Welcome to Ethernet Blueprint - Creating a Blueprint for a better home network.
About This Channel:
Are you building your dream home and want to ensure a seamless and high-speed network experience? Look no further! Ethernet Blueprint is here to empower you with the knowledge and expertise needed to plan and set up a top-notch Ethernet wiring system. Say goodbye to Wi-Fi dead zones and laggy connections - we've got you covered!
💡 Key Topics We Cover:
🔹 Ethernet Cable Types & Standards: Cat5e, Cat6, Cat6a, or Cat7? We'll demystify these options and help you pick the best one for your needs.
🔹 Network Planning & Design: Learn how to strategically place network outlets and access points for optimal coverage throughout your home.
🔹 Future-Proofing Your Network: Stay ahead of the curve with insights into emerging technologies and trends in home networking.
🌐 Let's Connect:
Visit our website www.ethernetblueprint.com
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My parents recently built a home in Alberta, Canada. Builder had no idea what is a CAT 6a network. So, I worked with my dad and wired the entire house with 2 drops per room. Also we decided to not to wire for coax because no one use cable/stat TV anymore.
That move will pay off big time in the long run. Nice job. Curious- where did you put the network head end? Where did you pull all the cables back to?
Enjoy your content! Keep it up
Thanks. I appreciate the comment. Will do.
Hi I have unifi controller and have created default LAN as normal and a guest LAN to work with guest wifi and 1 default wifi .. perfect when guest come over they use guest and work laptops go on guest also simple... BUT I want to setup another VLAN and Wifi called TESTLAN & TESTLAN WIFI so I can connect test laptops and pc`s that have internet and can only talk on TESTLAN not default please I'm struggling to set this up as the current TESTLAN & TESTLAN WIFI can talk to my default LAN & Wifi devices also ... please help i want full separation on the test LAN please i think i can do it with Firewall rule on LAN but not sure how !
The easy way to do this is to create your new VLAN and check the isolate network in the advanced settings on that screen. This will allow your devices on that network to communicate with each other, but not with the other parts of the network. No firewall rules to set. just a simple checkbox.
@ethernetblueprint thank you I don't have that option in the settings nor do i have no internet option in the end just had to create a firewall rule on lan in to to drop all :) works well
Thank you! Bought rt2600 a few years ago because of parental controls. Thought i knew everything but you showed some new tricks (another network for kids). Quick question: does ubiquiti have similar filters and restrictions for parental controls?
UniFi does have some filtering that work similarly, but not as detailed as safe access. I typically don’t use the UniFi filtering for that because I have never been happy with it. The device I used to filter my kids traffic is firewalla.
Great video! I just got a design account to use this!
Nice. Excited that you’re learning. I also have another video on using design center too.
Such a well made video and a VERY helpful analysis - no fluff or useless info, straight to the point, not boring, covering off on all important points. Thank you!! Just subscribed. I'll now have to look into whether i can connect a WiFi 7 AP wirelessly with a WiFi 5 router (or through a moca connector, but that's another $100).
Thank you for the compliment. I really enjoy making these videos. I couldn’t tell in the second part of your comment if you were talking about wirelessly connecting a UniFi Wi-Fi 7 AP with a UniFi Wi-Fi 5 device. Ubiquity can only mesh with other ubiquity products. I will tell you that if you have the option for physically cabling it, you’re gonna get way better speeds. I don’t think ubiquity has quite got mesh throughput figured out yet.
Thanks!
Wow. I’m honored. Thanks.
My next next payday I plant to buy you course. I appreciate everything you did for me.
First time home (builder grade townhouse in NJ) buyer here with the house just completing framing inspection this week. Knew nothing about networking till the builder told me that 10 drops and an attic to basement/panel conduit are included in price and i had to choose the locations for those. And i have been diving into rabbit holes since, and here I am now looking at my options of various level and am utterly conused. Infra I got 1 cat 6 drop in all rooms and basement, one at the back and one at the front of the building for cameras which i plan to split with a outdoor poe switch like the flex if more cameras are required. the house will have 2 ceiling APs, on the main and the upper floor but none in the basement where I could add a wall AP if required ISP: Provides fiber upto 2 Gbps and whole home internet" included in the price which i plan to take initially since the router is needed for any trouble shooting and just in case Options i am considering: 1. Use Verizon Fios router - connect a tp link poe++ 205 gbe switch to it and get a couple of omada waps and a 4 reolink/amcrest poe cameras and a wifi doorbell with a supported/reolink nvr 2. Same as above but use a surveilance station on a synology/qnap NAS instead of the nvr to not lock myself in the reolink ecosystem 3. Get a unifi express/gateway ultra, a unifi POE switch, couple of U6/7 pros/lrs and keep the reolink/amcrest camera with NVR seperate + a NAS system 4. Get an e2e unifi system with the UDM Pro Se, a POE switch, U6/7 APs, g5 bullets (Cost of pros are hard to swallow for bullets), a used G4 pro doorbell + a NAS Confused whether to a purpose built 4 bay NAS like synology/qnap or Ugreen with truenas or a mini PC/computer with a connected DAS for storage Suggestions welcome :)
Hey Tim, great tips! One thing that I did prior to setting up my UniFi system was to create an Excel spreadsheet listing all of my connected devices along with their Mac addresses. This made the transition and identification so much easier, especially for IoT.
That is super smart. GREAT suggestion.
Wi-Fi Preshared Keys are not available if WPA3 enabled (mandatory for 6 GHz). I forced to use separate Wi-Fi networks with its own passwords.
Yes... at the time, I did not know that. I am hoping that is fixed in the near future. Thanks for the comment to let viewers know!
What are your thoughts on the fan in the U7 Pro/U7 Pro Max in terms of long term deployments? Having to service moving parts on an AP in either an enterprise or residential situation sounds like a big potential problem. I'm upgrading from a 10 year old (maybe older) home router to OPNsense + an external AP and the Unifi controller has a lot of nice bells and whistles I like. But I'm looking at that fan vent in the u7 models and thinking, "what happens when that fan fails?" because it will fail eventually. Do I need to have a cold spare AP sitting around? It feels like I'm taking on a lot of added uncertainty vs the U6 Enterprise. But maybe I'm just overthinking it?
I’ll be honest, until I read this, I didn’t know they had a fan in them. I have a U7 pro in my living room and have never heard a fan noise once. I do tend to agree that this new development could cause issues down the road but I guess I’m norm worried about that. I do know that the U6 LR and U6E APs get super hot so maybe this will help.
Awesome video, tanx
Just so you know I have an updated version of this video called “Let’s make some VLANs” on my page that uses the newer interface of UniFi. Less long and more to the point as well.
I can still access to it’s own gateway even when port 80; 443; 22 is disabled.
Thanks for this. Just got my UDM SE. Still waiting on the U6+ to arrive. Will definitely watch this again when I'm actually ready to get things working.
I hope it helps... And welcome to Unifi. I hope you like it!
One thing I would also add here in the camera options and POE Switching aspect is understanding the wattage each camera is going to take and what kind of switch to get. For example 4K Cameras take if I’m not mistaken 15-20w per camera, so if you get a 100W maximum switch this means you have a the capacity of 5 camera. You kinda touched on it with the power rating comment but it doesn’t matter as much if it’s Poe + or ++ but that’ll impact your CCTV implementation dramatically. My CCTV, switching, and actual cameras took the maximum Poe capacity and ended up having to replace my initial unmanaged switch with a dedicated ubiquiti switch.
Yes, this is something that you definately want to keep an eye on. It is one of the reasons I like to use UDM SE's for cameras because there is 180W of total power on them that you can use for cameras. I will add that I have a G4 Pro and it is pulling around 6W of power most of the time, so 60W will go pretty far until you get in to larger deployments. Thanks for watching and commenting!
Thanks. I learn something new today.
Glad to hear it!
Great video, good level of detail, well presented.
Wow... Thanks. And thanks for watching.
Follow on comment and request, I’d be interested in a video on linking the system to Google Drive or One Drive. I hope they’ll add sending real time recordings to another NVR or CKGen2 in the future.
At this time, I am fairly certain you can save Unifi recordings to synology, however, in doing some quick research, it seems to be something that isn't officially supported. I haven't looked into this much and would need some more testing to create a video around it. Thanks for watching!
Does adding a 2nd NVR unit increase the number of cameras or just expand storage? BTW, The NVR runs Protect App but not the Network app. I’m hoping they’ll add loitering detection in the future.
Just expands the storage capacity which helps increase the number of cameras but ultimately just storage since you can’t connect the NVR to the camera directly
Great video! As mentioned in one of your previous videos, pre-planning is really important. In my case I started with 1 AP (thinking that it would be enough) and I am now up to 4, unless you do not want to count the one in our RV parked next to the house where the 7 year old grand daughters love GLAMPING on the weekends and they would really complain. I believe the only only thing I would say is that if there is any possible way to bypass the Ultra Series switch and go straight to maybe a Pro 24 PoE switch or the Promax Series that would be my choice, as the Ultra Series does not have a 10G SFP port on it. This means that all the processing is done by the UDMPro or SE where as I believe that the Pro 24 Switch handles all the camera data processing and sends it directly to the UNVR via the 10G SPF port. Not totally sure, but I believe that is how it is handled, leaving the UDMPro to do its normal things. Agreed, the SE is the way to go as I have the UDMPro that does not have PoE on the 8 ports. Camera wise started with a few and now have 13.
You have fallen into the "Unifi Trap"... Setups always start out small and grow and grow... Sounds like a good setup over there! Thanks for taking the time to share and comment! Much appreciated!
Great video ! Thanks for sharing your knowledge and your own experience with us. 😃
I enjoy this. Happy to help!
First. !!!
Trophy. !!!
Thanks for the great advice! Can the Express accommodate the static IP address from my isp?
I had to fire one of mine up to verify, but yes, it can do a static IP on the WAN, +PPPoE and assigning a VLAN... same as other Unifi devices...
You can just scan the QR code on the back of the unit with the UISP app and it will connect automatically and take you straight to the setup of the unit.
Never tried... I may have to try that!
Great video, Tim. Thank you so much!
Glad you liked it!
good vid
Thanks very much!
I had no idea about the "new" Wifi Pre-shared Key assignments to different networks, that's cool. Thank you for explaining and showing that.
Its my pleasure...
Great video. I just upgraded to a 2gig fiber. So far I have the UDM SE and a U6+ what access points can I get to take full advantage of the 2Gigs? PS: I might need to mesh because the house walls are pretty isolating.
In terms of ethernet ports, the UDM SE only has a 2GbE WAN (internet) port, the rest are 1GbE. So you would need to connect the UDM to another switch that has 2.5GbE LAN ports via the SFP+ port (10GbE). The current Ubiquiti switches with 2GbE LAN ports would include the Pro Max line as well as the Enterprise PoE switches.
Well it depends on what you think of as "taking advantage of the 2Gig"... Even WiFi7 APs will struggle with getting 2Gb speeds to a single device over wifi... However if you think of it more as sharing that 2Gig across the network and allowing more devices to connect faster, then most of the WiFi6/7 APs will let you take advantage of faster internet speeds... The WiFi 6E and WiFi 7 APs have 2.5Gb ports on them so they can handle faster speeds when connected to a switch that can do the same... Not sure I understand you mesh comment, but if your forced to "mesh" your APs together wirelessly and not have the physically connected to the network, then nothing is going to get you close to those speeds... meshing drastictically kills speeds with Unifi... but maybe I am not understanding what you mean by that...
@@ethernetblueprint thank you for your response! My thought process was in that same direction. I managed to order a ubiquiti switch that handles 2.5GbE PoE+, an extra access point (U7 pro) and a SFP+ cable to connect the switch to my UDM SE. Though all devices will not get 2 gig speeds, they will still get for more better speeds with that setup!
@@ethernetblueprint the mesh component was from the Ubiquiti perspective on how one can advertise the same SSIDs on all physically connected access points.
I like the Ultra because I don't really need the cameras support, but I really wish it had SFP+ WAN/LAN, first to connect it directly to the WAN fiber and second to be future proof
Yes... I agree, that would be nice. But it would knock it out of that super low price point. They will probably come out with something that has that. I'm sure you are not alone.
@@ethernetblueprint I hope so! Something like a "UniFi Dream Machine Lite" or a "Cloud Gateway Ultra Pro" (but with a better name 😅)
One of the best, if not, the best unifi firewall tutorial on youtube. You explain it so well!! Question for you: I didn't need to block the ssh,http,https ports on my vlan gateways, i just blocked the gateway ips. Did you block the ports just for that extra security? Thanks!
Thanks for the watch and compliment. The local rules are there just to block assess to the gateway when on the restricted VLANs. If the rule you created does the same thing, then you don't need them. I would double check though that you can't access the gateway from your restricted VLANs. I have never just blocked the gateway as I don't know what that will do.... But I have had so many people ask me that I think I am going to test it and see what happens. Thanks again for the comment!
@@ethernetblueprint Thanks for the quick reply. So I blocked the IOT vlan from accessing the IOT gateway by just blocking the IOT gateway IP. I never blocked the ports. It works perfectly. Should I block the ports as extra security?
If you can't access the device via its local IP address, then I would say problem solved...
Thanks!
You bet!
Thanks for this great video but I have a question about the rule to block the IOT network from it's own gateway, why can't you just combine it into one group with the port group? It seems redundant to create a separate rule for this.
I actually need to test this a little more. I have a lot of people ask me this question and to be honest, this is the way I have always done it and have never just blocked the gateway. I will have to test and get back to the group!
If you were trying to add some reach to yard for gardening devices/connecting while walking dog/working in yard(100-150 ft or so radius) would you just mount an Indoor one with Wifi 7/6ghz on the inside of house to supplement u7 pro you have on the other ends of house or would you say it's actually beneficial to use an actual outdoor like u7 outdoor or u6 mesh?
I typically recommend having an outdoor AP for something like this. If you think about it this way, your home is built to keep hot/cold air where it is supposed to be, suppress sounds and and be sturdy. This isn't good for WiFi signal to pass through... especially if you want to use the faster bands like 5Ghz or 6Ghz. I would put an AP outside if you can. They will shoot out pretty far.
Don't make the mistake of buying an overpriced 1GBE network in 2024!
I honestly feel like 1Gb will be enough for most homes unless there are special circumstances. But that is me.
This is a great video. My question is, if I'm only interested in six wired devices now (cameras, doorbell and chime, AP, and IOT device), can I buy a Dream Machine SE and expand to a switch later when I need more ports? Thanks
Yes you can. Just make sure that whatever you plug in, meets the power requirements of the SE. There are 6 standard POE ports and 2 POE+ ports. By the look of your list, should be just fine. Your AP may require one of the POE+ ports though.
Outstanding! Thank you!
You're very welcome!
Thanks so much for a great video. I have tried for a while but now I finally have got my VLANs to work. I even used my knowledge from the video to figure out how to get all my Denon/HEOS stuff to work on the IoT! Much obliged! Just two small question if you don’t mind though. Should I not block access to the gateway from the guest network? I have tried to understand the rules ubiquity has given me but I don’t seem to find that? Next a more general question. In the firewall rules from ubiquity there are 4 “accept” at the end. What good are they if no “drop” after them? Maybe I have misunderstood something?
I would make sure you block access to the gateway from your guest network.. (either with your own rules or the built in ones) If you hit the guest checkbox for that VLAN and let it do it for you, I believe it will block access to the gateway for you without you putting in any FW rules. It isolates that network and only allows guest to get the internet. Hope that helps!
Tips with Names: 0:00 Intro 2:54 Tip 1 - Pre-plan your network BEFORE you start setting it up 5:00 Tip 2 - Don't have too many wifi networks 6:12 Tip 3 - Keep Console and Devices up to date w/ Official Release Versions 8:11 Tip 4 - Make sure Automatic Backups are set up 11:17 Tip 5 - Name your Network Devices 14:01 Tip 6 - Label your Switch Ports 15:53 Tip 7 - Identify your Client Devices 19:32 Tip 8 - Secure your network with Firewall Rules 21:15 Tip 9 - Enable Built-in Security Features 23:20 Tip 10 - Turn on Notifications 26:56 Tip 11 - Start with Automatic .... then adjust 28:39 Tip 12 - Optimize your Wi-fi Settings 35:30 Tip 13 - Turn on mDNS to help with network discovery across VLANs
Does any of Unifi cameras exposed in apple homekit?
I think you can but you have to integrate with home assistant or something similar first. I’m working on that and will do a video on it.
Should low voltage be run next to conduit? Or just run it through conduit for the hell of it? Can you put a y in Smurf tubing? Would speaker wire be better to terminate with connections or leave a brushed pass through faceplate for connecting directly? Doesn’t quality downgrade based on increased quantity of connections, especially HDMI?
When I talk about LV cabling, I am talking about network cabling (Cat6, Cat6A...). I don't know much about AV cabling to be honest and have been looking to team up with someone on my channel to help with questions like this... I will say this.... Different city/states have different rules for this. In Nebraska, we can have LV run next to power conduit with no problems, but you don't want to share a conduit with power. Typically it is recommended that LV cabing that is running horizontal to power lines (not in conduit) should be 12" away from it to avoid interference. I do like using smurf tubing for LV cabing and future proofing.
Should I run wires through conduit before the drywalls are up or run the lines outside of the conduit and have a clear path for future just in case purposes? How do you do a y in Smurf tubing?
I dont think you want a Y in the smurf tube. I have seen it where people will create an access panel and then run multple tubes back to that location. That allows them to run cables just about anywhere they want by jumping from tube to tube in the junction box. A "y" would not work well for fishing cabling. I like my LV cabing in the walls... but every project is different. I may need a bit more info before I can offer further advice.
I got tired of watching your video and not getting how much it will cost me a Unifi started kit. Too much bla bla bla and no substance.
Appreciate the feedback. That was an older video - one of my first. I redid the cost video later.
@@ethernetblueprint Can you supply me with a link to a better review. Thank you for your prompt answer.
Sorry for the delay. kzread.info/dash/bejne/lIGdubN6dbWne9I.html
Video idea, buy Netgear, TP-Link, D-Link managed switches and show the trunk port and port VLAN configuration with unifi integration for each. Sit back and enjoy the million+ views and hero worship. High level overviews are fine, but amateurs need practical examples.
I have thought about doing some videos on mixed environments like you suggested... Thanks!
Great tips video! I am about to setup a new Ubiquiti system in my home under construction.
Awesome. You will really like it. Its a great home system!
What about a wireless printer being on the default network, shouldnt it be on a seperate vlan?
That is a good question. I would say that this partly depends on the printer as some of them don't jump VLANs very well. However, I am a big fan on putting them on a different network and then allowing certain devices from the main network be able to communicate with it. Make sure you have mDNS turned on for both the printer network and the default as that helps modern printers communicate in these setups.
My phone is Wifi7.
Thanks for sharing. It is coming, that is for sure. Which phone do you have?
@@ethernetblueprint Google Pixel 8 Pro
Nice... Thanks for sharing!
Could you do the exact same setup in the cabinet but add the NVR.
I will see what I can do. I don't have any NVRs just sitting around.. but I will have more videos like this in order to help in any way I can.
@@ethernetblueprint The genesis of the question is I’m looking to setup up a new UI network in my house. I’ll probably end up having 8-10 4k cameras on the network. So I’m trying to figure out if I should get a single 24 port switch and isolate the camera traffic via a vlan or should I get 2 16 port switches and physically separate that camera traffic. My concern with the single switch solution is would 10 4k cameras constantly streaming to the NVR be overly impactful to other regular network traffic from iPads, Apple TVs etc.
Take a look at the video I just posted... It is all about the Unifi Protect and I talk about the NVRs quite a bit.... Personally, I would isolate it the traffic with VLAN, but there are lots of ways to look at it...
You easily earned a sub for this. I'm very new to unifi gateways after using pfsense for years and firewalla for a few months this was just what I needed after getting my UDM Pro SE up and running yesterday. I had my pfsense dialed in for years, but I wanted to get a more user-friendly network solution for my home just in case something happens to me. This tutorial is solid and I'll be employing much of this ruleset to my network to start as my basic setup is very similar to your example. Great job and Thanks!
Wow. Thank you very much. I am very pleased to hear that it helped you! Thanks for the sub!
This is great but I get an error saying 443 cannot be blocked as it is used by direct remote connect feature - even though it is only related to the IoT network!
I have ran into this before. The fix for this is to turn off Direct Remote Access (yes, you will still have remote access to your device). Leave the network application and go to your OS Settings --> Console Settings --> Direct Remote Access Checkbox (towards the bottom of the page), you can just uncheck that box and you won't get that error anymore.
Congratulations!Great tutorial and learling point
Glad it helped.