How I revamped my home network with Cat6a cables, WiFi 7, and a touch of Tolkien magic
Hey there, friends! Today, I want to share a little story about my recent experience with home network upgrades—a project I finally wrapped up in 2025. If you’ve ever felt the itch to get your home tech setup just right, hopefully, my journey will offer some useful tips and maybe a bit of inspiration.
Why I Chose to Do Home Network Upgrades
Starting the year, I knew it was time to bring my entire network up to speed—literally! With so many devices in a household these days, having a fast and organized network isn’t just a luxury; it’s essential. The primary goal was to replace aging infrastructure with robust solutions that can handle modern demands.
Cat6a Cables and Organized Patch Panels
I ran 8 new CAT6a cable lines throughout the house. These cables support higher data rates and give me plenty of speed headroom, which is great as we move toward more connected devices. I organized the patch panel meticulously, arranging everything logically by room and access points. It almost felt like putting together a puzzle, ensuring the order on the panel matched up perfectly with the wall plates.
This makes troubleshooting and future changes way easier. If you want to peek into a good patch panel setup, take a look at Fluke Networks’ overview.
Consolidating to a Single Powerful Switch
Before the upgrade, my network was running on three separate switches. I consolidated those into a single switch with 24 10GbE POE++ ports and 8 SFP+ ports. This means all my wired connections now enjoy blazing-fast speeds, and devices powered over Ethernet benefit from cleaner cabling.
Enter WiFi 7 Access Points
I replaced all the access points with brand-new WiFi 7 models that have multi-gig uplinks. Six access points now cover every corner of my home, ensuring solid wireless performance, even for the most bandwidth-hungry devices. If you’re curious about what WiFi 7 can do, you might find Wi-Fi Alliance’s WiFi 7 explainer quite enlightening.
Rack Organization and Cable Management
One of the most satisfying parts of this project was cleaning up my equipment rack. I decked it out from top to bottom: patch panel, new wire brush grommets, switch, router, blanks for future expansion, a shelf for non-mountable gear, and my PDU. Routing new bendable 90° patch cables through the grommets gave everything a neat, professional feel.
Smart Network Topology
The network isn’t just about speed; it also needed to be smart. I set up VLANs and multiple SSIDs to separate management, primary users, kids, IOT devices (both those needing LAN and WAN, and those only needing WAN), and guests. This separation helps keep things secure and running smoothly.
Adblocking and Network Security
I’m running multiple Pi-hole VMs to keep ads off my network for management, primary users, and guests. Interesting enough, child and IoT VLANs are set up as blackholes, so they get even stricter filtering. If you want to explore Pi-hole for yourself, check their official site at pi-hole.net.
A Touch of Fun: Lord of the Rings Naming
Because why not? Every device, VLAN, and SSID has a Lord of the Rings-inspired name. I call the rack itself “Teleperion”—it adds a bit of personality and makes recalling devices a tad more enjoyable.
What’s Next?
As of August 2025, funds are all spent, but next year I hope to add a rack-mounted NAS, UPS, and a server if the budget allows.
If you’re considering home network upgrades this year, remember it’s not just about the equipment. It’s the planning, labeling, and organization that make living with your network a joy. Thanks for tagging along on this little tour!
For more detailed guides, browsing SmallNetBuilder is always a good move.
Feel free to share your own network upgrade stories or questions—I’d love to hear them!