1. Modem

I reuse an all-in-one D-Link Modem/Router to replace my ISP's Modem. Nothing fancy. It just get the job done.

2. TP-Link AC1200 Router

A budget wireless AC router that perform really well for the price. I will likely upgrade to a better Wi-Fi 6 or Wi-Fi AX router once those become more prominent. Otherwise, this router does the job for now.

3. TP-Link 8-Ports Gigabit Switch

I never thought I would need to have a switch at home in 2020. After all, practically anything is now wireless enabled.

That is, until I got my next item.

4. Synology DS218 NAS

Apple Time Machine has saves me from a brunch of headaches more time than I can count. For the part few years, I have been backing up to my WD My Book 2TB through USB. It was a very simple process. Everyday when I am back from college, I would dock my laptop at my dock and plug the HDD in. TimeMachine would continue to back up to the drive automatically.

I have since moved to a new condominium and accomulate a few more devices. I also graduated and now working full time. It is sometime hard to remember to plug the hard drive in when I have multiple laptops that I switch around to all the time.

I also want to share files quickly between my Gaming PC and my MacBook Pro.

Plus, I just love the idea of a NAS. I have always wanted to play around with these networking stuffs.

So, I decided that it is time to invest in something more powerful. I wanted to start out with something simple. I tried repurpose an old laptop to run FreeNAS before but honestly, with something as important as data storage device, I rather have something that "just work" than saving a few bucks and having to spend time troubleshoot later when something go wrong. Thus, I decided to go with a basic Synology D218 2-bays NAS with a 6 TB Seagate IronWolf drive (I do plan to add a second later for RAID 1). My local store did not have the D218+ model, so the standard one is what I ended up getting. I will probably make the jump later on to a 4 or 5 bays one so this will do for now.

5. Raspberry Pi 3b+ (newer model available) with Pi Hole running on Raspbian Lite

This is a recent addition to my network. I stumbled across the Pi-Hole project a few weeks ago and got hooked with the idea of having a dashboard that I can monitor my devices network activities (for absolutely no reason apart from because I can).

It also have the added benefit of being a DNS sink hole, allowing me to block ads and websites at a network level.

6. Hue Bridge for Philips Hue

The Philips Hue zigbee bridge is required to control Philips Hue lights around my condo. Nothing fancy here.

7. Other wired/wireless clients

You know... my smartphones, iPad, laptops, PC, Smart TV, Chromecast, etc.

The Cupboard:

Originally, these devices just sit next to my router. My router is right next to my desk, and in the middle of my living room though. Those HDD sounds from the NAS eventually drive me crazy so I moved all these devices into an empty cupboard away from my desk.

I will probably get myself a rack someday. For now, they all live here.