Home networking help - wiring cottage with ethernet

[Flames89]

I could use the help of the best community on the interweb.

I am looking to wire up the family cottage while ensuring the investment/time is somewhat future proofed. We will be having an electrician coming to do some wiring, and I am thinking this is the time to get him (or her) to put down some ethernet for us.
Being on an island, we will be using some form of a wireless modem - but I can't say which location will be best for the modem.

So here is a rundown of what I am thinking. Can you help fill in the blanks and/or confirm that this is possible?

Facts:
- 3 buildings, middle building is large enough that a normal wifi router/AP does not cover all the rooms
- We do not know which location will be best for the wireless modem (and could change in the future based on new cell towers)
- So (refer to diagram below):

1. Run ethernet from cabin A to basement of main building
2. Run ethernet from rooms B and C in main building to basement
3. Run ethernet from cabin D to basement of main building

- Put wireless modem and wireless router at one of the points (A, B, C, or D) based on best signal for modem
- All other points get a wireless access point

Would this setup allow us to put a modem and wifi router at any of these points (A, B, C or D) then have some sort of switch in the basement? So the ethernet cable running from, for example, A to the basement would be the main line before breaking into 3 lines to B, C, D?

(Trying to link crudely drawn examples... )

[Weitz]

I'm assuming your "wireless modem" is basically like a rural modem for satellite internet of some sort?

I think you are on the right track though. Wire to every building and have AP's at each. Switch at your modem and run lines to each building. If you have lines ran to each, you should be able to move the modem as needed if, as you say, the best spot for it changes.

[Flames89]

So if we run lines to all buildings and rooms, the lines would all terminate in one spot (say in the basement). At this spot I can put a “switch” to connect them? And then the router (wherever it is put) can figure it all out? Or does the router have to be where all lines terminate?

[Fuzz]

You can put a switch in the basement, and the router elsewhere. As long as everything is plugged into the switch, it will sort it out.

[OldDutch]

The second photo looks similar to something I am hooking up this weekend. I am running a AP to my detached garage. My house has a mesh system with 3 nodes. The basement node is connected to my modem and then to a switch where I will send a cat6a to the garage.

FYI I used Infinite Cables to buy cat6a Outdoor rated cable and grey conduit from Home depot to run it outside underground

[TorqueDog]

Easily #1.

Scrap #2. Do not use your the wireless capabilities of your modem / wireless gateway with a separate wireless router and access points. Unless your modem is in bridged mode (and thus not serving wireless connectivity), it is also acting as a router and wireless access point. Then the wireless router will create its own internal network which the wireless access points will connect to.

Under diagram #2, the network will look like this:

Internet
|
98.21.22.33
Wireless Modem
192.168.0.1
|
192.168.0.254
Wireless Router
192.168.1.254
|
192.168.1.1-253 range
Wireless APs and Clients

You're creating a double-NAT by using both the wireless modem and wireless router in their standard configurations, which can cause connectivity issues for certain applications and services.

Under diagram #1, your network looks like this:

Internet
|
Wireless Modem (in bridged mode)
|
98.21.22.33
Wireless Router
192.168.1.254
|
192.168.1.1-253 range
Wireless APs and Clients

No more double-NAT. If you find connectivity in the main building is still weak, I presume the little grey box is your switch, run a network cable and add another access point to the right side of the Building C basement.

[OldDutch]

Ahh I did not read your digram correct. Anyway, while it works perfectly (Can play sonos misic on AP network to main network), I am buying an extra eero node for the garage to hard connect to my network. So I have 4 eero mesh nodes. Modem in basement bridged, basement eero connected to modem in basement, a main floor eero node wireless connected, and a master bedroom eero node wireless connected. The new fourth node will be wired from the basement to the garage.

This should allow for better hand offs and a single network to connect to.

I think that should work for you as well. Getting a node system that can support wired/wireless connection.