Good morning all.
It's been a long time since I posted on here, or even came on to the forum, but I was hoping for some advice on streaming please. I am in the process of moving home, so I am starting a new network from scratch. In my current home, I've installed multiple runs of CAT6 to each room, running from a Netgear GS752TPS PoE core switch, and using GS108Ev3 as edge switches. This is all connected to a fairly big 8 bat Synology DS1817+ NAS with 8 x 6Tb WD Red drives for storage duties, I am ruuning multiple Ubiquiti PoE access points for WiFi.
Currently my NDX is plugged directly into the core switch to provide the shortest network route, and I have a 4 port bond on the NAS going directly into the core switch. This is all connect to a Ubiquiti Router. I use a HP Proliant Microserver Gen8 running Windows 10 Pro for various duties, and one of those being Asset UPnP. I've never really subscribed to audiophile network cables etc. Just a good quality cat 6 and nothing more, however, I am starting to understand that network decoupling, and different switches do have an impact, and beginning to realise with spending so much money on black boxes, perhaps, I should seek some advice from more experienced heads. I am sure this has been covered already, but I was struggling to find the info, so please point me to a post if there is one.
My question really is, starting with carte blanche in my new house, how should I be looking to set up my streaming. If I decouple my HiFi network from my regular network is that the best way forward? For example, do the following:
- Completely isolate the HiFi network from the "house" network, using fixed IP addresses, and only perhaps plug it into the core switch when the network needs internet access (but the Naim app won't work will it, what about metadata scraping etc.?)
- Install a new separate non PoE Gigabit switch for the HiFi.
- Buy a new 2 bay NAS just for HiFi duties and connect it to the new switch.
- Run a good quality CAT 7 cable to all of these components.
- Build a small server (Intel NUC/Raspberry Pi 3 B+) to run Asset UPnP and nothing else.
As always, your help/advice/experience/time is greatly appreciated. Thank you.
Kind regards
Jo
Posted on: 24 June 2018 by Simon-in-Suffolk
Indeed Gary, for our humblest of little home Ethernet network uses Cat7 is probably not at all appropriate... a bit like driving a Lamborghini down to the corner shop to buy some bread... and struggling parking the thing.
Posted on: 24 June 2018 by David Hendon
I suspect that leaving DHCP to assign the IP addresses automatically is the way to go. It works well in small networks and if you need to go to fixed IP to keep it working, that's a sign that something else isn't right with your home network.
best
David
Posted on: 24 June 2018 by Simon-in-Suffolk
Jo.. keep your network integrated and joined up ... that is what it is designed to do. You are using a switch so you preventing non broadcast traffic inappropriately going to your streamer.
Do use DHCP.. it the correct tool to assign network addressing info to hosts for small home networks and mega commercial ones, and even ISP internet access networks alike. If you need to fix the IP address the best practice way of achieving is that through telling DHCP to do that for a particular device based on network (mac) address or host name. As DHCP is a given these days on the humblest of home broadband routers it makes no sense not to use it.
if you are starting from scratch with cabling to Ethernet face plates or switches, use UTP Cat5e. If you have many bundles Ethernet wires tightly packed over long distances, say 30 metres or more, and or going close to a very electrically noisy area then by all means use shielded Cat5e ot Cat 6. Plan on having two parallel cables to each edge switch from your core switch if you setup this way. This gives you future potential for aggregating and providing some resilience. A good plan is to use trunking and feed the cables through the trunking... though obviously not so easy if retro fitting.
As far as wlan access points .. a little thought is required here... try and plan for where people will be having iPads/laptops etc and where you may be controlling your Naim via an iPad that you overlapping access points (think Olympic Rings but perhaps less of them). Try and ensure the wlan access points are connected to a switch port. You then set up your ESSID that is common across your access points. Devices then load balance and roam as required.
Posted on: 25 June 2018 by Big Jo
Thanks for your replies, that's how I have things setup currently, and am pretty OK with all that. It was pointed at the HiFi side of things, and decoupling it from the rest of the home network to get the best out of it musically.
So I guess the way forward is to perhaps have a separate non PoE switch (connected to my core switch) for the HiFi which will host my UPnP server (eventually a UnitiCore) and NDX streamer, do you think that is a good idea? Also, should I buy another small NAS just for music, my current NAS has ample storage and is more than capable, is that beneficial or will it have no impact on sonic performance? Just thinking about trying to keep the hifi network and home network as separate as possible, unless it makes no difference then I will keep it the same as I have currently.
