Hello all,

I have been hard at work redesigning my home and office networks to increase connectivity and speed. Most recently, I just finished running ethernet cables to each of my Nighthawk APs, changed the main Nighthawk node to WAP mode, configured my Asus RT-AX82U router to act as a gateway (giving me more security features without paying for NETGEAR’s subscription), and removing some devices that are not often used. I also upgraded my cable splitter on the outside of the house with a gold-plated 2.5Ghz Cable Matters version, as I was attempting to set up some MoCA adapters before I decided to just go the ethernet route. I am currently on cable internet as there is no fiber yet near me, so I am limited to my 1.2Gbps plan; however, with all of the recent upgrades I have done, I am now finally actually getting those speeds.

With any changes to a network, proper documentation is vital to ensuring one always knows how each piece of equipment in their system communicates with each other, as well as be able to easily plan upgrades by visually seeing where any bottlenecks may be. So, I spent some time updating my network diagram and figured I would share it with you all.

Old

New

As you can see, the general layout of my network has been simplified as much as possible, and I included devices that are not in use (this will help for future expansions, so I don’t buy things I don’t need). Eventually, I will set up another site in UniFi to replace the Nighthawk/Asus equipment for the rest of the house, but until Wi-Fi 7 devices get cheaper, this will have to do. I believe I will only need another cloud key (or some form of gateway) and possibly another small UniFi switch in the utility room that houses my modem. I currently have 2 older UniFi WAPs I could utilize, but I believe I would need to upgrade them to get better speeds than my current setup.

Everybody creates diagrams in their own way, and my creation is rather odd; however, as I am the only one who will use this, creating it how you want it is ideal. I like to be able to visualize the borders of each segmented network, and also use the diagram to assist me in tracing routes and diagnosing errors. There is no real wrong way to diagram a network (at least for personal situations), so have fun with it!