How I built
my Network
Networking Solution
Purpose of the installation
This started off as a fairly small project in 2021 with a couple of managed switches but has gradually grown as I have learnt more about network engineering and worked out what I could potentially do with it and what I would like to learn more about. This kit is expensive if you buy it brand new but I have looked out for second-hand deals as the network has grown. The purpose of the Server / Network cabinet was to create a long lasting reliable system that could easily cope with 100+ devices over Wi-Fi and that would allow for future upgrades. I am using the Ubiquiti Dream Machine Pro as the primary router. It has a gigabit connection so it is necessary that it can support this as well as a backup internet line which would kick in if the primary had an issue and failed. This is all kept powered 24/7 by a UPS backup battery so that the Wi-Fi stays online without failure.
The purpose of using a UPS (uninterruptable power supply) was to keep the NAS (Network Attached Storage) and my CCTV system online 24/7. The UPS is also used to keep the internet online for smart home devices and more. After the battery gets low it will safely power down all of the devices so no data is lost.
Why the UPS?
The Switches I used
In my network, I have used a variety of switches. For most of the access points and cameras, I am using a USW-Pro-24-POE switch. This has a large POE (Power Over Ethernet) capacity so it can cope with lots of devices. I am using a TP-Link managed switch for the computers and wired devices. Because these devices do not require POE it means that I am not wasting POE ports. I have designed the network so this switch will be the last one to turn off if there is a power outage as my NAS (Network Attached Storage) is running off this. All of my switches are connected by 10 Gigabit SFP + cables. This means that they can have the maximum bandwidth.
Wi-Fi Access Points
I use a variety of Wi-Fi access points depending on device density and required range. I am using two U6 Pro's in high-density areas where there are lots of smart devices and devices which require a fast connection like laptops and phones. I am using a UAP-LR near the outside of the house to give me decent coverage outside and the U6 Pro's can cover the main area of the house.
Synology NAS
In my network, I am using a Synology NAS. I am using the DS220+. Although this NAS is not the most powerful it is not running a huge amount. I am using two 6TB WD Red HHDs running in a RAID 1 so that my data is protected against one of the drives failing. I am also auto-backing up all of the data to Google Drive at midnight. This is all encrypted and needs a specific key to decrypt. This is to keep the data secure. In future, I would like to upgrade this NAS to a 4 or 5-bay so that I could run RAID 5 for redundancy.
Sophos SG450 Firewall
I have recently added a Sophos SG 450 firewall in bridge mode on my network which I got as a real bargain on eBay. This still allows it to filter and block potentially harmful traffic from entering the network but can still allow the UDM Pro to supply IP addresses for devices. Although this is not the neatest solution I would like to keep the UDM Pro running because it is running the access points for the network. I am still experimenting with this firewall and learning new features with it. Because this is an enterprise-grade firewall in future I might consider running another one in HA (High Availability). This means that if one fails the other one kicks in and handles the traffic.
HP Microserver
I am using an HP Microserver running Windows Server 2022. This is hosting my active directory for the local user accounts. I am also running group policies based on account so that the user cannot cause damage to the computer. I am also mapping network drives to the users. I am trying to make the account/computer setup fully automated so it can complete itself. I have recently been experimenting with Microsoft Deployment Toolkit to deploy a copy of Windows.
I ran the fibre cables extremely carefully as fibre is made out of glass. Firstly I measured the distance that the cable would have to travel and then matched the cable with the SFP transceivers. This would make sure that the fibre cable would be compatible with the SFP module. I used multimode fibre as it was not a long distance that the cable had to travel.
Then it was time to run the cable. When running the cable I made sure to take extra precautions like putting rubber tubing between the fibre cable and the heating pipes. This should protect the fibre cable if the pipes get hot. On the right there is an image of this: (The fibre is the blue/green cable)
Running Fibre Cables
To make running the cables easier I used a fibreglass rod to pull the fibre cable under the floor boards. This also helped me to determine the routes where the cable should go.
Finally, when the fibre cable exited the floor boards I made sure to protect the cable and to prevent the cable from dropping back under the floor boards. I did this by using different diameters of rubber pipe and drilling a hole into the floor board. I then jammed the tubing in the floorboard so it would stop the fibre from going back under. You can see this in the image on the left: