[Questions] Beginner homelab (router/switch)
[Questions] Beginner homelab (router/switch)
Hi everyone :)
It's time to switch and give my home network a proper minimal hardware upgrade. Right now everything is managed by my ISP's AIO firewall/router combo. Which works okayish, but I'm already doing some firewall/dns/VPN stuff on my minimal spare laptop server to bypass most of my ISP's restrictions. So it's time to get a little bit "crazy" !
While I do have some "power user" knowledge regarding Linux/server/selfhosted services/networking, I'm a bit clueless hardware wise, specially regarding my ISP's 2.5G ethernet port.
I do have a 5giga connection from my Internet provider (Obtic fiber) which is divided into 4 ethernet ports (Eth1 2.5G, Eth2 1G, Eth3 1G, Eth4 0,500G or something in that range). And right now the Eth1 port is connected through an old 1G switch.
- To take full advantage of my ISP's 2.5G ethernet port do I need a router AND a switch capable of 2.5G througput ? Or only the router and the switch is going to divid it accordingly between all connected devices on a 1G switch?
I'm also looking for some recommendation/personal experience for a router and a switch with a budget of 250e.
First I was interested into a BananaPI as a router, to tinker a bit, but it seems a bit of a hassle to flash it with OpenWRT, then I found an interesting post on Lemmy talking about the Intel N100 Celeron N5105, which looks like more what I'm looking for but I'm not sure ?
- I have no idea what's the best bet, a SBC (bananapi mini, orange pi, raspberry pi...) a fully fleged router (like TP-Link AX1800 and flash it with opensense/openwrt) or an Intel N100 Celeron N5105 Soft Router ?
The capabilities I'm looking for:
- VLAN capable
- AP VLAN capabable to segment wifi
- Taking advantage of my ISP's 2.5G ethernet port
- Firewall customization capabilities
I have an eye on a managed switch I found on amazon (SODOLA 6 Port 2.5G Web Managed) but I have no idea how reliable they are, I have never heard of SODOLA.
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Any good recommendation I should look at for a managed switch that would work great with the same capabilities above?
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Probably last question, is regarding wifi APs. Is it possible to make an access point from my router even tough it hasn't atennas? If I connect an access point directly to my router, will it be capable of giving away wifi connection?
Thanks for reading though, I'm a bit unsure how I should spend my money to have a minimal but reliable/capable homelab setup. Every advice is welcome. But keep in mind, I want to keep it minimal, a good enough routing capbability with intermediate firewall customisation. I'm already hosting a few containers with a spare laptop and the traffic isn't going to be to crazy.
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To add to other comments, consider a managed switch from MikroTik. Linux networking knowledge will come in handy, since their RouterOS is not especially simple but it is powerful.
I believe most of their devices jump from Gigabit ethernet to 10Gbps SFP+ ports (which you should also consider). The SFP+ ports usually support 2.5Gbps negotiation, but check the documentation. You can also buy RJ-45 Copper transceivers for the SFP+ port, although they are not cheap. Nevertheless, even including a couple transceivers, you may find something within your budget.
Using a router-on-a-stick configuration, consider a CRS305 (4x 10G ports and 1x Gigabit port) or a CRS309 (8x 10G ports and 1x Gigabit port) switch.
As for their routers, multi-port-multi-gig options are expensive so building your own router might be a good idea rather than opting for something like an RB5009, if that is what you need. Although, in a router-on-a-stick configuration, an RB5009 would be great.
Wi-Fi: yes, you can connect an access point to any ethernet port from a router or switch. They often come with PoE injectors.
Consider TP-Link Omada access points. If you need multiple access points, they suggest running a controller, it can be installed as a docker container. MikroTik has access point options but my experience with their old wireless options left a bad taste in my mouth. I hear the new wifi-wave compatible hardware is good, though. Any device running RouterOS could act as the CAPsMAN (AP controller)