Isolation Day 65: I’ve changed my Network upgrade plans

I Wish Ubiquiti Would Give Non-YouTubers Some Love

After watching Linus Tech Tips' latest video on their network upgrade (why is it only YouTubers who get free gear? I’d quite happily make a video about upgrading my home network!), I’ve been playing around with my future plans. I realized I need a bit more functionality at the access point locations, so I’ve been looking at what Ubiquiti products could help me out.

The problem with my previous plan was that while I had great Wi-Fi coverage, I didn’t have any switches anywhere except the office. I had two options to fix this hole in my networking plan.

Option 1: Access Points + Switches

I could include a UniFi Switch 8-60W with each of the UniFi AC Lite access points. This would give me an 8-port switch with PoE on 4 of those ports.

Product	Price	Total
UniFi AC Lite Access Point	£80.40	£80.40
UniFi Switch 8-60W	£111.60	£111.60
Total		£190.00

Option 2: The All-In-One (Better Choice)

The second option is to use the UniFi In-Wall HD. It has an Ethernet port on the back that connects to your central switch, and a 4-port switch on the bottom for plugging in IP phones, computers, and other devices. It also has a built-in access point.

Product	Price	Total
UniFi In-Wall HD	£166.80	£166.80
Total		£166.80

Considering I won’t need to connect more than one PoE device in each of the four locations and won’t need more than three extra ports for computers, the In-Wall HD seems like the better option. It costs about £24 less per point, and I’ll have less hardware cluttering up each room.

The VoIP Plan

The main reason I need to pass through PoE is that I’ll be adding IP phones in the living room, office, kitchen, and bedroom. I’m planning on using four Clearly IP 230 phones paired with the Clearly IP PBX 716 VoIP server appliance.

While I could run an IPBX as a virtual machine, I prefer dedicated hardware for server infrastructure. The Clearly IP PBX 716 will allow me to merge our landline with my VoIP service so everything runs through the same handsets. Plus, adding new numbers in FreePBX is incredibly simple.

Product	Price	Qty	Total
Clearly IP 230 VoIP Phone	£90.72	4	£362.88
Clearly IP PBX 716	£454.20	1	£454.20
Total			£817.08

The "Master Plan" Cost Breakdown

While the savings from the access point switch swap don't cover the full cost of the phones, I’m still saving around £100 overall compared to my initial thoughts.

Product	Price	QTY	Total
UBNT Dream Machine Pro	£375.09	1	£375.09
UBNT USW-16-POE Gen 2	£295.56	1	£295.56
UBNT UniFi In-Wall HD	£177.33	4	£709.32
Cat6 Cable 305m	£45.00	1	£45.00
1-Gang Back Box	£1.62	4	£6.48
Clearly IP 230 VoIP Phone	£90.72	4	£362.88
Clearly IP PBX 716	£454.20	1	£454.20
Total			£2,248.53

I don’t think £2,248.53 is bad at all, considering I’ll be giving our home network significantly more capability, seamless single-SSID Wi-Fi coverage, and a robust phone system.

What do you think of my future network setup? What would you change, and can you recommend any other PBX server appliances? Let me know in the comments below!