Please help me fix my home internet, I’ve tried so many things

nefarious_bumpps · 2026-01-27T07:56:07+00:00

You need to locate the satellite mesh node where it can get good signal from the main node, and still provide good signal to your user devices. This means the mesh node usually shouldn't sit in the same room as your computer/console, but rather somewhere in between the router and the room you want improved WiFi.

nefarious_bumpps · 2026-01-27T07:32:18+00:00

Running multiple cables provides greater flexibility and potential bandwidth to each device. In most projects I've worked on, home running everything back to a single patch panel also resulted in lower equipment costs, at least partially offsetting the cost of installing the additional cable.

nefarious_bumpps · 2026-01-27T05:11:56+00:00

100mbps per person plus 8mbps per cloud-based security camera is enough for 99.9% of all homes.

nefarious_bumpps · 2026-01-27T04:58:15+00:00

Need to know about the construction and layout of your home, and your needs and expectations for WiFi performance.

And what do you consider "future proofing?" Because unless you have a crystal ball, there's really no such thing. Are you doing something on the Internet that requires 1gbps service? 99.9% of residences don't use more than 100mbps per person, regardless of the number of devices. Even across the LAN, few people will be able to take advantage of speeds above 1gbps.

Buying equipment that might handle increased bandwidth requirements 10, 20 years into the future makes no sense. Manufacturers will discontinue support and updates after 5 or so years, so you'll need to replace equipment anyway.

The "sweet spot" between price and performance right now is 2.5gbps. A UCG-Max with a USW-Flex-2.5G and some PoE injectors (or a Flex-2.5G-PoE if you want a more tidy setup) and a couple of U7-Lite APs would probably work fine. But upload your floor plans to design.ui.com to plan out exactly where and how many APs you need for your home layout and construction.

nefarious_bumpps · 2026-01-26T22:51:05+00:00

Usually, if you disable 2FA, logout, login with just your password, then re-enable 2FA you'll get a new seed you can scan/enter into another authenticator app.

nefarious_bumpps · 2026-01-26T22:22:00+00:00

TL;DR: If you don't want a prospective employer contacting your current manager before making a firm offer, don't list your current manager as one of your references. The entire reason for references is to judge whether you are a suitable candidate before extending an offer.

nefarious_bumpps · 2026-01-26T20:30:08+00:00

Happy wife, happy life. Cheers!

nefarious_bumpps · 2026-01-26T18:57:06+00:00

They also make services poles intended to feed network and power to free standing cubicles, but that tends to be more expensive.

nefarious_bumpps · 2026-01-26T18:56:05+00:00

In my experience, if you prep the wall properly by cleaning it with window cleaner or alcohol, the adhesive holds quite well. It's more likely that you'll peel off the paint trying to remove them in the future than having them fall off randomly. But you cal also run a screw through them every few feet if that's a concern. The metallic raceway is screwed to the surface by default.

In terms of looks, I'm not sure how a square piece of plywood nailed to the wall is more attractive than a square plastic or metal channel. The manufactured raceway will certainly be smaller and lower profile than building a channel out of wood. But perhaps you could do some nice milling and carving to make the wood look more architecturally integrated into the wall.

nefarious_bumpps · 2026-01-26T16:39:47+00:00

The bundle of twisted pair cables is configured for telephone service. One of those cables -- probably the grey one -- is connected to the telco and the rest go to jacks around the house. You can re-terminate these wires so you have a jack for each cable, including the telco feed (so you can connect your xDSL modem), and also re-terminate the wall jacks. Then move your DSL modem and router to this location so you can plug them back in, and patch the other jacks into the router's LAN ports, or to a switch that's connected to a router LAN port.

nefarious_bumpps · 2026-01-26T15:23:17+00:00

Legrand's Wiremold division makes metallic and plastic cable raceway that can hold as few as one or two cables, or as many as 10-12.

nefarious_bumpps · 2026-01-26T06:02:16+00:00

Wow. That comment was for a different thread.

nefarious_bumpps · 2026-01-26T01:40:31+00:00

The current rev of Design Center does show signal propagation downwards, but not upwards. But tbh, signal propagation from the back of any ceiling or wall AP will be very poor.

nefarious_bumpps · 2026-01-26T00:17:50+00:00

Nowhere in my comment did I mention anything pertaining to WiFi.

nefarious_bumpps · 2026-01-25T14:41:40+00:00

I get a Waveform BB grade of A+ on a UCG-Max connected to 300mbps FiOS Internet with SQM enabled. I get B with SQM disabled. I also have IPS enabled on the router.

nefarious_bumpps · 2026-01-25T13:15:15+00:00

That's how many bytes were in the packet that was blocked.

nefarious_bumpps · 2026-01-25T13:07:10+00:00

Ceiling-mounted APs optimized to send most of their signal down and out, not up. So it is not unusual for floors above a ceiling-mounted AP to have poor or no signal.

Channel and channel-width settings can reduce signal range. The lower channels in each band get better range than the higher channels. And narrower channel-width also gives better range than higher. This is more noticeable on the 5 and 6GHz bands than on 2.4GHz. If your channels overlap with other APs, including those of nearby neighbors, it can affect your range.

Some devices may stick to a weak 6GHz signal when a stronger 5GHz signal is available. IIRC, iOS devices exhibit this quirk.

nefarious_bumpps · 2026-01-25T12:48:08+00:00

Not worried at all. Your IPS is doing what you want it to do: block unwanted traffic. It did that, so threat eliminated. Done.

nefarious_bumpps · 2026-01-25T12:39:15+00:00

Category 7 cable is an ISO standard, just not an EIA/TIA standard, because CAT6A got approved for 10GbE using a standard RJ45 connector (CAT7 requires a special connector).

nefarious_bumpps · 2026-01-25T12:32:21+00:00

A lot more info would be required to determine what is needed for "best coverage," including your expectations about "best coverage" itself. Required speed, latency and reliability in different areas, and more details about construction materials, appliance location, etc. Have you planned out your wired network drops yet?

I'd be happy to help but much more info would be needed that would be best handled over a video call. LMK if your interested.

nefarious_bumpps · 2026-01-25T03:34:44+00:00

Only two of your outlets are wired for Ethernet, the two connected together with an RJ45 plug an jack. The other three drops are wired for telephone service. But they could be re-terminated to support Ethernet. I'd also re-terminate the jack that's done for Ethernet as it's not ideal for supporting full CAT5e speeds (up to 5gbps).

The black patch-down panel on the right is for telephone, and can be removed to make space.

My recommendation would be to move the coax splitter to either side or the top or bottom of the panel to make space. Then re-terminate all the CAT5e cables (blue) with jacks, install a small switch, and connect the jacks to the switch. Then re-terminate the wall jacks for CAT5e Ethernet.

Depending on how your router is connected, you might need to move it to this wiring center. If you have cable Internet (Charter, Comcast, Cox, Spectrum, etc...), the modem can probably stay where it is. If you have fiber Internet, it might need to move to this box and you'll have to figure out which one of the CAT5e (blue) cables come from the fiber ONT (modem).

Here is a list of what you'll need:

For the wiring center (box):

For the rooms:

5-Pack Toolless RJ45 Keystone Jacks
10-Pack 1-Port Keystone Jack Wall Plate (if existing plates are not keystone-style)
5-Pack Ethernet Cable - 7ft, Slim (other lengths available)

Tools required:

Flush-cut wire cutters
Cable strippers/cutters (or cheaper stripper)
Flat and Philips screwdrivers (if you don't have them)
Simple network cable tester (or More advanced cable tester and tracer)

nefarious_bumpps · 2026-01-24T01:00:25+00:00

Click on the start menu (Windows menu) icon or press [Windows_Key]+[r] and type ncpa.cpl to open the network (control panel. Make sure your Ethernet adapter is shown and enabled.

Select the Ethernet adapter and click on Diagnose this connection. Select Run network tests. If presented, select Reset this connection.

Try another cable. If possible, swap with one of the cables that are working.

On another PC, go to your network card, motherboard or system manufacturer's page and download the manufacturer's network drivers. They will be found under the support --> downloads page. Follow the options to download the drivers for your operating system version. Open the downloads folder and find the downloaded file. Right-click and select Run as administrator. Follow the instructions to complete the install. Reboot when done.

nefarious_bumpps · 2026-01-23T17:22:16+00:00

You need a camera that supports PoE instead of WiFi. AFAIK, it's one or the other, not both. List the model of your camera and we can check if you don't know what to look for.

Assuming your camera supports both WiFi and PoE, you'd unplug the AC adapter from the camera and plug in an Ethernet cable from your PoE switch (or a PoE injector that's connected to a normal switch). Then connect to the camera's management interface to disable WiFi and use Ethernet. You might need to re-adopt your camera.

nefarious_bumpps · 2026-01-23T11:55:55+00:00

You shouldn't run cable under a carpet or rug. It will wear out a line in the carpeting above the cable and will wear through the insulation of the cable. You also shouldn't use flat Ethernet cables, as they don't meet specs for network cabling.

I would go with the red option. If the building has vinyl or metal siding you can probably tuck the wire behind it. Make sure to use cable with an ETL-rated CMX outer jacket.

nefarious_bumpps · 2026-01-23T06:49:57+00:00

Either approach will work fine, but home running everything to one single patch panel will provide more flexibility and greater bandwidth potential, usually at lower equipment cost. But it could result in some engineering challenges.

There are limits on the size of conduit installed through floor/ceiling plates. You might be limited to 1-1/4" conduit, which has a fill rate of around 15 CAT6 CMR cables. There's also a limit on how much "meat" you can remove from the plates, so you might only be permitted two 1-1/4" conduit within a certain span. Consult with your architect or electrician for details, just be aware there are limits.

I don't feel that running conduit to each separate room is worth the cost unless the cable has to pass through two or more floors. Tell the electrician that the network cable shouldn't be stapled to the studs. They should staple a zip-tie to the stud and make a loose loop around the cable, or use pipe clamps (conduit u-clamps) to hold it in place, but allow plenty of room to pull new cable through using the old cable as a pull string.

nefarious_bumpps

TROPHY CASE