Before asking for network configuration help, please make sure you’ve set up your network hardware according to its user manual. User manuals can be downloaded from the support section of any hardware manufacturer’s website and many problems can be solved by simply reading the manual.
Keep your network simple and don’t over-complicate things.
Separating Network Traffic
Quick Networking Do’s & Don’ts
Keep your network simple and don’t over-complicate things.
- Know your equipment: When asking for help, do your best to be accurate & brief with your explanation and describing the hardware you have. A modem, router, switch, access point, repeater/extender, hub or ONT (Optical Network Terminal) are all different components. They are not interchangeable in terms or in use and they convey different images of how your network is set up when read by someone providing help. Use these devices the way they are intended to be used, not how you’d like them to work.
- If you’re a DIY home user, please don’t create a thread explaining how you’ve expanded your super secure, hi-tech network connecting routers together, range extenders and 6 SSIDs then ask why you can’t connect to the internet, your printer, security cameras, game console, etc. The answer is simple - you're doing it wrong. You should only be connecting one router to your network - regardless of whether or not an additional device had network/internet access at some point.
- If you understand DHCP & NAT well enough to get the above illustration working and you can traverse subnets, you’re knowledgeable enough to know the right way to set up a network and support it. The forum does not offer support for overly-complicated scenarios that defy IT best practices like combining multiple routers together in a SOHO configuration. These questions always come from home users with limited network understanding and it’s unfair to expect experienced forum staff who are donating their time to type a network 101 class as a response to a thread.
Separating Network Traffic
- If you need to segregate traffic on one or more networks, purchase a router that offers Virtual Lans (VLANs). This allows you to centrally manage and separate network traffic from a single point, the router. Download a device’s user manual, first before purchasing anything and see if it’s something you can configure yourself or if you need a network professional to set it up.
- Need a guest network? Most routers provide the ability to create a separate Guest Wifi name (SSID) & password. Some guest networks are simply a different Wifi name and password so you don’t have to give out your primary Wifi password. Other guest setups may prevent the Guest connection from accessing resources connected to your primary network. Refer to the router’s documentation and test the configuration from different endpoints to confirm it works the way you need it to work.
- You can often purchase your own router and replace the one your ISP provides, but you don’t connect the 2 together. Keep in mind, many ISPs supply a gateway device which is a combined modem and router all in one. You can purchase a similar combo device or buy a separate modem and a separate router, just make sure the modem is compatible with your ISP. Compatibility info can be found on your ISPs website.
If you have cable TV boxes that require internet access for the programming guide, you’ll want to check with your ISP or do some research as to how they connect & get network access before replacing your ISP’s router. - Some ISP supplied devices, like the Comcast/Xfinity gateways allow you to put the device in what’s called “Bridged Mode”. This allows you to use just the internet modem or telephone portion of the gateway while you connect the ethernet WAN port of the gateway to your own router.
Quick Networking Do’s & Don’ts
- Don’t daisy-chain multiple routers together.
- Always try to use home runs for wired networking – that’s one ethernet line from your patch panel to a wall jack or endpoint.
- Don’t use ethernet splitters that take a single ethernet wire and split it into 2 connections. Run a 2nd home run ethernet line or add a basic network switch to increase the # of devices you can connect.
- Don’t nest multiple switches when avoidable.
- Don’t mix components of different speeds on your network. Your connection will only run as fast as the slowest device in its path.
- Toss out your CAT5 cables which are rated at 10/100 speeds. CAT5E ethernet cables are rated for gigabit speeds and are fine in most cases. They should be the minimum speed standard used on most networks today.
