bdo21 Posted September 11, 2017 Share Posted September 11, 2017 I am finally about to embark on building a new house and while I have fully designed the Control4 system with a dealer, I won't be able to install it immediately after when we finish the build but probably 6-12 months when finances have recovered a little... We will have all the network cabling and other infrastructure done during the build and I am wondering about the networking. I have a friend who is a network engineer (but not in the AV/home automation space) who can help me with the installation. Is there a best practices guide to how networking should be setup to optimise a Control4 installation? For example, use of VLANs and what devices to setup on each, what firewall systems work well, etc. Also, is there a benefit in going for Pakedge over a networking system such as Ubiquiti's Unifi? I want a system which I as a technical user but not networks expert can follow myself without always needing to call my dealer. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cyknight Posted September 11, 2017 Share Posted September 11, 2017 Generally speaking, you do not WANT to setup VLANS or local firewalls - at least not between anything C4 that needs to talk to each ther, not to m,ention that using managed switches is not recommended either. Yes, it's not impossible to use all this, but frankly, either your dealer needs to be able to work with it, or work with you or your friend, to make this work. I realize this may sound unfriendly, but I'm thinking that if you need to wait for 6-12 months for finances to rebound in order to be able to pay for your C4 system, it seems unlikely that you're going to have a house setup that really needs advanced VLANS to begin with? Regardless, the above still counts - your friend will likely have to work with your dealer to make this work. As for Ubiquity - there is no 'block' on using it at all - the one advantage that really stands out with pakaedge is that it's now 'part' of C4, so easier to deal with for your dealer and availability of drivers for certain functions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zaphod Posted September 11, 2017 Share Posted September 11, 2017 I am using the Ubiquiti Unifi devices and are very happy with them. I would highly recommend them, and the software controller makes it easier to keep an eye on your network. I have several WAPs in my house and the USG router. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elvis Posted September 12, 2017 Share Posted September 12, 2017 16 hours ago, bdo21 said: I have fully designed the Control4 system with a dealer If you like this dealer, then I recommend getting him involved in the network. Otherwise, he is going to "blame it on the network" when something doesn't work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dcovach Posted September 12, 2017 Share Posted September 12, 2017 4 minutes ago, Elvis said: If you like this dealer, then I recommend getting him involved in the network. Otherwise, he is going to "blame it on the network" when something doesn't work. Haha... I love it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cyknight Posted September 12, 2017 Share Posted September 12, 2017 3 hours ago, dcovach said: Haha... I love it And the dealer may even be right. But yeah get them involved - for your OWN sake. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prabeau Posted September 12, 2017 Share Posted September 12, 2017 I got my dealer involved Thanks to this forum some time ago I introduced my dealer to Ubiquiti Its now his go to network gear. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rolldog Posted January 15, 2018 Share Posted January 15, 2018 I use Ubiquiti too. I have the USG 4 Pro, 24 Port Switch, 2 x 16 Port Switches, 2 x 8 Port Switches, and 5 UniFi APs. I've never had any problems, and all my APs use the same SSID, with Fast Roaming enabled, so when someone walks around the house, they automatically connect to the AP with the strongest signal, which is handy, especially when using WiFi calling on my phone. I have 85 clients on my home network and haven't ever had any issues. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ecschnei Posted January 17, 2018 Share Posted January 17, 2018 On 1/14/2018 at 11:30 PM, rolldog said: I use Ubiquiti too. I have the USG 4 Pro, 24 Port Switch, 2 x 16 Port Switches, 2 x 8 Port Switches, and 5 UniFi APs. I've never had any problems, and all my APs use the same SSID, with Fast Roaming enabled, so when someone walks around the house, they automatically connect to the AP with the strongest signal, which is handy, especially when using WiFi calling on my phone. I have 85 clients on my home network and haven't ever had any issues. +1 Ubiquiti Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
88Tiger88 Posted May 7, 2018 Share Posted May 7, 2018 On 9/11/2017 at 1:26 PM, zaphod said: I am using the Ubiquiti Unifi devices and are very happy with them. I would highly recommend them, and the software controller makes it easier to keep an eye on your network. I have several WAPs in my house and the USG router. Are you using EA-5, and some other device like IPTV and NAS... etc? I am also try make some decision between Pakedge and UniFi, not 100% sure any advantage with pricy RK-1 solutions. Pakedge managed router cost even more.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eggzlot Posted May 7, 2018 Share Posted May 7, 2018 Pakedge was too expensive for me. I have a blend of Mikrotik routers, Cisco switches and Unifi APs. I have a Fing box so I can set up tons of alerts, know when things are down, find IP addresses, ping devices, etc. Did not look into the managed services offered via Pakedge but the OVRC seemed close to what Fing can offer and Fing is a fraction of the price. For rebooting I have important gear on a Panamax blubolt that I can remotely reboot. May be more slick to have it in 1 interface (Pakedge or OVRC/Snap) but for cost/ease and my own sanity this all works. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
88Tiger88 Posted May 7, 2018 Share Posted May 7, 2018 1 hour ago, eggzlot said: Pakedge was too expensive for me. I have a blend of Mikrotik routers, Cisco switches and Unifi APs. I have a Fing box so I can set up tons of alerts, know when things are down, find IP addresses, ping devices, etc. Did not look into the managed services offered via Pakedge but the OVRC seemed close to what Fing can offer and Fing is a fraction of the price. For rebooting I have important gear on a Panamax blubolt that I can remotely reboot. May be more slick to have it in 1 interface (Pakedge or OVRC/Snap) but for cost/ease and my own sanity this all works. Good feedback, agree re-boot can do over bluebolt. Thanks!!! What about performance between Pakedge over UniFi or MikroTik? Is managed switch with VLAN give any performance advanced over flat configuration? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eggzlot Posted May 7, 2018 Share Posted May 7, 2018 20 minutes ago, 88Tiger88 said: Good feedback, agree re-boot can do over bluebolt. Thanks!!! What about performance between Pakedge over UniFi or MikroTik? Is managed switch with VLAN give any performance advanced over flat configuration? i have zero vlans. my system performs fine. i've had a few hiccups which I believe are the Cisco switch. I may look to replace soon, but I did some tweaking in the UI and things did stabilize. I have a Tik router and Unifi APs and they work fine together. cant compare to others since prior I had a linksys router and no APs. From my understanding - Pakedge is fine - it is priced at a premium so dealers can make their margins AND it comes stock with firmware ripe for C4 use out of the box. Tik and Unifi are sold direct to consumer, not through the custom install channels (Araknis and Luxul are also sold via the custom install channel as examples). If you are having issues and C4 thinks it is networking, they can troubleshoot your Pakedge equipment. If you have another router, C4 support may shy away from it - how many devices/hardware by 3rd parties can they support? So I think buying into Pakedge is more about getting holistic c4 support from the start vs "better" selling Pakedge as superior hardware. In the end - your first line of support/defense is your dealer - so work with them - what systems have they deployed and supported? A good dealer likely has their go to networking hardware so they can install and troubleshoot - if you trust your dealer, that is likely your best option for a network - what they know and support. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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