[Blog] Upgrading the home network for >1Gbps internet service part 1

 Recently Xfinity upgraded my service to 2100 Mb/s down, 300 Mb/s up. This is likely in no small part because of competition from ISPs such as Sail/Twist and Sonic starting to encroach on their monopoly. 

300Mbit up is a welcome change. Its still not the promise land of symmetric up/down of old Google Fiber, but its a step in the right direction. 

Moving to >1Gbps internet presents a challenge for wired networks as Gigabit ethernet has been the standard for more than a decade now. I adopted gigabit infrastructure relatively early on, but with a hodge-podge of consumer grade 4/5/8 port unmanaged gigabit switches.

Past Upgrades

Last year I finally upgraded to a CRS326-24G+2S-RM managed switch as my backbone, with a Dell Connect 2816 managed switch in my upstairs office. This allowed me better control of the network ( and to get rid of a few of my tiny switches, though not all). 

With this recent (admittedly low-cost) investment, I'm hesitant to whole-shot upgrade everything. But upgrades will be necessary as even with the new internet speed, none of my computers can directly utilize the new speed. 

Necessary Upgrade Goals

I had to identify the critical parts that MUST be upgraded to best utilize this new speed. This came down to:

1. Modem
• Potential speed increase is worthless if the modem can't run fast enough
• This was taken care of my Xfinity upgrading me to the XB8 Router+Modem. It can utilitze the speed and contains 3 Gigabit ports, 1 2.5 Gbit port(key), and Wifi 7 support
2. Router:
• I run my own router, sicne I dont like the idea of Xfinity getting access to my internal network.
• Plus the XB8 is good for simple configs, but once you step away from that, it gets cumbersome very quickly
3. Backbone network (CRS) 
• Though this is primarily a gigabit switch, it DOES contain 2 10Gb/s SFP+ ports
4. NAS:
• One of the perks of using a very overbuilt motherboard for my NAS build is that it contiains 2x10GBase-T (RJ-45) ports
5. ESXi server
• My Dell PowerEdge T110 II based esxi server is getting long in the tooth, but still does everything I've asked of it. Unfortunately only has gigabit ports.
• BUT, it does have PCI-e slots that are open and can accept additional NICs, whether it be 2.5Gb or 10Gb SFP+ based.

Not upgrading ( for now )

• Unifi U6 LR
• Unifi AP AC Lite
• Both of these APs are still working well, and I'm hesitant to upgrade them. But they are both limited to a 1Gb WAN port
• Misc laptops/desktops
• Not every machine really NEEDs 2.5 or 10Gb speed. I'd love to have all 10Gb network, but money is a thing.
• IOT devices
• None of these are even saturating 1Gbs, and they're wireless. Upgrading these would be a waste. 

2.5Gbe vs 10Gbe?

That brings up another question. Should I upgrade to 2.5Gb for now or go all the way to 10Gb? 2.5Gb would allow me to utilize the new speed, its cheaper, lower power and if i'm being honest, probably sufficient for my needs.

10Gb is more future proof. For certain machines/connections, the difference can be felt and utilized. The 2 most obvious machines are the ones highlighted, the NAS and esxi servers. Also, certain work machines do have 10Gbase-T ports that can be utilized. 

I eventually decided on a hybrid network. 10Gbit between the router and the backbone switch, NAS and Esxi machine. 2.5Gb between the modem and router, but with a router that's flexible enough to handle 10Gbit service (if that ever happens). 

Next entry will detail my meandering decision making in choosing my router.