Advice for whole house network (new construction)

[Naturelover]

Friends, I have a 3 storied new house under construction. The structure is done, brickwork is almost done. Electricals and wiring come next.

The house layout is as follows:

Gr floor: Drawing/dining and kitchen
1st floor: Master bedroom and one more bedroom
2nd floor: HT/HiFi room and one bedroom

I mainly need advice on the internet and network cabling and setup for the whole house.

I have a couple of guys traveling from the US in March. I could ask them to bring some light items as per suggestions from you folks.


A. INTERNET AND HOME NETWORK

I intend to use a wired system rather than wifi for the most part but wifi would definitely be needed in all spaces for portable gadgets and future changing requirements.
I will want the cabling to reach several points in each of the spaces - drawing room, dining room, HT/HiFi room and all bedrooms.
Are there any disadvantages of a wired setup? One would be repair/replacement of cables, I suppose.

My main work PC will be located in the HT room on the 2nd floor.
It would be nice if I could also have the files on this PC being accessible from at least one location on each of the other floors.
Google tells me that this is not easily achieved and thin client or similar PCs would be needed at each location.
Though I am not keen on it, that’s where a NAS might help.

I am not savvy at all with this and will need all the help and advice that I can get.
I need to know what wiring to use and what equipment will be needed at the various locations for the purpose.


B. AUDIO-VIDEO NETWORKING

I am unsure if I should have all setups connected or separate. Arguments could go both ways.
I believe separate setups will be simpler to handle for a tech noob like me and automatically ensure backup since files would necessarily be duplicated.
I guess networking will reduce number of sources.

Below are the planned setups with the network capable equipment I already have given in brackets

HT room (2nd floor): Main stereo and home theatre (music PC, Pioneer 9.2 AVR and BDP, Epson projector)
Drawing room (gr floor): TV and second stereo (Panasonic TV and BDP, Tatasky, Musical Fidelity M1CLiC)
Master bedroom (1st floor): TV and small music stereo (Panasonic TV, Tatasky, Sony HAP-S1)
Other bedrooms: Only cabling to be done for now. AV equipment to come later. No planning done yet. I have a Marantz M-CR503 but it does not have networking.

Like I said above, I am not keen on a NAS and thinking of having independent setups in above spaces.
But please do let me have your opinion and advice on that and any other matter related to the setups from a networking point of view.

I have a lot of music in wav/flac/mp3. And some movies/videos in various formats. I am far more into music than movies. Maybe 85%/15%.


C. AUTOMATION

Another area where I am not sure of what I would like to do. I have never used any. It would be nice and give bragging rights too .
But it probably will have its own issues of breakdown and maintenance to deal with.
Mainly considering for the HT/hifi room. Any views, advice, opinions are most welcome.
Maybe wiring could be done in more locations for future considerations.
What are the possibilities and what wiring will be needed?


D. SECURITY

Yet another area where I am in the dark and need some light . I am putting this here since some of it at least will need network connectivity.
I want to do as much of the wiring as reasonably advisable as of now.
Starting from a basic video door phone to burglar alarm systems. What would be advisable/possible within reasonable cost?

 

[raghupb]

Wired always trumps wireless. Since you have the opportunity to do it from scratch go for it.
You will need a simple switch/router to do this.
You don't need to wire it up now. Just have pvc pipes in walls/ceiling for any later use.
Apart from regular electrical wiring, explore if you can have a separate 3/4 or 1 inch conduit running through the house for future use.
You can run CAT5/6 or speaker wire easily thru them when necessary.
With wired networking, cheap Wi-Fi repeaters can be tacked on for last leg connectivity and convenience.

I just discovered this recently. My new LG TV can access media files from my laptop/PC if on the same network.
Don't know about other content.

With the proliferation of Chromecast, firestick, etc there may be opportunities to buy multiple of these and make do for multiple rooms.
New AVRs are network enabled. So you can switch them on/off and operate them via app.
If your AVR has zone2/zone3 capability, then music can be provisioned in main/zone2/zone3 from a single AVR.
All you will need are speakers and wiring (see above)

Security systems are on PoE these days (Power over Ethernet) and they are going IoT way.
A single switch can connect up to 16/24 cameras or IoT devices (door video, alarms).
This switch can be used for AV/Home networking too. Talk to somebody local who handles home security + networking.
They can point you in the right direction.

Cheers,
Raghu

 

[sud98]

Having moved into my new house around 2 years back, one of the best things I did was having Cat6 cable throughout the house. The people who didnt do it, still regret it and its hard to do it later. You could even explore Cat7, although it might be an overkill.

Once you achieve the above, using Wireless access point and a simple router you can reach all parts of your house.

To me NAS is a boon and I think it makes sense for both audio and video. Worst case, have just a file server which is in the network and can be accessed by all devices.

For both security and Automation, once wired and wireless options are available, life is fairly straightforward. But make sure you get that right.

Do plan for UPS esp. online either for the house or just HT.

For the HT room, make sure you construct it well, to avoid room modes to the extent possible or atleast in the manageable range.

 

[mpw]

My advice for a new home

Meditation
Silence
Birds chirping



Only 1 dedicated room stereo

Limit TV to only 1 or max 2

I am swimming against the tide but do consider minimslism

Regards

 

[arunkvivek]

It would be nice to have a independent clean power network for the Audio-setups and AVs. Separate Ground line. I believe one of the FMs had taken a separate connection feeding his audio setup. I recall some posts from FMs @Otpidus & @bhagwan regarding this.

 

[raghupb]

My advice for a new home

Meditation
Silence
Birds chirping



Only 1 dedicated room stereo

Limit TV to only 1 or max 2

I am swimming against the tide but do consider minimslism

Regards

@mpw you took @Naturelover HFV handle literally!!
Cheers,
Raghu

 

[mpw]

i think he is what he says... so yes literally in that sense...

rgds

 

[Dr.Lakshay]

Friends, I have a 3 storied new house under construction. The structure is done, brickwork is almost done. Electricals and wiring come next.

The house layout is as follows:

Gr floor: Drawing/dining and kitchen
1st floor: Master bedroom and one more bedroom
2nd floor: HT/HiFi room and one bedroom

I mainly need advice on the internet and network cabling and setup for the whole house.

I have a couple of guys traveling from the US in March. I could ask them to bring some light items as per suggestions from you folks.


A. INTERNET AND HOME NETWORK

I intend to use a wired system rather than wifi for the most part but wifi would definitely be needed in all spaces for portable gadgets and future changing requirements.
I will want the cabling to reach several points in each of the spaces - drawing room, dining room, HT/HiFi room and all bedrooms.
Are there any disadvantages of a wired setup? One would be repair/replacement of cables, I suppose.

My main work PC will be located in the HT room on the 2nd floor.
It would be nice if I could also have the files on this PC being accessible from at least one location on each of the other floors.
Google tells me that this is not easily achieved and thin client or similar PCs would be needed at each location.
Though I am not keen on it, that’s where a NAS might help.

I am not savvy at all with this and will need all the help and advice that I can get.
I need to know what wiring to use and what equipment will be needed at the various locations for the purpose.


B. AUDIO-VIDEO NETWORKING

I am unsure if I should have all setups connected or separate. Arguments could go both ways.
I believe separate setups will be simpler to handle for a tech noob like me and automatically ensure backup since files would necessarily be duplicated.
I guess networking will reduce number of sources.

Below are the planned setups with the network capable equipment I already have given in brackets

HT room (2nd floor): Main stereo and home theatre (music PC, Pioneer 9.2 AVR and BDP, Epson projector)
Drawing room (gr floor): TV and second stereo (Panasonic TV and BDP, Tatasky, Musical Fidelity M1CLiC)
Master bedroom (1st floor): TV and small music stereo (Panasonic TV, Tatasky, Sony HAP-S1)
Other bedrooms: Only cabling to be done for now. AV equipment to come later. No planning done yet. I have a Marantz M-CR503 but it does not have networking.

Like I said above, I am not keen on a NAS and thinking of having independent setups in above spaces.
But please do let me have your opinion and advice on that and any other matter related to the setups from a networking point of view.

I have a lot of music in wav/flac/mp3. And some movies/videos in various formats. I am far more into music than movies. Maybe 85%/15%.


C. AUTOMATION

Another area where I am not sure of what I would like to do. I have never used any. It would be nice and give bragging rights too .
But it probably will have its own issues of breakdown and maintenance to deal with.
Mainly considering for the HT/hifi room. Any views, advice, opinions are most welcome.
Maybe wiring could be done in more locations for future considerations.
What are the possibilities and what wiring will be needed?


D. SECURITY

Yet another area where I am in the dark and need some light . I am putting this here since some of it at least will need network connectivity.
I want to do as much of the wiring as reasonably advisable as of now.
Starting from a basic video door phone to burglar alarm systems. What would be advisable/possible within reasonable cost?

I can recommend for automation to add any remote based switches there is quite some options now, like havells (I use those) or le grand (my cousin uses those) and many other options you can find on amazon and contact dealers for them. After you add remote controlled switches, all you have to do is add a broadlink bridge. So all your lights, fans sockets can be used by Google home, alexa and mobile. The switches are reliable because of good brands like havells and legrand and can be used normally too. Another cheaper option is buying wifi touch switches on Aliexpress. They look very good and trendy. I have been wanting to try those but didn't as it will require me to change gang box, but since you are building a new house you can go that route.
Also adding cameras is pretty simple. Just contact any installer, they will also guide you for video door phone. All you need for cameras and door phone is cat 5/cat 6 cabling.
Another thing I will highly recommend is pin and fingerprint protected locks for the main door of the house. Preferably offline version so that online hacking is not possible.
Now coming to getting sensors, my uncle uses those all around the house with pin guard that you have to enter as soon as you enter house if you locked it. But the main flaw was no online monitoring on that so he ended up installing new cams too. Sensors are good but i feel cameras are enough to cover you. The DVR can be connected to internet and you can have live feed from any part of world. Also you can set DVR to send alerts to you phone of it senses motion when you are on a vacation /in office.
Like I have cameras to the main areas of my house (entrance etc) and a dedicated screen for it in master bedroom which remains on for whole day except for the sleeping time. I can't even tell the extent of peace of mind it gives you.
I haven't personally used Nas but I think it will be your best bet for file sharing on different devices.
Also you should import one of those wifi grid routers from linksys, netgear etc. Atleast 3 bases or 4 as you have 3 floors. It should give smooth wifi coverage.
Yes wired gives better speeds, but with technology so advanced I personally Dont feel wiring for network is essential. You could just get network for for main areas like the ht room, work desk and bedroom if required.
One thing to keep in mind at all costs get separate piping for any cat6 be it cameras, door phone, internet, also set top box cable. These should be separate from any electrical interferance. This electricians don't understand the the importance of this and you end up getting interferance and bad signals.

 

[sandeepmohan]

Consider wiring up the house using Gigabit Ethernet standard. All these new audio and video standards, streaming services are chewing up more and more band with. 5Ghz Wi Fi is alright for near range but once you start streaming video on multiple devices at the same time, you may end up choking the home network. The cost is only marginally higher than standard ethernet. Make sure all your network devices have power back up. The last thing you want is power failure somewhere along the chain. High resolution audio also benefits from faster network speeds.

A NAS will be beneficial as a one spot storage access solution and to store all your content.

VMware Horizon is a pretty solid and almost industry standard thin client solution, if you must consider one.

You can access all your content from any part of the house and from any device. All you need is an App of sorts if these are smart devices. For example; trying to access your Windows PC from an iPad or Android device won't be straight forward. It also helps to stay on one eco system. Either a full Windows setup or a Mac OS or Linux setup. This is only to makes things easier from a usability and troubleshooting perspective.

There are no longevity issues with setting up wired ethernet. Ensure that it is wired up in a way that a rodent can't get to it and you are all good.

All the best.

 

[mpw]

Put a high capacity CVT outside the house and weather proof

Draw stereo power from there

Dedicated only to stereo

Use 10 gauge wires if possible

 

[haisaikat]

@Naturelover you are on the right track. As many have already suggested wired networking is future proof. If cat7 (for future 10 Giga compatibility) cable in bulk is too costly go for minimum cat6. You have not mention area of each level / floor but in general a modular design should be ideal as example a network switch on each floor as the source from which each room wire should originate. Each floor switch can have two connection to the other two floor switches, this way you retain maximum flexibility to even have central internet in house in any floor and distribute that or even independent internet on any floor along with floor specific Wifi access point or router. This way both router and switches can be inexpensive. It is must to have a router / switch inside HT room so that can be the central hub for the top floor too. In this modular design you can upgrade / repair / maintain independent floors as required.

Next up, security cameras. In my experience, if you want your cameras to send you pics / video on demand only then these can also reuse same wired network but if you want them to continuously record then unless they are cameras with dedicated storage inside / sd cards for recording and needs to record to a central DVR on same / different floor I suggest you run separate 3+1+1 copper core camera wires separately to your DVR and then connect the DVR to LAN. This way the DVR will keep on functioning even if network is down and also otherwise will not clog your network with so many video streams flowing from camera to DVR. Additionally will not require your network to be up and running all the time. You can also plan independent DVRs on each floor.

Since there will be so much on LAN wires, if you use external / cable internet that comes via overhead wires control where it enters and connects to you home lan so that during thunder storms and lightning you can disconnect just one cable to keep your home network safe. Same reason why TVs with set top box having antenna on roof top is not recommended to have a wired home LAN connection, better to have TV on wifi which many modern TVs are.

Also the idea of CVT for your stereo setup is a good one but I think dont keep it too far away and make it run parallel to other devices wires through concealed ducts, rather have the same placed may be just outside your HT room owing to separate out its noise or hum and run the wires to HT room from there with no other electric wires reusing those ducts. Also backup power for network as someone suggested is a very good idea and so is a central NAS box / PC and may be a separate download box if required.

If you want to have Amazon Alexa / Google Home in your network this can be great opty too, I am happy with Alexa. Plan your outlets / switches that way, no point going for options that are not compatible with these protocols. These days there is a cheap 1400 rupees IR Emitter that can replace your harmony remotes and is voice controlled with Alexa.

And lastly although you have not asked but no home automation is complete without Toto Washlets, if you google you would know what I mean.

And you name / handle suggests there will be adherence to nature so, remember there are wifi operated / Alexa enabled plant watering systems too. So explore all possibilities.

 

[sam9s]

A. INTERNET AND HOME NETWORK

I intend to use a wired system rather than wifi for the most part but wifi would definitely be needed in all spaces for portable gadgets and future changing requirements.
I will want the cabling to reach several points in each of the spaces - drawing room, dining room, HT/HiFi room and all bedrooms.
Are there any disadvantages of a wired setup? One would be repair/replacement of cables, I suppose.

My main work PC will be located in the HT room on the 2nd floor.
It would be nice if I could also have the files on this PC being accessible from at least one location on each of the other floors.
Google tells me that this is not easily achieved and thin client or similar PCs would be needed at each location.
Though I am not keen on it, that’s where a NAS might help.

I am not savvy at all with this and will need all the help and advice that I can get.
I need to know what wiring to use and what equipment will be needed at the various locations for the purpose.

Wired...Wired all the way ... I never ever liked Wifi, even though AC standard is pretty good, even then, the kind of robustness Wired gives Wifi cannot. Wifi should only be for mobiles and probably your laptops, tablets and all.

I for one as almost all here have suggested cannot but strongly emphasise on NAS. And no other than Synology. Even if you go with a basic 2 bay one or even one bay (won't recommend though, coz of no backup and safety), a NAS solves a lot of your "to many files scattered across" issue, and also provide many other services, that you might not need now, but in long run do come in handy. Get a NAS.

B. AUDIO-VIDEO NETWORKING

I am unsure if I should have all setups connected or separate. Arguments could go both ways.
I believe separate setups will be simpler to handle for a tech noob like me and automatically ensure backup since files would necessarily be duplicated.
I guess networking will reduce number of sources.

Below are the planned setups with the network capable equipment I already have given in brackets

HT room (2nd floor): Main stereo and home theatre (music PC, Pioneer 9.2 AVR and BDP, Epson projector)
Drawing room (gr floor): TV and second stereo (Panasonic TV and BDP, Tatasky, Musical Fidelity M1CLiC)
Master bedroom (1st floor): TV and small music stereo (Panasonic TV, Tatasky, Sony HAP-S1)
Other bedrooms: Only cabling to be done for now. AV equipment to come later. No planning done yet. I have a Marantz M-CR503 but it does not have networking.

Like I said above, I am not keen on a NAS and thinking of having independent setups in above spaces.
But please do let me have your opinion and advice on that and any other matter related to the setups from a networking point of view.

I have a lot of music in wav/flac/mp3. And some movies/videos in various formats. I am far more into music than movies. Maybe 85%/15%.

NAS is a must, it will keep all audio organized at one location and all your subsequent setups, stereo or HT will pick media from NAS. I will also highly recommend ROON (since you already spending so much) I would strongly suggest to have a ROON setup, since you anyhow are a music lover.
you nas will have ROON server (runs on synology) and then either get CCA (they also act as ROON endpoints) for all your stereo setups or I can help you create ROON endpoints from Rpi. ...........Objective is to have ROON server and ROON endpoint connected to all your stereo setups. (1st ground and 2nd). This way you will have a COMPLETE control over ALL your music setups across all your rooms from just your mobile phone. AND YOUR music will follow you where ever you go. Like if you playing a song on one setup at Drawing Room 1st floor and walk to 1nd floor master bedroom, with just a flick on a thumb on your mobile you can shift/transfer you song playing in Drawing Room to Master Bedroom, from the same exact position..... You can have sync all rooms as well... you can do so many things with just your mobile in your hand.

I can guide you on everything dont worry if all this seems a bit intimidating, but trust me..... the setup I am suggesting is heaven for music lovers with multiple music setus across multiple rooms.

C. AUTOMATION


Another area where I am not sure of what I would like to do. I have never used any. It would be nice and give bragging rights too .
But it probably will have its own issues of breakdown and maintenance to deal with.
Mainly considering for the HT/hifi room. Any views, advice, opinions are most welcome.
Maybe wiring could be done in more locations for future considerations.
What are the possibilities and what wiring will be needed?

This is tricky .... it all comes down to how much are you willing to spend and how much level of automation you want at your house. Say you want just a couple of lights ON/OFF ...no dimmer stuff, FAN ON/OFF ...AC ON OFF ...or any other appliance like Gyser ON/OFF.......then the way I would configure is very easy and very inexpensive. Basically 15K for 4 switches up to 16Amp. I can automate for ON and OFF (no dimmer).

So for example you have one room, you can have 1 switch for all ceiling lights, 1 for fan on and off 1 for maybe any other Room lamp light and 1 for AC, all this can be automated for 15K, and also can be controlled via ALEXA voice
Point is I give you 4 switches and and you can use it anyway you want, till the time the load on one switch is less the 16 amp
If you want most detailed control over automation, like AC temperature control, Dimmers and dimming of lights and cove lights, Home Theater automation, like lights off when movie starts, Door, Window status notifications ..... then you have to spend 50K-1L min per floor.

D. SECURITY
Yet another area where I am in the dark and need some light . I am putting this here since some of it at least will need network connectivity.
I want to do as much of the wiring as reasonably advisable as of now.
Starting from a basic video door phone to burglar alarm systems. What would be advisable/possible within reasonable cost?

This is very sensitive area, security, I woudl not suggest DIY here. Would strongly suggest to hire a professional to do VDP and anti theft system. Just installing IPcamm is no bog deal than anyone can do, but if you need full scale anti theft, VDP and Door, window ajar warning, Glass break warning, gas leak warning ..all this can be done, but would suggest to have a professional .

 

[smedhavi]

+1 to what most people said above.
Wire the house with a good Ethernet cable. I had used D-Link Cat 6 cable, and I am glad I installed the cable.

For automation, now you could consider an Alexa/google home based solution too, but I had installed infrared based switches 7 years ago. In fact I started with RF (Radio Frequency) switches first. That remote would work without pointing, and even from a different room. I hated the fact that it was a separate remote. Then I replaced those with infrared modular switches from http://www.kremot.com/modular.html. I could program my Logitech Harmony One remote to operate these switches too. So when I select "Watch a movie" option, it switches on all the appropriate devices, switches off the main lights, and switches on the light in the drop ceiling. This still works flawlessly. Now there should be enough remote switches available from the main stream electrical companies.

Regards,
Sharad Medhavi

 

[yugaaa]

My 2 cents ..

1. do not buy run of the mill wires . buy only AMP , Krone , Systemix cat 5 or cat 6 cables . The wires are pure copper compared to the other brands avaliable . Avoid D-link and DAX .. useless . Each roll comes as 305 mtrs .
2 . Buy a an unmanaged switch with 16 ports Avoid tp-link , d-link etc . Buy Cisco . 10/100 ports are fine . Gigabit ports are over kill .
3. Buy a Cisco small business router RV series ( there are routers with 16 port lan built in as well .. you can avoid the switch in that case )
4. Run the wires
5. Make provision high up the wall for a wireless access point on each floor . Choose a location which is centre point of the rooms for even coverage .
6. Get a UPS with external battery to connect all the above .
7. With so much of AV equipment I am sure you have a huge data collection . Suggest that you get a NAS box with minimum Raid 5 config .

Thats it with the internet/network part .
You can use the same network for audio /video etc .. just make sure all are on the same domain . If all are on the same network it is easy to connect say a printer /scanner any where in the house . Similar is the case with television ,avr . Having a seperate network has no benefits ..

 

[sam9s]

To add to what I have already said... for Networking this is what I suggest and this is themodel I follow and recomend as well.

Router : EDGE RouterX. This is only router without wifi

Access Point : Ubiquity Unify AC lite. This for wireless.

You can install as many as you like, to cover your all three floors.

Switch : Cisco 24 port Gigabit

Cable Cat 6 Dlink

 

[yugaaa]

To add to what I have already said... for Networking this is what I suggest and this is themodel I follow and recomend as well.

Router : EDGE RouterX. This is only router without wifi

Access Point : Ubiquity Unify AC lite. This for wireless.

You can install as many as you like, to cover your all three floors.

Switch : Cisco 24 port Gigabit

Cable Cat 6 Dlink

The Dlink cables are lousy . Gigabit ports are unnecessary as most lan ports on TV , AVR , PC are all 10/100/1000 and even that is link speed . Actual transfer speed is much lesser . Most ports are software emulated ports and not hardware based lan adapters like in the servers . So a gigabit port switch is a huge waste of money . One needs to check the aggregation speed to transfer for all ports in a switch . Rather than go through all the technical stuff safe bet is a Cisco unmanaged switch .

 

[sam9s]

have been using Dlink cables for ages now, and I get full throughput, so cant say lousy, built quality is up to the mark. Gigabit switch is not for TV or AVR, and NO ALL current gen PC mobos (well at least decent branded ones) have Gigabit port including laptops. The switch I suggested is also unmanaged Cisco, and it so happens its a gigabit. And yes 10/100/1000 is link speed almost everyone knows that actual throughput is less, but there IS a difference between actual 10/100 and Gigabit.

 

[Naturelover]

Friends, please do excuse delay in responding. Thanks for all the suggestions and advice.

I will be doing Cat6 cabling throughout. Main internet modem will be at the work PC in the HT room on the 2nd (top) floor.
Same with the NAS. How do I place and connect the NAS? Possibly next to the modem and router will be the best option?

Can someone please give a simple block diagram of how the actual cabling is to be laid? Including CCTV and possible automation.
Thanks in advance.

@mpw, thanks for the reality check . Let me see.... Which wires need to be of 10 gauge?

@raghupb, please elaborate on PoE and IoT and how to use it in my house. Any suggestions for cheap wi-fi repeaters?

@arunkvivek, what do you mean by a separate ground line?

@Dr.Lakshay, what is a Broadlink bridge?

@haisaikat, the plinth area of each floor is around 900 sqft. What is 3+1+1 wire? How does the wifi/Alexa watering system work and what setup is needed?

@sam9s @sandeepmohan, with my strong bias toward stereo, would I really need Gigabit at this moment? Maybe a later upgrade? I don’t have 4K and may not get it in near future at least. Also there will never be more than two video streamings at a time.

@yugaaa, what hardware will be connected to any wireless access point high up on a wall? What do you mean by all should be in the same domain?

I have replied to specific FMs as per your suggestions but, of course, anyone can respond to my queries
Thanks once again for all the advice.

 

[raghupb]

PoE is Power over Ethernet
IoT is Internet of Things

Most camera systems use PoE since it carries data and power to the camera.
No need for extra wires.
IoT devices such as security alarms can be connected to the main network.
This way it is accessible locally on LAN or remotely.

CAT6 can carry gigabit ethernet for short distances. Home wiring is within short distance.
WiFi repeaters using standard tech (the ones available today) are cheap.
TP-link, Netgear, etc all have them.
Google WiFi should also be in your radar; it uses 2x2 mesh tech to give better coverage.
Bit more expensive; in US they retail at $250 for 3 APs (each covering up to 1200 sft).

Cheers,
Raghu

 

[haisaikat]

@haisaikat, the plinth area of each floor is around 900 sqft. What is 3+1+1 wire? How does the wifi/Alexa watering system work and what setup is needed?

For such area individual access point (WiFi) for each floor is best suited. Try going for lower cost routers so that you do not regret abusing them if required and can replace easily at end of life. And don't use repeaters unless absolutely required. Note that in multiple Access point design you will have a single WiFi signal, it will be transparent to user which access point is being connected

3,1,1 is standard cable for audio video and power for CCTV, get copper version

Smart Home and Garden Automatic WiFi Drip Irrigation Water Timer-Works with Smartphone and Alexa (White) https://www.amazon.in/dp/B07D68NMNG/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_2laqCb3DMSHZA here you go. But look online, tons more available for smart garden