor, plus some cables and maybe a few other things.

One option you do have would be potentially to move the SRF box to the garage and then use its built-in switch to connect to the jacks down there, but you might need another AP on the 1st floor if you do that.

So, it's important to understand what you're willing to add and what kind of flexibility you have in your physical environment (for example, can an additional cable be run between the SFR box and one of the other jacks on that floor).

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5

so move it down and feed the telephone over that line.

Then add a small switch with PoE and dumb access point on every floor.

If you don't need the SFR box and the phone can do VoIP on it's own you can replace both fibre boxes with a router like Edgerouter with one SFP slot for a GPON module and some PoE ports for access points. (the edgerouter in this example is only passive PoE so there is a limited choice of APs) So you have only one device powered by mains. But you have to puzzle a bit with devices and features.

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6

Your diagram shows the internet and the SFR box using the same port; I'm going to assume that is incorrect.
Move the SFR box to the same location as the house switch and your optical internet. Plan for the rest of the house server to be there too.
Put an UPS on it all.
They should have installed it there in the first place and done the following:

Use ethernet from basement switch to 1st floor port. Install a wi-fi router and add phone for that floor.

Disable SFR Wi-Fi once 2nd floor Wi-Fiis working.

You now have all ethernet lines live with internet.
Add access points to floors.

It makes no difference to the network where that device is if the switch in the basement is smart.
What make and model is it?

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7

drawing_v2
drawing_v21260×993 150 KB

Some feedback received on a dedicated SFR forum and here recommended keeping both SFR devices and move the box to the garage as represented in the new drawing. This allows me to distribute some ethernet communication within the house.

I'll start by saying that this really doesn't seem to be an OpenWrt related topic

I think I agree with you. Do you want to close the discussion or can it be moved somewhere more appropriate? The answers I have received so far are very useful to me though.

I would like to avoid having more than 2 devices running continuously.

Can you further qualify this statement?

For environmental reasons, I'm usually trying to reduce my power consumption. I think I have to give up on that in this case as there doesn't seem to be any solution with only 2 devices.

can an additional cable be run between the SFR box and one of the other jacks on that floor

This would be possible in the 1st floor but not really desired. I think the new setup to move the box to the garage makes more sense anyway.

Your diagram shows the internet and the SFR box using the same port; I'm going to assume that is incorrect.

I don't think the diagram is incorrect. The optic fiber must be connected to the PON device which has a RJ45 plug that should be connected to the special RJ45 plug of the SFR box (a bit small in my drawing but there is a red plug to the left of the 4 yellow plugs in the box: this red plug must be connected to the PON device directly. Then the box distributes internet through Wi-Fi and the 4 yellow RJ45 plugs).

It makes no difference to the network where that device is if the switch in the basement is smart. What make and model is it?

I'm not sure I understand what you mean @LilRedDog. I don't have any switch in the basement: only a PON device with 1 RJ45 plug and 6 RJ45 cable plugs).

I have a few questions remaining.

Some of you mentioned PoE. If I understand correctly, this would allow me to plug the AP to a RJ45 plug without also plugging in a power cable. This would require another special equipment in the garage to distribute power through Ethernet cables (the SFR box doesn't seem to do that). Do you agree? Any suggestion here?

Some Wi-Fi 6 APs in toh.openwrt.org have an USB port, e.g.,:

Does it mean I could plug a USB disk, connect to the AP (running OpenWRT) through SSH and backup there?

Do you have any recommendation for the access point?

I haven't found any Wi-Fi 7 AP on toh.openwrt.org. Is that expected?

Thank you so much for all your useful feedback!!

8

I thought that was a switch in the basement not, literally, female to female sockets with one cable each but you seem to have figured out how to use the switch you have and are, wisely, running a patch cord to each ( I, really, don't know what to call just running ports) destination.

I did not get an email you had replied; sorry for the delay.

It's an investment most people do not need.
Yes, it can mean less clutter but if your house has ehternet ports I presume they are near electrical outlets?'

And to what end? You are using the ethernet ports on devices not network equipment. POE is good for adding switches and AP's to remote location. They do nothing if you are plugging in your laptop or printer.
Maybe some printers; I'm too lazy to search.

Yes, but you'd need to search and start another thread if you have difficulty
I, personally, do not like using a router as a NAS; buy a $150.00 NUC or something real.

9

Why you don't put managed switch in garage where you have patch panel and isp gear and on first floor put router with wifi? Wan & lan can be don with vlan.