New to FTTP

Bepto

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I am soon to move into a new build flat that has FTTP & need advise on setup. I will be going with BT full fiber 900 when I move in. The BT box thing (sorry) is in the hallway & there is one ethernet port in the living room near the TV ariel socket. I will be using the second bedroom as my main PC/Gaming space & there are no ehternet ports in there.

Given that I would like the best possible speeds for my gaming/streaming setup in the bedroom what is the best way to connect everything up? I dont mind replacing the BT hub if that is nessesary & am OK to purchase any other equipment needed to facilitate good speeds. I would rather not be chopping bits out of walls unless absolutely essential though.
 
Does your flat have wafer thin walls, like most new builds do? If so, then you may find you can game, stream 4K video etc over wifi on the BT hub, but to get close to gigabit speeds wirelessly you will need to invest in a wifi 6 router and also wifi 6 clients - the BT supplied router is only wifi 5. Something like the Netgear RAX200 or Asus RT-AX86U would be a massive improvement over the BT router (even for wifi 5 clients).
 
See how you get on with the SH2. You will need it if you keep your BT landline on Digital Voice. If you find you need better Wi-Fi than the SH2 provides, then I would get a wireless access point rather than replacing the router per se.
 
As much as the Asus is a great bit of kit you can't beat the reliability and cost of running a Ethernet cable,

If there isn't spare ethernet port in BT box in the hallway. 5 port switch (gives 4 extra ports + 1 uplink) - £15

NETGEAR 5 Port Gigabit Network Switch (GS305) -Ethernet Switch, Home Network Hub, Office Ethernet Splitter, Plug-and-Play, Silent Operation, Desktop or Wall Mount Amazon product ASIN B07PYSNSDD

20m of flat Ethernet cable, £8.50. it is very easy to hide, run along skirting boards, under doors, under edge of carpet, etc. If you running along skirting I suggest instead of using the nail in clips, use double sided sticky tape and stick to wall and then paint over it.

Deal: Gulaey 20m Cat6 Ethernet Cable, Long Internet Cables High-Speed Patch Cord Flat Design 1Gbps for 250Mhz/s UTP for Console, PS3, PS4, PS5, Switch, Router, Modem, Patch Panel, PC, TV, Home Office Amazon product ASIN B08XBXCQRP
You will also need a short ethernet patch lead for connecting the switch to the port in the living room. Can't remember but the switch may come with one.
 
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So I assume the BT hub will have 4 ports, 1x of these will have the living room cable plugged in? leaving 3. I can connect a switch to the port in the living room giving extra ports in there? Then run 1x cable from hub to spare room and connect another switch there? is that the best way, I was thinking maybe put the router in the spare room someway.
 
That should be fine.The only real rule with ethernet topology is you must not create any loops. If you do, the network will pretty quickly become gridlocked with endlessly circling broadcast traffic.

The interlinks are of course a resource with finite capacity (just like any other ethernet lobe) but in the SOHO use case, if they are 1000mbps (gigabit) links then you are unlikely to have any issues unless you spend all day copying massive files about.

Technically each switch adds a bit of additional latency (lag) but for gigabit ethernet switches, I doubt you'll be able to measure it let alone "notice" it in normal use.
 
So I assume the BT hub will have 4 ports, 1x of these will have the living room cable plugged in? leaving 3. I can connect a switch to the port in the living room giving extra ports in there? Then run 1x cable from hub to spare room and connect another switch there? is that the best way, I was thinking maybe put the router in the spare room someway.
Basically yes. You can connect the spare room switch to the BT hub of its easier.
 
I move in next Friday and after a visit today noticed something. The ONT is in the hall as I said & there are what look like ethernet ports in 2 rooms but... where do these ports run back to? I cant see any cables other than the one that connects to the router plugged into the ONT there are no ehernet ports in the hallway. I dont understand are the ports in the other rooms redundant? there is no way I can plug anything into them atm to test.
 
RJ45 ports are only "ethernet" ports if they are plugged in to something "ethernet" the other end. If instead, they were plugged into the phone system, exactly the same type of socket could be a "telephone" port.

The cabling and socketry of UTP is agnostic about use, ethernet is just one of it's usages. Back in the day in large business premises, UTP was originally (mostly) put in for telephones and was subsequently repurposed for ethernet when "LAN's" started to be a thing as it allowed companies to deploy LAN's without the expense of installing a new set of "network" cabling infrastructure.

So to know what any particular socket is to be used for, one needs to discover what it is connected to.
 
RJ45 ports are only "ethernet" ports if they are plugged in to something "ethernet" the other end. If instead, they were plugged into the phone system, exactly the same type of socket could be a "telephone" port.

The cabling and socketry of UTP is agnostic about use, ethernet is just one of it's usages. Back in the day in large business premises, UTP was originally (mostly) put in for telephones and was subsequently repurposed for ethernet when "LAN's" started to be a thing as it allowed companies to deploy LAN's without the expense of installing a new set of "network" cabling infrastructure.

So to know what any particular socket is to be used for, one needs to discover what it is connected to.
And hoped that all wires connected in correct order. Also seen UTP used for CCTV at home, again may not be wired correctly for ethernet.
 
I move in next Friday and after a visit today noticed something. The ONT is in the hall as I said & there are what look like ethernet ports in 2 rooms but... where do these ports run back to? I cant see any cables other than the one that connects to the router plugged into the ONT there are no ehernet ports in the hallway. I dont understand are the ports in the other rooms redundant? there is no way I can plug anything into them atm to test.
Until you can plug something in, its hard to suggest anything.

Though I will add you can get a cable tracer for £22 off Amazon. I've got one of these and its reasonably well in houses. It also does basic continuity testing.

Amazon product ASIN B09LV9ZFTZ
 
The price of those things is dropping - I can remember paying about GBP 70 just for the "wand" let alone a cable tester with a tone generator!
 
The price of those things is dropping - I can remember paying about GBP 70 just for the "wand" let alone a cable tester with a tone generator!
yeah, the quality is isn't brilliant but usable.
 
That should be fine.The only real rule with ethernet topology is you must not create any loops. If you do, the network will pretty quickly become gridlocked with endlessly circling broadcast traffic.

The interlinks are of course a resource with finite capacity (just like any other ethernet lobe) but in the SOHO use case, if they are 1000mbps (gigabit) links then you are unlikely to have any issues unless you spend all day copying massive files about.

Technically each switch adds a bit of additional latency (lag) but for gigabit ethernet switches, I doubt you'll be able to measure it let alone "notice" it in normal use.

How do you mean loops btw?
 
Just my two pence...

A friend has just bought a house and had BT firbre, which initially worked fine. She then had everything stripped it to the brickwork from top to bottom, including new flooring etc. Regulations now state if you do this, you have add insulation and can't just put up regular plasterboard... so of course she did, including thermal cladding in the walls and floor with maylar backing.

Well, suffice it to say the Wifi signal doesn't get past the room the router is in, and it's just as well I had her run cat 5e in the house or she'd be well and truly stuffed - though the house is nice and warm. I had no idea mylar blocked wifi so effectively, guess Chuck knew what he was on about it 'Better call Saul'
 
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