Detailed explanation of all home network layouts

You can layout your home network in many ways. There are only a few differences in the networking hardware used and how each device connects to the Internet, but otherwise they will all work the same way.

This article explores nine different home network layouts. There will be a network diagram, an overview of the pros and cons, and some tips on how to set everything up.

1. Diagram of a wireless network

In order for a device to communicate with a wireless router, it must contain a wireless network adapter. As with a laptop, this could be built into the device itself, or it could be external. You might use a USB Wi-Fi adapter to connect your desktop PC to the Internet.

For your router to share your Internet connection wirelessly, it must also have a built-in wireless adapter. It is only then that you can avoid connecting via cables.

With modern wireless routers, you can connect a large number of devices to it over Wi-Fi, so you shouldn't be concerned about having too many devices. Your router should easily handle the traffic.

Keep in mind, however, that if there are many devices trying to use the wireless network at the same time, you can expect some decreased performance as the router deals with multiple requests at once. MU-MIMO-enabled routers come in handy here; they can handle multiple requests at once.

There are numerous Ethernet ports found on the back of the vast majority of wireless routers, so you can still connect some devices using an Ethernet cable. In order to configure the wireless features of your router, you may have to connect a device using a cable to the router first

After this is done, you can choose to use the Ethernet ports or not.

As such, using the Ethernet ports makes sense if the devices you are using lack Wi-Fi capability or cannot obtain a stable enough Wi-Fi signal from the router.

The router can only emit Wi-Fi signals up to a certain range with this network layout. Models from the same manufacturer can have very different ranges. 

The total coverage of your router will also be affected by external factors such as the materials used to build your home and other objects such as microwaves that cause interference.

Here's my favorite Wi-Fi router if you want great coverage.

To connect over Ethernet, a device must have a functioning Ethernet network adapter.  You will need to use Wi-Fi if there is no built-in adapter (like a smartphone) and no external adapter available.

On the back of the router, you'll most likely find another Ethernet port that is either painted a different color or has a different label.

Often, this port is for connecting a router and modem, so plugging in a regular computer or gaming console won't work.

Most people simply won't be able to use the Ethernet port on the back of the router, especially if they don't use Wi-Fi. In order to increase the number of physical connections available to you, you may need to install a network switch.

Ethernet offers generally better performance than Wi-Fi and has more stability as far as connectivity is concerned. With Wi-Fi, there is always a chance for the signal strength to fluctuate or even disappear entirely.

Using an Ethernet-only network layout in a large home means you should keep in mind that a single run of Ethernet cable is designed to operate at a distance of up to 100 meters.

You can also get different network speeds depending on what kind of Ethernet cable you have. The more recent Cat6 and Cat6a are capable of delivering 10 Gbps data, while Cat5e is limited to 100 Mbps and Cat5 is capable of 1 Gbps.

In most cases, Cat5e will suffice.

Personally, I would not use an Ethernet-only network. It's just too convenient to use WiFi.

I would be surprised if you could find a router these days that does not use wireless!

Most routers today come with Wi-Fi capabilities as well as four physical Ethernet ports, so you can make use of both.

This allows you to connect a lot of devices in your home, and the Ethernet ports can be reserved for those that require them, such as a smart hub, or your most-used devices.

Ethernet-only and wireless-only networks have the same limitations.

The router must be placed in a suitable location in your home to provide the greatest coverage, and you may need to purchase a network switch if the router lacks enough Ethernet ports.

4. Layout of Direct to Modem Networks

In the absence of a router, you can connect a single device with a working Ethernet adapter directly to your modem.

Directly connected to your modem, your device is connected to your Internet Service Provider (ISP) and then the Internet.

There is nothing wrong with this setup in terms of connectivity; you can browse the Internet just like you would if you were connected to the router.

Nevertheless, it is not recommended to use this network layout.

This network layout has the significant drawback of being extremely insecure.

In case your device is connected directly to your modem, it will be fully exposed to the Internet.

Known as your public IP address, the IP address assigned to your modem will resolve directly to your computer.

Any vulnerabilities on your device, such as a bug in the operating system or an open port, may be accessible to anyone who knows your public IP address.

Although it is unlikely that someone will be able to find your public IP address, I certainly wouldn't want to risk it.

When you connect your device directly to your modem, you rely on the device itself to provide any level of protection. It may be incorporated into the operating system itself or it may be a separate firewall program.

Neither of these is very effective as a protection against cybercriminals.

You should ignore the fact that such a network layout even exists; don't take the chance and ensure that your network includes a router.

In addition to the router providing much more devices with a connection at the same time, the firewall it connects to is much more capable and disassociates your individual devices from your public IP address.

The performance will generally be better than Wi-Fi, and you won't have to worry about the varying Wi-Fi signal.

Switches can either be managed or unmanaged, with different features and configuration options. In addition, their prices can vary quite a bit.naged switch will cost you considerably more than an unmanaged switch.

In terms of capabilities and price, smart switches have some characteristics of both. They are the type of switch I would recommend for a home network as they provide the more useful features of a managed switch without the price tag.

In reality, you should keep your network switch powered on 24/7 so that you can access the Internet quickly and easily on your devices, although it can be concerning to some as to how much power and money it will cost to run.

Switches that use Ethernet don't consume much power; they typically use between 15 and 30 watts, which is not much in the grand scheme of your energy bill.

The majority of them will provide the same basic functionality of increasing the number of Ethernet ports at your disposal, however some will be designed in a particular way to meet certain requirements. 

For instance, you could have a network switch designed with gamers in mind that offers virtually no latency, or a switch that can power and connect IP-based cameras with PoE.

One of my favorite network switches is the NETGEAR Nighthawk S8000. As well as being a smart switch, offering little latency, and having a lot of ports available, it looks really nice.

They can come in very handy if you receive a weak Wi-Fi signal in some areas of your home, or even dead spots; areas where the signal is non-existent.

A wireless access point (WAP) works by connecting to your router via an Ethernet cable; this provides it with the Internet connection and bandwidth it needs to function.

It will then transmit and receive a wireless signal on either the 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz frequency bands.

The WAP will then allow you to connect devices wirelessly to your local area network where it may have previously not been possible.

There are several benefits that come with using a wireless access point including the ability to place them pretty much anywhere if they are PoE enabled, additional features such as being able to manage devices connected to your Wi-Fi network and supporting a captive portal and access control lists, and the option to cluster them so changes can be made to several access points at once.

Some wireless access points can even be installed outside to extend your Wi-Fi coverage out to your backyard. Here are some of my favorites.

7. Diagram of telephone networking

In spite of not being used very much anymore, phoneline networking was fast, cheap, and easy to install. Additionally, the fact that no additional wiring was required was a bonus.

Your existing telephone wiring is used by HomePNA.

Phoneline networking is more commonly known as HomePNA since it is based on the specifications laid out by the Home Phone Networking Alliance (HPNA). In the HPNA, companies work together in order to develop a standard for networking based on phone lines.

HPNA's first version was limited to 1 Mbps, but its current version, 3.0, operates at 128 Mbps.

HomePNA offers the following advantages:

• It doesn't affect network speed when using the phone
• Up to 50 devices are supported
• Video applications that require a lot of bandwidth will find it fast enough
• Supports Windows, Mac, and Linux operating systems
• Installed easily and inexpensively
• Networking equipment is not required

Its main drawback is that you must have a phone jack nearby each device in order to use HomePNA. Otherwise, you would have to run long telephone extension cords or install new wiring.

The total coverage area should not exceed 10,000 square feet (929 m2). There is also a limit of 1,000 feet (304.8m) of physical wiring between devices.

HomePNA has been known to simply not work on existing telephone wiring, even though this is rare. In addition, calls in homes where HomePNA is being used have been reported as being distorted.

Due to the difficulty of finding phoneline network equipment these days, as well as the fact that nearly every device has Wi-Fi compatibility, this type of network setup has almost become obsolete.

It is extremely rare to walk into a home and find a HomePNA network setup; there are, after all, other technologies that are more capable, more convenient, and less expensive.

8. Powerline Network Layout

Communications are carried over your home's regular electrical wiring using powerline networking. Any router, bridge, or other adapter can use powerline technology.

It couldn't be easier to use a powerline adapter. Install your device in the adapter itself, usually via Ethernet or USB, after plugging it into a standard outlet.

Whenever a device is connected to a powerline adapter, it uses the electrical wiring within the wall for network connectivity.

When it comes to powerline networking, many questions arise.

Due to the fact that they stay on all of the time, they typically use a lot of energy.

Adapters that connect via power lines use very little electricity, making them an inexpensive, convenient way to connect to the Internet. As a result of my research into various powerline adapters, I found that they can consume as little as 2W of electricity.

Compared to other devices in your home, such as a TV or video game console, which use several hundred watts of electricity, powerline adapters aren't to be worried about when it comes to energy costs.

If powerline adapters are to work, they need to be connected to the same electrical circuit.

Based on some research, I concluded that powerline adapters will typically work across different circuits (upstairs and downstairs in a home, for example) but you may experience a performance decline.

What if you don't have a wall outlet for your powerline adapter? Wall outlets are often hard to find. Are extension leads an option?

Extension leads should work with powerline adapters, but manufacturers tend to advise against it since they can cause a significant drop in performance, and some may even block the signal completely.

I would recommend plugging your powerline adapter directly into a wall outlet whenever possible.

The question of how many powerline adapters can be connected to one network has been asked.

Number of devices that can be used is not limited, but the number of electrical outlets and bandwidth available are. To ensure optimal performance, you may want to limit the number of adapters you use based on your bandwidth.

There are some limitations to using powerline networking even though it offers the same advantages as a wired Ethernet connection without the need to run new cables.

However, it remains much less popular than using Wi-Fi or Ethernet, which results in fewer options when it comes to buying an adapter.

In addition, powerline networking offers considerably slower speeds than Ethernet or Wi-Fi, and poor quality wiring found in older homes can impair the performance of a powerline network.

9. Diagram of two router networks

If you have just one router in your home, adding a second gives you even more options when it comes to expanding and managing your network.

In addition to providing better wired and wireless coverage throughout your house, a second router can improve overall performance.

Having two routers connected to your home network offers you the following benefits:

• There are likely to be just a few LAN ports available on your primary router for connecting wired devices (four or five, if you're lucky). By adding a second router, you can provide more devices with wired connectivity without having to purchase additional switches.
• Mixing wired and wireless is easy with a second router. It allows you to connect some devices with Wi-Fi capabilities while you have a wired home network. The routers can be separated in the sense that the wired devices would still connect to the primary router, while the wireless devices would connect to the secondary router. Wired devices should be placed at the opposite end of the house from wireless ones to take advantage of this feature.
• Two routers can be set up to isolate certain devices in your home if certain devices in your home use the network connection heavily. This prevents a significant amount of network traffic from affecting other devices. If your Smart TV is streaming video, you may want to isolate a PC that transfers large files often or plays a lot of online games from the one streaming video.
• Enhanced wireless coverage: Adding a second router simply extends your existing Wi-Fi network, which will increase coverage in your home and ensure that all your devices are connected stable and securely.
• As a backup, it doesn't hurt to have a functional router if the primary one fails.

When setting up a second router, you can choose between LAN-to-LAN or LAN-to-WAN connections.

You can extend your existing LAN connection and SSID (Service Set Identifier) to include the second router with LAN-to-LAN. With this configuration, you can share files between devices regardless of the router to which they are connected.

A LAN-to-WAN network works differently because it creates a second network within your main network, which allows you to restrict what devices can connect to it. It's a good idea if you want to isolate certain devices on your network, but it won't let you share files between networks.

As I've given a detailed tutorial on how to set up a second router, you may want to consider investing in a network switch instead of a router, or a wireless access point if you want to make better use of Wi-Fi over Ethernet.

Final Thoughts

Here are a quick recap of the nine different network layouts we discussed:

• Relies exclusively on Wi-Fi
• Ethernet: Relies exclusively on Ethernet
• Wireless and Ethernet: Combines both wired and wireless connectivity
• Direct to modem: Provides a connection to a single device, but is not recommended
• Ethernet switch: Provides more Ethernet connections
• Improves Wi-Fi signal coverage with a wireless access point
• Using the existing telephone line wiring for network connections
• Networking over power lines: Using existing electrical wiring
• Improves both wired and wireless coverage with two routers

I use both Ethernet and Wi-Fi for my home network. In order to provide my most used devices with the best possible performance, I have provided my gaming PC and my TV with an Ethernet connection, while reserving my Wi-Fi connection for devices that cannot make use of Ethernet, such as my smartphone.

I also have a network switch to increase the number of Ethernet connections I have available, instead of having to rely on the few on the back of my router.

This article on possible home network layouts may have helped you to gain a better understanding of which might work best for you.