managed switch

How To: Home Network 4.0 with Ubiquiti Unifi Dream Machine Pro, Switch Pro, Flex Mini, Smart Power Plug & UPS Review & Calibration

Mike ConnellyConnected Home

We are now on our fourth-generation home network build-out, including Ubiquiti’s UniFi Dream Machine Pro, a 48-port PoE switch, managed Flex Mini switches, and Protect camera system. Ubiquiti’s UDM Pro consolidates a network firewall, IDS/IPS, controller, and security camera NVR into a single rack-mounted appliance. Also covered are two smaller additions: the Flex Mini and Smart Power Plug, which handle edge cases like last-drop switching and WAN recovery. Continue reading How To: Home Network 4.0 with Ubiquiti Unifi Dream Machine Pro, Switch Pro, Flex Mini, Smart Power Plug & UPS Review & Calibration

How To: Deploying a Ubiquiti UniFi Home Network including Multiple WiFi Access Points (Part 2)

Mike ConnellyConnected Home

Ubiquiti’s UniFi platform offers granular control over wireless settings that consumer routers never expose. This article walks through a tested configuration for a gigabit home network, covering channel planning, VLAN segmentation, IoT isolation, and per-AP radio tuning. We also cover getting Sonos and Belkin Wemo devices to coexist reliably with the rest of the network.
Continue reading How To: Deploying a Ubiquiti UniFi Home Network including Multiple WiFi Access Points (Part 2)

How To: Deploying a Ubiquiti UniFi Home Network including Multiple WiFi Access Points (Part 1)

Mike ConnellyConnected Home

Ubiquiti’s UniFi is a modular, software-defined networking platform designed for prosumer and small-business use, built from separate components for routing, switching, and wireless access. We walk through replacing a piecemeal consumer router setup with a full UniFi deployment across a home wired with Gigabit Ethernet and more than 100 connected devices. The installation required coordinating a Security Gateway, managed switches, multiple access points, and a Cloud Key controller. Continue reading How To: Deploying a Ubiquiti UniFi Home Network including Multiple WiFi Access Points (Part 1)

How To: Advanced Sonos Wireless Network Configuration Using Sonos BOOST

Mike ConnellyConnected Home, Music

SonosNet 2.0 operates on a dedicated 2.4 GHz mesh network, entirely separate from your home WiFi, and multicasts audio to every speaker simultaneously rather than streaming individual unicast signals to each one. This article explains how Boost mode works, when a dedicated BOOST hardware device makes sense over an Ethernet-connected speaker, and how to configure up to three BOOST devices for a large installation. Continue reading How To: Advanced Sonos Wireless Network Configuration Using Sonos BOOST