Networking Recommendations
Good networking equipment is essential to avoid packet loss.
- Wireless Card
- GIGABYTE GC-WB1733D-I
- I don't think you need anything especially fancy in a wireless card. They'll never match up to Ethernet, but I've had good experiences with cheap GIGABYTE wireless cards. Other Intel-based cards should be equivalent. The important thing I'd say is to make sure you get one with a detatched antenna to avoid interference from your metal computer case.
- Buy at:
- Router
- See: https://packetlosstest.com/fixing
- Ethernet Cable
- No wireless system can beat a physical Ethernet cable.
- Indoor Cable
- Amazon Basics Cat-5 Patch Cable
- If you just need a bunch of short Ethernet cables, Amazon Basics gives you the best bang for your buck since the cost of short cables is mostly shipping.
- Buy at:
- Outdoor Cable
- GearIT Cat6 Outdoor Ethernet Cable
- This is a fantastic deal on quality outdoor Ethernet cable suitable for outdoor use, including rain and burying.
- Buy at:
- GearIT Cat6 Outdoor Ethernet Cable - UV Resistant
- This is pretty much the same thing but with added UV resistance so it will hold up for a long time, even in direct sunlight.
- Buy at:
- Switch
- A switch lets you essentially add more Ethernet ports to a device. As long as you get a gigabit switch, all switches are pretty much going to be the same and very affordable.
- CPE
- If you need to beam wireless to an outdoor building, the best way is with a pair of CPEs. Read Ars Technica's guide here. Just buy a CPE for your house, a CPE for your other building, and a wireless access point to broadcast the new wireless connection. Note that if you are using PoE, you can use the included PoE injector or make sure to buy a PoE switch.
- TP-Link 2.4GHz N300
- Buy at:
- Mounting Pole
- Fixed Base Heater Stand
- I find a heater stand to be a very suitable simple pole to mount CPEs to.
- Buy at:
- Wireless Access Point
- If you just need a dumb wireless access point to extend your network coverage.
- TP-Link EAP225 v3
- This is a pretty solid wireless access point for a fairly reasonable price.
- Buy at: