This year is destined to be an extraordinary and tumultuous year for cloud storage services. Following the closure of personal storage services by Kingsoft KuaiPan, Huawei Cloud, and Sina Weipan, on October 20, 360 Cloud also announced its impending shutdown. Even though Baidu Cloud and Weiyun are still operational, their futures are not very promising, and online storage has returned to square one overnight.
Recently, everyone has been transferring their data from 360 Cloud to avoid future accessibility issues, and I feel sorry for my several terabytes of movies…
Let’s not discuss how long Baidu Cloud and Weiyun can survive; even in terms of service quality, it is quite pessimistic. Weiyun has speed limits, and Baidu Cloud has speed limits, and there’s even an SVIP tier on top of the VIP! Why should important data be stored online? Isn’t it better to keep it on your hard drive? As someone who relies heavily on the internet, I have gotten used to not carrying a USB drive when I go out. No matter how much data I have, I just drag it to the cloud, and when I need it, I can download it locally as long as I connect to the internet. The convenience is unmatched.
So, in this era, where should we store our important data? Besides Baidu Cloud and Weiyun, we have other options:
Building a home NAS. The advantages of a home NAS for cloud storage users are numerous. First, there’s no need to rely on others; it’s your own stuff, and you can store whatever you want. Second, data security is guaranteed; the chances of hard drive failure are significantly lower. Finally, privacy is higher; when used as a media center, the movies stored inside will definitely not turn into a gourd baby.
Now, let’s share some important considerations for setting up a home network.
Choosing and Installing Network Cables
Selecting and Setting Up Wireless Routers
Choosing a Home File Storage System NAS
Accessing External Networks Wisely
1. Choosing and Installing Network Cables
With the continuous increase in network bandwidth and the decrease in costs, 100 Mbps network bandwidth has entered ordinary households, and 1 Gbps networks are not too far away. Considering the connections between devices in a home local area network, it is necessary to set up a gigabit network system during home renovations.
First, let’s talk about choosing network cables. Both Cat 5e and Cat 6 cables available on the market can meet gigabit transmission needs, but what are the differences between the two?
Cat 5e cables are cheaper and easier to connect, but they have a weaker anti-interference capability.
Cat 6 cables are slightly more expensive and a bit more complex to connect, but they have strong anti-interference capabilities and stable transmission.
To ensure network transmission efficiency, it is recommended to use Cat 6 cables.
The left Cat 6 cable contains a cross skeleton, reducing crosstalk between wire pairs and improving network transmission efficiency.
When purchasing network cables, you might notice they are divided into unshielded and shielded cables. How should one choose between the two?
Shielded cables require a complete grounding system, but most home and even commercial network devices do not have grounding designs, so their signal shielding characteristics cannot be utilized. On the contrary, if the shielding layer is not grounded, it will become a huge antenna,collecting surrounding electromagnetic signals that interfere with the cable itself, resulting in lower network performance than unshielded cables.
Therefore, during home renovations, it is sufficient to choose Cat 6 unshielded cables.
Some households use 2 copper wires from the network cable for telephone lines, which is not advisable. Only all 8 copper wires must be plugged into the crystal head or interface module to achieve gigabit bandwidth, so network and telephone lines must be laid separately. If conditions permit, it is recommended to replace the telephone lines with network cables, as network cables are much more durable and resistant to pulling than regular telephone lines, and can also be directly converted into network interfaces when necessary.
Typically, a 100-meter network cable is enough for a 100-square-meter three-bedroom apartment. It is advisable to estimate the amount of network cable needed based on the area and layout of the house to avoid delays in renovation due to insufficient purchases.
Crystal heads and crimping tools are also very important. Make sure to buy genuine crystal heads, as the copper wires in Cat 6 cables are relatively stiff, making it a bit tiring to attach crystal heads. Many genuine crystal heads come with a small head for assisting wire arrangement, which makes it easier to arrange wires and improves the success rate of crimping the crystal head.
Once you have selected the network cable and crystal heads, you can start wiring.
First, plan which rooms need reserved network ports and which rooms will use wireless networks. For rooms with high network bandwidth demands and many network devices (such as living rooms, studies, etc.), double network ports can be reserved. The master bedroom and secondary bedroom can be determined based on actual needs (such as whether there is a TV box) whether to reserve network ports. Kitchens and bathrooms usually do not require network ports.
Network cables buried in walls must be installed through conduits, and high-quality PVC pipes should be chosen.
To avoid crosstalk, network cables and electrical wires must be installed in different conduits and kept at a certain distance.PVC pipes should not have too small bending angles, as Cat 6 cables contain cross skeletons, which makes them less flexible, and larger angles can reduce the difficulty of threading later and facilitate future cable changes.
As various network devices increase, to maintain the overall aesthetics of the home, it is recommended to purchase a weak current box during renovations to house all network devices. The weak current box should be large enough, and the space layout should be reasonable. It is best to choose an ABS plastic panel to avoid affecting WiFi signal transmission. The weak current box should have power supply for devices like routers and optical modems. Additionally, the color of the weak current box should match the overall home decoration style.
2. Selecting and Setting Up Wireless Routers
For devices that are relatively fixed, such as smart TVs andNAS, which require high bandwidth, it is better to connect them with cables, while mobile devices like smartphones and tablets are more suitable for wireless connections. Therefore, setting up a home wireless network system is very necessary.
First, let’s talk about selecting wireless routers.
If you have a one-bedroom or two-bedroom small apartment, a regular gigabit wireless router will suffice.
Regular wireless routers are suitable for small apartments.
Regular routers haveWAN andLAN ports.
WAN port (Wide Area Network port) usually has1 port, used to connect to the upstream network (WAN).
Common access methods include PPPOE, fixed IP, DHCP, PPTP, L2TP.
Home broadband access is usually via PPPOE.
LAN ports (Local Area Network ports) usually have4 ports, used to connect local network devices.
WiFi signals are greatly affected by walls, so if your home has many walls, it is advisable to purchase routers with strong wall-penetrating capabilities. Wall-penetrating capabilities depend on the router’s power, chip type, antenna gain, antenna design, and soldering quality. It is recommended to choose a gigabit AC router that supports DD.
Most wireless routers now have both 2.4G and 5G frequency bands. What are the differences between the two?
2.4G has a stronger wall-penetrating capability than 5G.
Here,2.4G and5G refer to the transmission frequency bands, measured inGHz. In simple terms, this means the frequency of the transmitted signal is different. Most routers have the2.4G signal turned on, and devices like microwaves, Bluetooth, and wireless mice also operate on the2.4G frequency, so2.4G networks are subject to considerable interference.
The advantage of the 2.4G network is that it has a strong wall-penetrating capability and a wide coverage area.
In contrast, the 5G network has a weaker wall-penetrating capability but is less susceptible to interference from other devices, resulting in faster speeds.
Many routers now offer guest network functionality, allowing guests to have a separate wireless network isolated from the owner’s network. To facilitate guests’ internet access, a WiFi password may not be set. Guest networks can have speed limits to prevent them from consuming too much bandwidth and affecting the owner’s internet experience. As the two networks are independent, it also mitigates security risks for the owner’s network.
Many wireless routers are primarily suitable for small apartments. What if you have a large apartment or even a villa? In that case, you will need to use AP.
AP stands for Access Point, primarily used for broadband homes, buildings, and parks. AP comes in indoor and outdoor types, with indoor coverage of30-100 meters and outdoor coverage reaching800 meters.
In wireless network engineering, AP is further divided into fat AP and thin AP.
Fat AP integrates control and transmission, and each AP is relatively independent and can be used as a wireless signal transmitter connected to a local area network. This type of AP is relatively simple and flexible in configuration and deployment, but its coordination and cooperation capabilities among multiple APs are weaker.
Thin AP theoretically only possesses wireless signal transmission capabilities and must be used in conjunction with AC (Access Controller) to function, allowing coordination among various APs to create a powerful and relatively seamless wireless local area network. However, this requires a complete system, and the cost and maintenance investment for the equipment will exceed that of fat AP.
For ordinary household users, fat AP is sufficient as it is relatively easy to deploy and does not require a large investment.
When installing an AP in the bedroom, it is best to add a power switch so that it can be turned off while sleeping to avoid light pollution and radiation.
