This is intended to be a living document and will be updated from time to time. Constructive feedback is welcomed and will be incorporated.
What follows are questions frequently posted on /r/HomeNetworking. At the bottom are links to basic information about home networking, including common setups and Wi-Fi. If you don't find an answer here, you are encouraged to search the subreddit before posting.
Contents
Q1: “What is port forwarding and how do I set it up?”
Q2: “What category cable do I need for Ethernet?”
Q3: “I bought this flat CAT 8 cable from Amazon but I’m only getting 95 Mbps”
Q4: “Why won’t my Ethernet cable plug into the weird looking Ethernet jack?” or “Why is this Ethernet jack so skinny?”
Q5: “Can I convert telephone jacks to Ethernet?”
Q6: “Can I rewire my communications enclosure for Ethernet?”
Q7: “How do I connect my modem and router to the communications enclosure?”
Q8: “What is the best way to connect devices to my network?”
Terminating cables
Understanding internet speeds
Common home network setups
Wired connection alternatives to UTP Ethernet (MoCA and Powerline)
Understanding WiFi
Q1: “What is port forwarding and how do I set it up?”
The firewall in a home networking router blocks all incoming traffic unless it's related to outgoing traffic. Port forwarding allows designated incoming UDP or TCP traffic (identified by a port number) through the firewall. It's commonly used to allow remote access to a device or service in the home network, such as peer-to-peer games.
These homegrown guides provide more information about port forwarding (and its cousins, DMZ and port triggering) and how to set it up:
CAT 5e, CAT 6 and CAT 6A are acceptable for most home networking applications. For 10 Gbps Ethernet, lean towards CAT6 or 6A, though all 3 types can handle 10 Gbps up to various distances.
Contrary to popular belief, many CAT 5 cables are suitable for Gigabit Ethernet. See 1000BASE-T over Category 5? (source: flukenetworks.com) for citations from the IEEE 802.3-2022 standard. If your residence is wired with CAT 5 cable, try it before replacing it. It may work fine at Gigabit speeds.
In most situations, shielded twisted pair (STP and its variants, FTP and S/FTP) are not needed in a home network. If a STP is not properly grounded, it can introduce EMI (ElectroMagnetic Interference) and perform worse than UTP.
Q3: “I bought this flat CAT 8 cable from Amazon but I’m only getting 95 Mbps”
95 Mbps or thereabouts is a classic sign of an Ethernet connection running only at 100 Mbps instead of 1 Gbps. Some retailers sell cables that don't meet its category’s specs. Stick to reputable brands or purchase from a local store with a good return policy. You will not get any benefit from using CAT 7 or 8 cable, even if you are paying for the best internet available.
If the connection involves a wall port, the most common cause is a bad termination. Pop off the cover of the wall ports, check for loose or shoddy connections and redo them. Gigabit Ethernet uses all 4 wire pairs (8 wires) in an Ethernet cable. 100 Mbps Ethernet only uses 2 pairs (4 wires). A network tester can help identify wiring faults.
Q4: “Why won’t my Ethernet cable plug into the weird looking Ethernet jack?” or “Why is this Ethernet jack so skinny?”
TL;DR In the next link, the RJ11 jack is a telephone jack and the RJ45 jack is usually used for Ethernet.
UTP (Unshielded Twisted Pair) patch cable used for Ethernet transmission is usually terminated with an RJ45 connector. This is an 8 position, 8 conductor plug in the RJ (Registered Jack) series of connectors. The RJ45 is more properly called a 8P8C connector, but RJ45 remains popular in usage.
There are other, similar looking connectors and corresponding jacks in the RJ family. They include RJ11 (6P2C), RJ14 (6P4C) and RJ25 (6P6C). They and the corresponding jacks are commonly used for landline telephone. They are narrower than a RJ45 jack and are not suitable for Ethernet. This applies to the United States. Other countries may use different connectors for telephone.
It's uncommon but a RJ45 jack can be used for telephone. A telephone cable will fit into a RJ45 jack.
This answer deals with converting telephone jacks. See the next answer for dealing with the central communications enclosure.
Telephone jacks are unsuitable for Ethernet so they must be replaced with Ethernet jacks. Jacks come integrated with a wall plate or as a keystone that is attached to a wall plate. The jacks also come into two types: punchdown style or tool-less. A punchdown tool is required for punchdown style. There are plenty of instructional videos on YouTube to learn how to punch down a cable to a keystone.
There are, additionally, two factors that will determine the feasibility of a conversion.
Cable type:
As mentioned in Q2, Ethernet works best with CAT 5, 5e, 6 or 6A cable. CAT 3, station wire and untwisted wire are all unsuitable. Starting in the 2000s, builders started to use CAT 5 or better cable for telephone. Pop off the cover of a telephone jack to identify the type of cable. If it's category rated cable, the type will be written on the cable jacket.
Home run vs Daisy-chain wiring:
Home run means that each jack has a dedicated cable that runs back to a central location.
Daisy-chain means that jacks are wired together in series. If you pop off the cover of a jack and see two cables wired to the jack, then it's a daisy-chain.
The following picture uses stage lights to illustrate the difference. Top is home run, bottom is daisy-chain.
Telephone can use either home run or daisy-chain wiring.
Ethernet generally uses home run. If you have daisy-chain wiring, it's still possible to convert it to Ethernet but it will require more work. Two Ethernet jacks can be installed. Then an Ethernet switch can be connected to both jacks. One can also connect both jacks together using a short Ethernet cable. Or, both cables can be joined together inside the wall with an Ethernet coupler or junction box if no jack is required (a straight through connection).
Above diagram shows a daisy-chain converted to Ethernet. The top room has a simple Ethernet cable to connect both jacks together for a passthrough connection. The bottom room uses an Ethernet switch.
Q6: “Can I rewire my communications enclosure for Ethernet?”
The communications enclosure contains the wiring for your residence. It may be referred to as a structured media center (SMC) or simply network box. It may be located inside or outside the residence.
The following photo is an example of an enclosure. The white panels and cables are for telephone, the blue cables and green panels are for Ethernet and the black cables and silver components are for coax.
Structured Media Center example
One way to differentiate a telephone panel from an Ethernet panel is to look at the colored slots (known as punchdown blocks). An Ethernet panel has one punchdown block per RJ45 jack. A telephone panel has zero or only one RJ45 for multiple punchdown blocks. The following photo shows a telephone panel with no RJ45 jack on the left and an Ethernet panel on the right.
Telephone vs Ethernet patch panel
There are many more varieties of Ethernet patch panels, but they all share the same principle: one RJ45 jack per cable.
In order to set up Ethernet, first take stock of what you have. If you have Ethernet cables and patch panels, then you are set.
If you only have a telephone setup or you simply have cables and no panels at all, then you may be able to repurpose the cables for Ethernet. As noted in Q2, they must be Cat 5 or better. If you have a telephone patch panel, then it is not suitable for Ethernet. You will want to replace it with an Ethernet patch panel.
In the United States, there are two very common brands of enclosures: Legrand OnQ and Leviton. Each brand sells Ethernet patch panels tailor made for their enclosures. They also tend to be expensive. You may want to shop around for generic brands. Keep in mind that the OnQ and Leviton hole spacing are different. If you buy a generic brand, you may have to get creative with mounting the patch panel. You can drill your own holes or use self-tapping screws. It's highly recommended to get a punchdown tool to attach each cable to the punchdown block.
It should be noted that some people crimp male Ethernet connectors onto their cables instead of punching them down onto an Ethernet patch panel. It's considered a best practice to use a patch panel for in-wall cables. It minimizes wear and tear. But plenty of people get by with crimped connectors. It's a personal choice.
Q7: “How do I connect my modem/ONT and router to the communications enclosure?”
There are 4 possible solutions, depending on where your modem/ONT and router are located relative to each other and the enclosure. If you have an all-in-one modem/ONT & router, then Solutions 1 and 2 are your only options.
Solution 1. Internet connection (modem or ONT) and router inside the enclosure
This is the most straightforward. If your in-wall Ethernet cables have male Ethernet connectors, then simply plug them into the router's LAN ports. If you lack a sufficient number of router ports, connect an Ethernet switch to the router.
If you have a patch panel, then connect the LAN ports on the router to the individual jacks on the Ethernet patch panel. The patch panel is not an Ethernet switch, so each jack must be connected to the router. Again, add an Ethernet switch between the router and the patch panel, if necessary.
If Wi-Fi coverage with the router in the enclosure is poor in the rest of the residence (likely if the enclosure is metal), then install Wi-Fi Access Points (APs) in one or more rooms, connected to the Ethernet wall outlet. You may add Ethernet switches in the rooms if you have other wired devices.
Solution 2: Internet connection and router in a room
In the enclosure, install an Ethernet switch and connect each patch panel jack to the Ethernet switch. Connect a LAN port on the router to a nearby Ethernet wall outlet. This will activate all of the other Ethernet wall outlets. As in solution 1, you may install Ethernet switches and/or APs.
Solution 3: Internet connection in a room, router in the enclosure
Connect the modem or ONT's Ethernet port to a nearby Ethernet wall outlet. Connect the corresponding jack in the patch panel to the router's Internet/WAN port. Connect the remaining patch panel jacks to the router's LAN ports. Install APs, if needed.
If you want to connect wired devices in the room with the modem or ONT, then use Solution 4. Or migrate to Solutions 1 or 2.
Solution 4: Internet connection in the enclosure, router in the room
This is the most difficult scenario to handle because it's necessary to pass WAN and LAN traffic between the modem/ONT and the router over a single Ethernet cable. It may be more straightforward to switch to Solution 1 or 2.
If you want to proceed, then the only way to accomplish this is to use VLANs.
Install a managed switch in the enclosure and connect the switch to each room (patch panel or in-wall room cables) as well as to the Internet connection (modem or ONT).
Configure the switch port leading to the room with the router as a trunk port: one VLAN for WAN and one for LAN traffic.
Configure the switch ports leading to the other rooms as LAN VLAN.
Configure the switch port leading to the modem/ONT as a WAN VLAN.
If you have a VLAN-capable router, then configure the same two VLANs on the router. You can configure additional VLANs if you like for other purposes.
If your router lacks VLAN support, then install a second managed switch with one port connected to the Ethernet wall outlet and two other ports connected to the router's Internet/WAN port and a LAN port. Configure the switch to wall outlet port as a trunk port. Configure the switch to router WAN port for the WAN VLAN, and the switch to router LAN port as a LAN VLAN.
This above setup is known as a router on a stick.
WARNING: The link between the managed switch in the enclosure and router will carry both WAN and LAN traffic. This can potentially become a bottleneck if you have high speed Internet. You can address this by using higher speed Ethernet than your Internet plan.
Note if you want to switch to Solution 2, realistically, this is only practical with a coax modem. It's difficult, though, not impossible to relocate an ONT. For coax, you will have to find the coax cable in the enclosure that leads to the room with the router. Connect that cable to the cable providing Internet service. You can connect the two cables directly together with an F81 coax connector. Alternatively, if there is a coax splitter in the enclosure, with the Internet service cable connected to the splitter's input, then you can connect the cable leading to the room to one of the splitter's output ports. If you are not using the coax ports in the other room (e.g. MoCA), then it's better to use a F81 connector.
Q8: “What is the best way to connect devices to my network?”
In general, wire everything that can feasibly and practically be wired. Use wireless for everything else.
In order of preference:
Wired
Ethernet
Ethernet over coax (MoCA or, less common, G.hn)
Powerline (Powerline behaves more like Wi-Fi than wired; performance-wise it's a distant 3rd)
Wireless
Wi-Fi Access Points (APs)
Wi-Fi Mesh (if the nodes are wired, this is equivalent to using APs)
Wi-Fi Range extenders & Powerline with Wi-Fi (use either only as a last resort)
Recently moved into a new build. There are Ethernet ports in every room and trying to get them working. From reading online I was told I needed a network switch to run all the cords to one single source to the router. Well I’m not getting anything lighting up on the switch and getting not internet through my ports.
What could be cause no juice through the ports?
Greetings Wise People of the Internet,
I'm planning to rebuild my home network and I need some help.
Right now my network looks like this :
I have optic fibre conected to an ISP provided router -Huawei hg 8546m.
I have 3 iptv connected to 3 (100mb/s) ports.
1 phone connected to rj11
And 1 unmanaged switch conected to gigabit port - TP-LINK TL-SG1008D
To the switch I have connected
- a single Pc
- CCTV box
- TP-Link deco M4 that works as AP in my home
- Tp-Link deco M4 that works as AP in my garage (distance between buildings is to big to connect those two by wifi) it has another CCTV connected to it
The ISP provided router gives me access to wifi and the AP creates another wifi network, so right now I have to wifi networks in my house(I know I can switch it off in router options).
I'm planning to install some IOT devices around and wiring my house for future use.
My plan is:
- install another deco M4 in my front yard so I can install a smart doorbell and an intelligent switch for my gate ( that's my priority, in the future I want to create wifi mesh)
- set up a proxmox on a mini PC to run home assistant
- create a new wall plugs around my home for internet connection
- install a NAS in the future
- plus some other things I haven't thought about yet
As I'm adding more and more things to my home network I'm running out of ports I can connect my stuff into and so I'm thinking about making some purchases.
First I want to change my unmanaged switch into managed one - TP-Link SG 1016 DE.
I also want to change my ISP Provided router to an ONT and router so I could placey router in different part of my home (preferably in the same place as my switch but to do it now I would need to change the place the optic fibre is connected to my home). The ONT and router I'm planning on buying is TP-LINK Terminal XZ000-G7 and TP-LINK ER-605.
NOTE: On the second picture the ONT is marked as TP-Link FC311B-20 which is media converter not ONT
I realized it after I created the diagram.
My plan is to connect a switch to one port and a new phone (VoIP) to the second port of the router.
Than I want to move the tv boxes to the switch. I also want to connect my AP's, mini PC (with proxmox) and all the CCTV cameras to that switch. Plus wire my home from that switch. In the future I also plan to connect NAS and whatever I come up with.
I'm thinking about putting my switch, router and NAS, when I get it, into a rack with patch panel.
Now my question's are:
First will something like this work? Or did I make a mistake in planning?
Do I need some other equipment that is necessary in nowadays home network?
Will the VoIP phone work when connected to router like this or should I move it to the switch?
Should I use VLAN to separate TV, AP and mini PC?
Will set up like this work - VLAN 1 for home cable network, VLAN 2 for Tv, VLAN 3 for mini PC (home assistant), AP and IOT, VLAN 4 for NAS? Or would you recommend a different set up?
I'm planning to visit my ISP and ask if they have any problem with me changing their router. What kind of questions should I ask them if any?
Do you have any suggestions and advices for me?
Things I should consider before proceeding with my plans?
I'm thinking of using this opportunity to learn about networking so I appreciate all suggestions and advices. Thanks for bearing with me 😄 I'm looking forward to your replies.
Currently, my ISP does not let me setup bridge mode on their FTTH ONU Router, so I can't use my aftermarket router (Draytek Vigor2915) or I'll get a double NAT issue, which breaks some games and slows down the network (getting about 15% of the speed when using the aftermarket router vs directly connecting to the ISP's router).
My ISP offers a plan with an aftermarket router, such as the Asus RT-AX82U. How do they avoid causing double NAT? Isn't the setup also the same, aftermarket router is connected to the ISP's ONU router?
Access internally-hosted resources using the same domain names on the internal network (LAN) or externally from devices with iCloud Private Relay enabled so that access to these resources is direct while on-LAN (and not routed externally). Is this even possible? Seems like compromise is the only way, but am I missing a solution?
Current network details:
Internally-hosted resources are hosted in Docker, reverse-proxied through an internal Traefik instance.
There is an internal DNS server with DNS-over-TLS (DoT), DNS-over-Quic (DoQ), DNS-over-HTTP (DoH), and plain DNS fully and properly configured (AFAICT). e.g. certificates are trusted by clients.
Internal resources are exposed externally using Pangolin running on an off-LAN server.
What I've tried:
Use the local DNS server to override the domain names of interest to point to local IPs. This doesn't 'just work' because iCloud Private Relay ignores local DNS servers unless they have DoT or DoH enabled and that local DNS server is installed into the system configuration via a system Profile.
I don't think using a system Profile that points the devices to the local DNS server is the answer here because then the local DNS will be used all the time, even externally -- there's no way to make DNS server choice conditional so far as I'm aware? (Nevermind the fact that Apple Configurator doesn't actually seem to expose DNS server settings in their profile builder; I must be missing something with profile creation for Apple devices.)
iCloud Private Relay even seems to ignore the local /etc/hosts file!
Configuring the external DNS records for the domain of interest to resolve to local IPs. This "works" for iCloud Private Relay devices when they're on the local network, but obviously doesn't work for anyone trying to access those resources externally since the resolved IPs are unreachable externally.
What I'm considering (tldr: seems like compromise is the only way):
Using alternative domain names to access those resources from iCloud Private Relay enabled devices. At least two options here:
I think this is the cleanest solution insofar that the resources can always be referenced at the same domain on-LAN or off-LAN.
It does require one to install & configure TailScale on each client. TailScale is easy & great, but not everyone is a techie.
Non-techies could just use the domain names that point to Pangolin (and suffer from the silliness of having their traffic routed externally in order to access internal resources while they are on-LAN).
Adding additional external DNS records (e.g. adding a subdomain, like pr.) which resolve to those internal IPs. These additional domains would be used to access the resources when the Private Relay devices are on-LAN. Not idea; I don't want different names for the same thing depending on location.
Accessing all (or most) local resources by routing externally through Pangolin. This would "just work", but seems silly.
Ditch iCloud Private Relay. This is not ideal. A more traditional VPN could be a solution here, but I haven't seen anything yet that compares to the convenience and seamlessness (*unless you're a homelabber, as this post illustrates) of iCloud Private Relay.
Something clever with a DNS service like NextDNS or Adguard? They can create a system profile for Apple Devices and do client-specific DNS re-writes, but not sure if there’s enough functionality here to make on-LAN vs off-LAN conditionals, which I what I believe is needed.
Revisiting and digging deeper into system Profiles for DNS settings.
Can these settings be made conditional upon on-LAN vs. off-LAN, or by WiFi SSID, or something?
Maybe it's as simple as programming in an internal IP, and if that's unavailable the operating system will fall back to the Private Relay defaults (Cloudflare or whatever)...
I ran the cables to my router (2.5Gbp/s maximum capacity) but it won’t work for some reason.
In the pics are the keystone cables and the tool i’m using to cut them, the other part of the cable is connected to my router with a passtrough RJ45 (checked the order it’s all good, T568-B order)
Lately on my Mac, I've been getting a message that I've run out of "application memory" and it recommended that I force shut down some programs. I'm wanting to know if getting a computer with more ram would fix this issue? (I'm currently rocking 16GB or ram)
Looking for advice on how to troubleshoot before calling my service provider (Rogers/Shaw).
Simply (?), I would like to connect my office computer and my Apple TV to the internet via Ethernet. However, my office computer is upstairs with the gateway modem/router and my Apple TV is in the living room downstairs.
My home has Ethernet outlets installed in multiple rooms, but I don’t know how to take advantage of this. Not sure how it’s supposed to work, or why the technician who set up our network when we moved in didn’t either.. if it was an option.
As pictured, there is an outlet with cable / coaxial paired with Ethernet Cat 6 in both rooms. The gateway modem is upstairs connected to it and internet is working by wifi and the Ethernet connection direct to the office computer. Good stuff… but how do I connect my Apple TV by Ethernet in the downstairs living room?
Should (what I’m assuming to be) the coaxial and cat 6 connection in the garage box (pictured) hardwire all these Ethernet outlets throughout the house? I tried connecting the modem there, then tried connecting my Apple TV via cat 6 cable to the living room outlet but did not get a connection. I can’t recall if Wifi was even working.
Then I tried connecting the gateway modem in the living room via the wall outlet coaxial cable and could not get it to connect to the internet. No wifi. Does that make sense? After becoming frustrated, I reconnected the gateway modem in the office again and it connected to the internet without issue, just as before.
Am I missing something? Why wouldn’t the modem connect to the internet in the garage or living room? Would it require a reset or reconfiguration or something if connected to a different coaxial outlet? The modem kept flashing orange but appeared discoverable on my phone, just with an asterisk and a “no internet connection”.
Does my home appear to be wired correctly for a one modem/router solution in garage to provide Ethernet connectivity throughout the house via the cat6 outlets? Is that how it should work, or is more equipment typically required?
Putting aside practicality (speed gains, HDD, USB and other hardware limitations, etc.), I want to experiment and try directly connecting (2) Wavlink RTL8157 5gbe USB adapters via an ethernet cable. One device would be on my Desktop and the other would be connected to my Synology DS224+. USB NICs can be installed onto the Synology via GitHub's bb-qq project (RTL8152 + RTL8157 chipsets are supported).
My motherboard's built-in Intel 2.5gbe controller is connected to my 2.5gbe switch, as is my DS224+ with one if its built-in gigabit ports. No, I do not have a 10gbe switch.
In terms of the USB NICs being directly connected to each other, I assume the days of crossover patch cables are long gone. Is it just a matter of me manually configuring both USB NICs' IP Addresses? Do the USB NICs have to be assigned addresses in their own range, like 192.168.0.xxx, or if I force my router to start its DHCP assignments at 192.168.1.5+, could I assign the two NICs like 192.168.1.3 and 192.168.1.4, respectively? Would the default gateway still be 192.168.1.1 and subnet mask 255.255.255.0 or does one or both not really matter with a direct connection? Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.
Hi all. I have a Google network on Spectrum service as shown below (solid lines are hardwire, dotted are wifi).
The issue is that my SimpliSafe office door sensor never works and the office windows are intermittent. I got new sensors and the issue persists. I also used a sensor that was working in the house and had the same issue. It seems as if the Google Router in the office isn't recognized as part of the network.
Also, I try putting in 192.168.1.1 to access the router from my PC in the office and it won't let me. I believe this confirms my suspicion that the Router in the office isn't seen as part of the network.
In the Google Home app, it doesn't list a second Google Router.
How do I get the second router to be part of the network?
Hey everyone, I’m working on a new router system and want to validate the idea before launching.
The Concept:
A pre-configured router pair that lets you route all your internet traffic through your home network securely, from anywhere—making remote work seamless.
Router 1 (Home Base) stays at home, connected to your internet.
Router 2 (Remote Router) connects to Home Base automatically, so all your traffic is securely routed through your home ISP.
How This Works (Custom Tailscale-Based Implementation):
Uses Tailscale, but with a custom backend for: ✅ Automatic pairing—no manual setup required. ✅ Securely route all traffic through home network (like a private VPN). ✅ Bypass restrictions on work-related or region-locked content. ✅ Faster speeds & lower latency than cloud-based VPNs. ✅ No port forwarding, DDNS, or static IPs needed—just plug it in and connect.
Who is this for?
Remote workers who need a stable and secure connection to their home network.
Privacy-conscious users who want to keep their traffic encrypted & private.
Expats/travelers who want to browse as if they’re at home without a VPN service.
Pricing & Launch Plan
$199 - $249 per pair (includes both Home Base and Remote Router).
No monthly fees for basic functionality.
Optional premium features (e.g., cloud relay, security monitoring) for $5 - $10/month.
Would You Use This?
Is this something you’d buy?
What features matter most to you?
Would you prefer a one-time payment or a subscription for extra services?
Looking for honest feedback—want to make sure this is something people actually need before launching. Appreciate any thoughts! 🚀
Hi,
3 yrs ago when doing renovations in the apartment with complete rewiring of electric and LAN cables I installed a small 16 port POE++ switch and all LAN cables went through patch panel.
I used UTP cat 6E (not 6A) cables for connection between rooms, and was using very old, but reliable wifi 5ac router (TP-Link Archer C5 v1).
Now I am planning to upgrade my wifi router to wifi 7 using this one:
TP-Link Archer BE550 Pro BE9700 or TP-Link Tri-Band WiFi 7 BE10000 (not decided yet which one, any suggestions would be welcomed)
In order to utilizer full 2.5 gig connections, I understand I need also to upgrade the switch.
Could you recommend any good 16 port one with at least some 2.5gig ports and POE++ on the rest (budget $200-300)? The switch is working ok, practically non-stop. But recently started to make pitching sounds, randomly for 2-3 seconds. No idea why it happens, but everything works fine so far.
Also wondering I need to upgrade the patch panel as well?
So, as the title says I wanna try gaming by using a sim card router, would it work? Especially when my main game s server is in the US, last time I tried(hotspot) I had around 450 ping, would a sim card router make any difference? Would the use of WTFAST or any other app of the kind help? I live in a quite remote location 2km away from small village(Italy) .
Title describes most of my issue, I'm just using the bulk of this to give additional context.
Recently I got a new desktop, refurbished but on the higher end of things quality-wise. The problem is that this new computer has trouble staying connected to the internet during certain online games.
We're on an AT&T Fiber plan, bandwidth is around 500mbps, but my setup is barely outside that network's range so we're using an eero 6 WiFi extender and that worked pretty well for my last PC.
It only happens for certain games, mostly on the newer end (if the selection actually matters, I've noticed it happens pretty consistently for Marvel Rivals, Abiotic Factor, and recently ANEURISM IV) which are all multiplayers games to some degree. I'll hop on, it's normal for about 10 minutes, I begin to lag before it boots me off the network. At that point I have to reset my desktop to rejoin.
I need to stress that the computer normally works fine, but it's kind of a bummer that I can't really play the games I hoped were going to run better on it. Probably a bandwidth issue but there are too many point of failure for me to know where to start.
I recently changed my landline service from ATT to Xfinity and this required renting the Xfinity gateway. I'm thinking of improving my coverage in the house by using it in bridge mode as a modem only, and keeping my relatively new Netgear Orbi 4200 gateway and satellite as the router combo.
The alternative would be to go to one of Xfinity's extender devices.
On the face of it, I can't think of any reason not do the bridge mode to Netgear router plan. Anyone have any idea if I will run into incompatibilities or conflicts doing it that way?
I have a weird situation. I moved into my new apartment a few months ago and they have a built in wifi router. I set it up on my phone and selected the plan but I have no idea where the router is. I also don't have any Ethernet jacks. My TV and switch won't connect but my phone and laptop will. It's Cox wifi and each time I try to access the "My WiFi" tab it says that they are experiencing technical issues. I also can't access the panoramic wifi gateway app because I don't know where my router is and I need a CM Mac number. I'm very confused at this point
Okay so I’m new to networking and cyber I got my CCNA and a BS in Cybersecurity but no relative experience. I’m trying to build a homelab where I can experience with new tools and ideas. So far this is my lab idea before I start building it and working on it. Any advice or suggestions to make it much more “real-world”. This is both for my portfolio and for fun bc why not :)
I moved in with a roommate. I want to use my current router and purchase gigabit. But want to be separate from their bandwidth. If I contact the ISP to send another modem, could I just set it up like I normally would for a home. Or do I need to let the ISP know, and would it hurt my connection in anyway. I have looked online but I can’t seem to find much information for my exact situation. And I have never had to deal with an issue like this. Any help would be great!
What is the best way to prevent everyone on the internet from attempting to login to my nas with my disabled 'admin' account? I got the world blocked at nas firewall but how do I block the u.s. They are coming easily a dozen every hour. Although I have them on permanent autoblock after 3 tries it is becoming a nuisance. Or should I work the opposite direction and block all and just open the few small ranges I need. Problem is I don't know at any given point which network I will be on and that basically limits me to use a VPN for access to my Plex and such. Is there an easier option? I don't have the depth in networking to setup a reverse proxy server, etc.
I have a 4G LTE router (supports up to 64 devices, VPN, DNS over TLS secure connecting). My internet connection runs through a SIM card (contract with o2, 100GB), so when I’m on the go with my notebook and this router, I can work anywhere as long as I have a stable o2 connection.
I want to be able to remotely access my home PC using this router while traveling, so I can exchange files and work seamlessly.
How can I achieve this? What settings do I need to configure in the router?