Home Network Setup

[sesame246]

hi,
need advice.

I will be moving to a cluster house with 3 levels and one basement, those tall but narrrow type. The previous owner should hv set up the lan or data points. I saw the points with a telephone icon, are they the lan point?

I hope to just subscribe to a telco plan, pluck and go to save the hassle of engaging the telco to do site survey.

for Singtel, they suggested 2Gbps with WiFi Mesh plan, with a pair of AirTies WiFi Mesh. The old uncle that came to do the survey kept asking me to convert the points to data points which cost $80 each. And its $15 to check if the points are already data-enabled. Actually, I dont quite understand what he said.

i called M1, they advised not to use mesh wifi but to have a router for each level as the former may hv connectivity issue.

I am not familar with the internet setup thingy. What i need is to have wifi and to be able to connect to SMART TVs, at low cost.

Can anyone help?

 

[fadefade]

hi,
need advice.

I will be moving to a cluster house with 3 levels and one basement, those tall but narrrow type. The previous owner should hv set up the lan or data points. I saw the points with a telephone icon, are they the lan point?

I hope to just subscribe to a telco plan, pluck and go to save the hassle of engaging the telco to do site survey.

for Singtel, they suggested 2Gbps with WiFi Mesh plan, with a pair of AirTies WiFi Mesh. The old uncle that came to do the survey kept asking me to convert the points to data points which cost $80 each. And its $15 to check if the points are already data-enabled. Actually, I dont quite understand what he said.

i called M1, they advised not to use mesh wifi but to have a router for each level as the former may hv connectivity issue.

I am not familar with the internet setup thingy. What i need is to have wifi and to be able to connect to SMART TVs, at low cost.

Can anyone help?

save cost means you have to do all the checking urself…
icon already show u is phone...
if u have old router just have to setup powerpoint and covert to access point... google is ur best friend
save cost!!

 

[-Grift-]

hi,
need advice.

I will be moving to a cluster house with 3 levels and one basement, those tall but narrrow type. The previous owner should hv set up the lan or data points. I saw the points with a telephone icon, are they the lan point?

I hope to just subscribe to a telco plan, pluck and go to save the hassle of engaging the telco to do site survey.

for Singtel, they suggested 2Gbps with WiFi Mesh plan, with a pair of AirTies WiFi Mesh. The old uncle that came to do the survey kept asking me to convert the points to data points which cost $80 each. And its $15 to check if the points are already data-enabled. Actually, I dont quite understand what he said.

i called M1, they advised not to use mesh wifi but to have a router for each level as the former may hv connectivity issue.

I am not familar with the internet setup thingy. What i need is to have wifi and to be able to connect to SMART TVs, at low cost.

Can anyone help?

M1s logic being each "router" or access point using wired backhaul which will provide the highest and most consistent speed. Honestly if you value a good experience then do it once do it good get the ports checked out and have them wired as needed IMO.

 

[sesame246]

M1s logic being each "router" or access point using wired backhaul which will provide the highest and most consistent speed. Honestly if you value a good experience then do it once do it good get the ports checked out and have them wired as needed IMO.

Tks for the advice, Grift.

 

[petetherock]

hi,
need advice.

I will be moving to a cluster house with 3 levels and one basement, those tall but narrrow type. The previous owner should hv set up the lan or data points. I saw the points with a telephone icon, are they the lan point?

I hope to just subscribe to a telco plan, pluck and go to save the hassle of engaging the telco to do site survey.

for Singtel, they suggested 2Gbps with WiFi Mesh plan, with a pair of AirTies WiFi Mesh. The old uncle that came to do the survey kept asking me to convert the points to data points which cost $80 each. And its $15 to check if the points are already data-enabled. Actually, I dont quite understand what he said.

i called M1, they advised not to use mesh wifi but to have a router for each level as the former may hv connectivity issue.

I am not familar with the internet setup thingy. What i need is to have wifi and to be able to connect to SMART TVs, at low cost.

Can anyone help?

Pay an expert to convert them to access points, at least one per level.
Then use mesh on LAN with a router and switch at your ONR.
https://peteswrite.blogspot.com/2019/04/going-from-cable-to-fibre-embracing.html?m=1

 

[jazz2005]

hi,
need advice.

I will be moving to a cluster house with 3 levels and one basement, those tall but narrrow type. The previous owner should hv set up the lan or data points. I saw the points with a telephone icon, are they the lan point?

I hope to just subscribe to a telco plan, pluck and go to save the hassle of engaging the telco to do site survey.

for Singtel, they suggested 2Gbps with WiFi Mesh plan, with a pair of AirTies WiFi Mesh. The old uncle that came to do the survey kept asking me to convert the points to data points which cost $80 each. And its $15 to check if the points are already data-enabled. Actually, I dont quite understand what he said.

i called M1, they advised not to use mesh wifi but to have a router for each level as the former may hv connectivity issue.

I am not familar with the internet setup thingy. What i need is to have wifi and to be able to connect to SMART TVs, at low cost.

Can anyone help?

I'm staying in a cluster terrace as well. Your ONT will most likely be in the living room. My place is older so don't have data points. I have a mesh router in the living room and a mesh node covering the whole house for WiFi devices. My handphone gets full signal in my room on the 3rd level. The mesh router and mesh node is connected via 2 moca 2.0 devices (support 1 gbps) using the scv coaxial points. This gives a reliable wired back haul without running ethernet cables. You don't need to use the moca 2.0 if you don't want as the mesh router has no problem reaching the node. I use it so that devices on the 2nd floor and 3rd floor can enjoy much faster internet speed compared to wirelessly connecting the mesh router and the node.

In my room on the third floor my desktop pc is connected to an access point (old router) via a ethernet cable. The access point is connected to the mesh router (1st floor) using a 3rd moca 2.0 device via the scv coaxial point in my room. I do it this way so that my desktop pc will get the full 1 gbps speed, which allows me to play 4K YouTube videos on the pc.

Sounds messy but in reality quite simple. I like the moca 2.0 device as they are very reliable; I never have to reset or restart them.

BTW, my family of 6 plus maid are pretty heavy internet users and we get by on 1 gbps with no problems.

 

[sesame246]

I'm staying in a cluster terrace as well. Your ONT will most likely be in the living room. My place is older so don't have data points. I have a mesh router in the living room and a mesh node covering the whole house for WiFi devices. My handphone gets full signal in my room on the 3rd level. The mesh router and mesh node is connected via 2 moca 2.0 devices (support 1 gbps) using the scv coaxial points. This gives a reliable wired back haul without running ethernet cables. You don't need to use the moca 2.0 if you don't want as the mesh router has no problem reaching the node. I use it so that devices on the 2nd floor and 3rd floor can enjoy much faster internet speed compared to wirelessly connecting the mesh router and the node.

In my room on the third floor my desktop pc is connected to an access point (old router) via a ethernet cable. The access point is connected to the mesh router (1st floor) using a 3rd moca 2.0 device via the scv coaxial point in my room. I do it this way so that my desktop pc will get the full 1 gbps speed, which allows me to play 4K YouTube videos on the pc.

Sounds messy but in reality quite simple. I like the moca 2.0 device as they are very reliable; I never have to reset or restart them.

BTW, my family of 6 plus maid are pretty heavy internet users and we get by on 1 gbps with no problems.

Thanks for sharing, jazz2005.

sounds good that one mesh router and one node can cover the 3 storeys.

what is moca 2.0 device and whats the mesh wifi you are using now?

I hv managed to get a contractor to convert all the telephone points to data points...just in case we need to connect direct to LAN for some devices. My ONT is in the meter cabinent outside the basement.

I am now deciding which telco to engage for the Fibre Broadband 1Gbps @ $39.90/mth:

1. M1 - Linksys Velop Tri-Band Whole Home Mesh Wi-Fi System (Pack of 3) by topping up an additional $15/mth

2. Starhub -Top up $15/month for set of 3 google wifi

The technician told me that he will come install a switch later, cost abt $40 to $50, that connect to the modem or router at basement, so that the mesh can be wired and thus get better coverage. I do not quite understand what that is Guess I will assess the connectivity and speed after Telco activation to decide if i need to anything extra.

 

[petetherock]

Thanks for sharing, jazz2005.

sounds good that one mesh router and one node can cover the 3 storeys.

what is moca 2.0 device and whats the mesh wifi you are using now?

I hv managed to get a contractor to convert all the telephone points to data points...just in case we need to connect direct to LAN for some devices. My ONT is in the meter cabinent outside the basement.

I am now deciding which telco to engage for the Fibre Broadband 1Gbps @ $39.90/mth:

1. M1 - Linksys Velop Tri-Band Whole Home Mesh Wi-Fi System (Pack of 3) by topping up an additional $15/mth

2. Starhub -Top up $15/month for set of 3 google wifi

The technician told me that he will come install a switch later, cost abt $40 to $50, that connect to the modem or router at basement, so that the mesh can be wired and thus get better coverage. I do not quite understand what that is Guess I will assess the connectivity and speed after Telco activation to decide if i need to anything extra.

You need wired mesh access point to keep a solid connection
Using the telephone points is a good alternative

 

[sesame246]

You need wired mesh access point to keep a solid connection
Using the telephone points is a good alternative

hi petetherock,

wired mesh access point - is that the "switch" the technician mentioned? he told me wired mesh.

 

[jazz2005]

Thanks for sharing, jazz2005.

sounds good that one mesh router and one node can cover the 3 storeys.

what is moca 2.0 device and whats the mesh wifi you are using now?

I hv managed to get a contractor to convert all the telephone points to data points...just in case we need to connect direct to LAN for some devices. My ONT is in the meter cabinent outside the basement.

I am now deciding which telco to engage for the Fibre Broadband 1Gbps @ $39.90/mth:

1. M1 - Linksys Velop Tri-Band Whole Home Mesh Wi-Fi System (Pack of 3) by topping up an additional $15/mth

2. Starhub -Top up $15/month for set of 3 google wifi

The technician told me that he will come install a switch later, cost abt $40 to $50, that connect to the modem or router at basement, so that the mesh can be wired and thus get better coverage. I do not quite understand what that is Guess I will assess the connectivity and speed after Telco activation to decide if i need to anything extra.

As starhub has terminated cable TV services in favour of iptv the existing cable TV points are made redundant. Moca 2.0 devices make use of the existing cable TV points (coaxial wire) to carry data signals. This allows me to avoid all the work necessary to convert all the cable TV points into data points. There are a few threads in this forum discussing about Moca 2.0. Not so popular in sg but very widely used in the US.

I used a Asus RT-AC88 as my mesh router (ONT is in the 1st level) and Asus RT-AC86 as the mesh node (2nd level).

Since your ONT is in the meter cabinet in the basement you may be better off to place a wired only router (switch) in the meter cabinet next to the ONT to carry the data signal to at least 2 wireless access points to provide WiFi to the whole unit. If you use a wireless router (instead of wired only router) in the basement meter cabinet, I don't think the wifi signal can travel beyond the 1st level. Perhaps some experts here can verify this.

The biggest issue is interference from other wifi signals from your neighbours. Initially, my family members complained that the internet connection on their mobile devices were slow and had to keep changing channels till a suitable one was found.

 

[sesame246]

As starhub has terminated cable TV services in favour of iptv the existing cable TV points are made redundant. Moca 2.0 devices make use of the existing cable TV points (coaxial wire) to carry data signals. This allows me to avoid all the work necessary to convert all the cable TV points into data points. There are a few threads in this forum discussing about Moca 2.0. Not so popular in sg but very widely used in the US.

I used a Asus RT-AC88 as my mesh router (ONT is in the 1st level) and Asus RT-AC86 as the mesh node (2nd level).

Since your ONT is in the meter cabinet in the basement you may be better off to place a wired only router (switch) in the meter cabinet next to the ONT to carry the data signal to at least 2 wireless access points to provide WiFi to the whole unit. If you use a wireless router (instead of wired only router) in the basement meter cabinet, I don't think the wifi signal can travel beyond the 1st level. Perhaps some experts here can verify this.

The biggest issue is interference from other wifi signals from your neighbours. Initially, my family members complained that the internet connection on their mobile devices were slow and had to keep changing channels till a suitable one was found.

Many thanks for the sharing, jazz2005.

Now i understand better. also good to know that this aligns to what the technican has suggested.

 

[gregory_choo]

Many thanks for the sharing, jazz2005.

Now i understand better. also good to know that this aligns to what the technican has suggested.

since you are not familiar with IT/networking, I don't think you need 1Gbps.

Get a 500Mbps plan will do.

FYI, netflix 4K video needs only 25Mbps.

 

[sesame246]

since you are not familiar with IT/networking, I don't think you need 1Gbps.

Get a 500Mbps plan will do.

FYI, netflix 4K video needs only 25Mbps.

unfortunately, the 500Mbps plan doesnt come the promo on top up $15/mth to get the mesh wifi :-(

 

[grynove]

honestly i dont buy the idea of mesh wifi. best still running dedicated wire. install ur AP. since u have 3 storey. just 1 each floor ( im not sure how big ur unit is ). the only reasonable sollution for ur setup is ubiquiti i guess.

 

[xiaofan]

honestly i dont buy the idea of mesh wifi. best still running dedicated wire. install ur AP. since u have 3 storey. just 1 each floor ( im not sure how big ur unit is ). the only reasonable sollution for ur setup is ubiquiti i guess.

With Ethernet ports for each floor and using Ethernet backhaul for the Mesh units (one each floor), it is more or less the same as using AP at each floor.

 

[sesame246]

With Ethernet ports for each floor and using Ethernet backhaul for the Mesh units (one each floor), it is more or less the same as using AP at each floor.

tks, grynove and xiaofan.

in my previous house, i used AP for the 2nd floor. Had to reconnect the network when we move around the house.

understand the mesh is seamless roaming, you only have one network with one name and password. Thus, I choose mesh. Also, it is stackable, can add more nodes if need to.

downside is the price. they are more expensive than the normal routers/AP

 

[petetherock]

tks, grynove and xiaofan.

in my previous house, i used AP for the 2nd floor. Had to reconnect the network when we move around the house.

understand the mesh is seamless roaming, you only have one network with one name and password. Thus, I choose mesh. Also, it is stackable, can add more nodes if need to.

downside is the price. they are more expensive than the normal routers/AP

Not really , even if you don’t get it from say StarHub, you can buy from amazon USA for a good price.
I use three google mesh Wifi units and they cover all three floors, the yards and porch fine.
I get around 3-500 on WiFi all round, I stream music from the top floor down with AirPlay seamlessly and I can talk on WhatsApp and move round easily

 

[petetherock]

hi petetherock,

wired mesh access point - is that the "switch" the technician mentioned? he told me wired mesh.

You can the converted telephone points or MOCA and you need a switch
Buy one off Amazon
I got my TP link 24 port for amazon
Lazada has some good deals too

 

[squarepipe]

Get a ubiquiti unifi system. They make the router, switch, and access point and all of them can be accessed via the same controller

 

[sesame246]

Not really , even if you don’t get it from say StarHub, you can buy from amazon USA for a good price.
I use three google mesh Wifi units and they cover all three floors, the yards and porch fine.
I get around 3-500 on WiFi all round, I stream music from the top floor down with AirPlay seamlessly and I can talk on WhatsApp and move round easily

i need to move in soon so quickest is to engage the telcos. just hope that the 3 mesh wifi units can cover the whole house. Contingency plan is to use my old router at top storey since i hv converted to data point.