Ethernet & WiFi, what's the best hardware to buy?

Help & Support
#1

I would like the Communities’ advise on the best set up to buy.
Cuckoo will be installed in a couple of weeks time. The property is on two floors with 5 Ethernet points in all the bedrooms for tenants to work out from.
Will the Cuckoo hub supplied be able to support the Wifi and Ethernet or do I need to purchase boosters and a different hub device that can also cater for the 5 Ethernet points ?

Does anyone recommend a better hub to use ?

I would like to have everything ready for when the Engineer comes round.

1 Like
#2

Hiya @NK2020 (Nad) & Welcome To The Cuckoo Community !!! :smiley: :egg:

Firstly Can I just point out that Cuckoo Broadband is mainly for “Home Users” and Not For Business Use There are reasons at present for example this may cause Additional Demand on the Network to accomodate.

This has been mentioned on here by the CEO @alex however as of yet I havent been updated on this change by the Head of Service either and as your Community User Id is newly registered im doubtful that you would have come across this information on the community yet.

While Cuckoo does use a business network its a different type of scheme for this.

Based on what you’ve said above im guessing your a landlord of a HMO and have done the correct setup.

The Cuckoo Router supports 3 Ethernet Ports out and two are locked for future uses so based on the correct provider you would need a High Powered Gigabit Ethernet Switch to connect all these ethernet ports you mentioned from the router.

There are Several Hardware Manufacturers that do these such as Tp-Link & NetGear & Even Cisco

But if this is what your intending to do im not sure Cuckoo would be suitable for you as a provider.

While I know They Do Want to Support Business Users like yourself this is currently not a possibility to my knowledge.

Im calling on @oliver & @tommy & @dan for clarification on this However.

#3

Hi,

many thanks for the response. I appreciate your comments about Business Use.

The property will have 5 sharers essentially so a kind of HMO but not quite as they will be one group e…g. students etc. In my house we currently have BT Superfast Fibre 1 @50MBS which is pretty good for four of us working from home/home-schooling. If it turn out too slow for the Tenants then they could try another service.

If I was to purchase a Gigabit Switch then does it connect to the Cuckoo Router via one of its ports and essentially work like an extension ? Is there a limit to how many ports I could extend out to in theory?

I’m also wondering if a different Router should be used instead of Cuckoo’s which could give higher performance. e.g. a NetGear Nighthawk/TP-Link Archer. I’m guessing the customer has the choice as to which Router they want ?

For the upstairs, is a booster recommended and does Cuckoo offer something or do we have to source that ourselves?

many thanks

#4

Hiya @NK2020 (Nad)

In my eyes even students letting a property is still classed just like a HMO and in the Cuckoo Terms & Conditions it does state “Residential Services” not Business.

Im sure even BT Superfast 1 is equivalent to being only for Residential Use eg…a family of 4 compared to 5 Tenants sharing a house having individual room numbers just like a HMO which should require business services to be provided for better reliability…its a grey area and that saying I have seen a similar situation on here where a house share or student let had many Different Routers from different providers connecting to Individual Lines & Sockets.

Now with regards to that I’ll leave this thread open for the Cuckoo Team to respond on that point.

However the Other Questions I dont mind answering.

A Gigabit Switch is basically an Ethernet Splitter where it takes 1-4 ethernet ports from an Input Source eg…a Modem Only or Modem/Router and allows multiple ethernet wires to be connected to it cutting out the need for wireless devices back to the source to obtain Individual Device IP numbers on the network which is normally a maximum of 254 devices but just bare in mind the more devices trying to get a piece of the connection speed at any one time for example a 50mb connection (÷ 5/10 devices) the slower the internet will feel to that person so heavier use would require more speed.

Currently boosters or other router setups isnt something Cuckoo offer however with the right advice,the manufacturers website,Amazon UK or other third party tech websites such as ebuyer or broadband buyer just to name a few im sure you can find the tech you need but as a little

Tip :- TP Link do offer discount code links occasionally on there website via certain resellers however if that helps.

There are other newer systems called “MESH Routers” and what these do is the same thing as a switch but smaller & wirelessly over an ethernet cable.

You run the ethernet cable from the back of your Modem/Router to the point you want the mesh “node” normally 1-3 “Nodes” placed eg…the Master Bedroom or the 1st Floor Landing & The Second Floor then this “repeats” the signal from the router and creates a wireless point on the 1st floor so as you move from ground floor to first floor to second floor the signal remains quite strong depending on the Wireless frequency used 2.4GHZ Or 5GHZ this way the user shouldnt notice any speed drops like a teenager on a whatsapp video call for example and any dead spots in the property are then covered or you could have another “node” added later on.

The TP Link Archer model I use myself isn’t a mesh device (as i type this with a full signal on my 1st Floor) as I currently dont have the Mesh update but this is included in the newer models they have eg… Version 3 (V3).

But you can purchase a MESH Modem/Router yourself that does what the Cuckoo Router does and more then you just insert the Chosen Providers Connection Details into the setup pages on there menus either manually or selectable by a connection menu if that provider is built in by the web interface or via there App (if available) on a Mobile Device if supported for example.

I always recommend spending time on the Tech Providers Website to check that the specific models do what you looking for…TP Link do have a few tools that ask you questions to help you select the right model based on your requirements eg…are you a Virgin Media Customer or Openreach/BT/TALKTALK/SKY User so its worth doing that research as knowledge is power so they say. :smiley:

Having a Different Router Means Its also “Unlocked” so other Providers Connection Details can be used and its your property so when you end your contract you dont have to send the provider there tech back or have to be billed for keeping it as many providers now do to recycle or repurpose to keep there costs down.

Its just easier this way to add the new providers details on connection day to your existing Modem/Router and Press Connect (if still compatible and working correctly of course).

While Cuckoo hope as a Residential Customer you will be Happy and wont need to leave or transfer to another provider it could happen but I havent heard of anyone leaving after connecting just yet.

The Cuckoo Technicolor DWA0120 Router was designed as a business class of router rather than a Home User Modem/Router to be of a Higher Grade for less issues but with technology changing every day there will always be something better out before long…the community and the cuckoo team have contributed to allowing there users the freedom of obtaining your Connection Details from the team directly & more recently the Awesome Web Team that I dont praise half as much as i should (do i @afenton90 :thinking: & @Insung :thinking: ) for integrating this into each customers online account menus.

Hope This Helps.

1 Like
#5

Many thanks for the very helpful information.

In our situation it won’t be individuals with room numbers etc as you describe, it will be a group under one tenancy who have the right to put in other internet providers as they may wish. But appreciate the ‘grey’ area I find myself in.

Interesting point you made that there could be different routers from different providers as I previously thought only one line could come in over BT. Of course Virgin have their own cable but I thought all other suppliers basically used the same BT Line. Thinking further, there is no reason why you could not have multiple BT lines being installed.

One further question I would like to ask for clarity is that, but using the Cuckoo Hub which has one Ethernet port available to go out (if my understanding is correct on your earlier post - “The Cuckoo Router supports 3 Ethernet Ports out and two are locked for future uses…”) then I support I would connect the one Ethernet port into the input for the Ethernet Splitter to give me the 5 Ethernet points… Is that correct ?

#6

I can’t really help with your hardware questions but I can confirm - after 30 years in the lettings industry as a compliance and training officer - that unless all of the tenants are related to each other what you are considering WILL be an HMO and you WILL require an HMO license from the local authority UNLESS the property is being managed by a university or a local housing association. Councils now have the ability to handout really punitive fines including rent back orders (where you have to give all the rent back to the tenants) I would seriously consider getting a license, I’ve seen so many private landlords get caught without one and the devastating effects it can have

2 Likes
#7

Hiya @RayC (Ray) & Welcome To The Cuckoo Community !!! :smiley: :egg:

Thanks For This Valuable Information im sure the Original Poster and The Cuckoo Team will find this Information In-Valuable from your wealth of experience.

If theres anything the team can assist you with please dont hesitate to join in or post on our conversations and become part of the flock.

#8

Hi Ray,

thanks for comments. We are professional landlords and we are fully compliant with regulations. The reason why I earlier stated that its ‘kind of an HMO but not quite’ is there are essentially two levels of HMO, at least in the council area I’m referring to: one under one AST; the other is one with individuals taking one each room under SEPARATE tenancy agreements. We will be doing the former. The Building Control regs are different. This avoids us needing to think about maintaining a certain level of internet speed for each bedroom as they will essentially be a collective.

Whether this property is classed as a business or is residential is a grey area as we are acting under one AST,

2 Likes
#9

I’m only pointing out the HMO regulations, your council can opt to introduce additional licensing or selective licensing but these are an addendum to the basic rules for large houses, not in place of, ie 5 or more people of 2 or more households sharing facilities like kitchens or bathrooms IS an hmo and must be licensed. Most councils are really helpful and a quick call to them will confirm whether you need a license or not. Good luck with it, you are a professional landlord so you know how to operate your lettings business,

2 Likes