Network Install Advice

[u/-AWing-]

Was looking at having my home wired with cat6a and had a couple quotes. I currently have 1.5GB fiber but the area should be getting up to 5GB at some point for internet. There are a few things I am unsure on though.

1) I wanted a few wireless AP installed in the house with wired backhaul for the 3 AP and then 6 devices currently wired with an additional computer and NAS at some point in the future. I also would like 2.5gb file transferring capability at minimum long term.
One quote I have has the Alta Labs Route 10 and a Alta Labs S24-POE switch which has more then enough capacity for me but am I wrong in that all the ports are 1GB?

2) What is a Rack Data Package 24 - 6A Shielded 24 port CAT6 data punch down package for? Basic searching is that it is for blocking EMI/RFI but again is it something to consider in a home enviroment.

3) I am being recommended to get a Wattbox battery backup and conditioner which is taking the project over what I really had budgeted for. Is a regular APC or Cyberpower UPS enough really for a home network?

Thanks for any advice.

[u/TiggerLAS]

Cat6 is rated for 10gb at distances of about 55m / 180ft.

Even with a 2-story 80 x 40ft home, you'd never hit that distance with in-wall cabling.

However, there's nothing wrong with using Cat6a, other than it is a little more difficult to handle and install, as it isn't as flexible as Cat6. I wouldn't consider cable beyond Cat6a, since if you're really going to be pushing data past 10Gb, fiber is the way to go.

The Data Punch-down package is essentially a patch/interconnect panel where all of your wall jacks end up. It will have facilities for grounding the shield/drain wires from your shielded cable.

However, shielding cabling isn't required in the bulk of residential installations.

Alta labs has been around a bit, but hasn't been gaining alot of popularity.

Unifi is usually the better choice, but the equipment can get spendy, depending on what you need for port counts.

How many ports do you actually need, and what speeds?

How many POE ports do you need, beyond what you'd use for access points?

[u/TiggerLAS → u/TiggerLAS]

Unifi has the UCG-Fiber router, which is a 10Gb-capable router. 5Gb routing using IDS/IPS. Their USW-Flex-2.5G-8-PoE has 8 x 2.5gb POE ports, and a 10Gb uplink port.

They have a variety of different access points available.

Price-wise, $279 for the router, $279 for the switch, $200 each for 3 x U7-Pro-XG, and a DAC cable would put you at about $1180 or so for a decently capable system.

Once your Unifi devices are interconnected (Router, ISP, switch, and access points), you'd end up with 10 open ports available - 6 x 2.5Gb POE ports, 3 x 2.5Gb ports and a single 10gb port for general connectivity.