Advice on network connectivity for home office

[pkgms32]

Hi,

My home office is a new build with 2 floors and in-wall ethernet wiring to provide an Ethernet port on each floor. As shown in the attached picture, the blue boxes represent devices and connectivity that already exists, and the yellow the ones to be implemented.

Simplified diagram - home network plan

Currently, on the Virgin 125Mb broadband plan (actual 85 Mb/s download speed and 25 Mb/s upload speed) with Virgin Media Hub 3.0 as a WiFi Router, I aim to make the wires/cables "disappear" as much as possible and still get a "good" (no signals drop as currently happen more than 20 times a day) Internet connection on multiple end-user devices on both floors. With little knowledge of network connectivity, I'd like some advice on the following.

**Question 1 - Lower floor wired connector**
What type of connector should it be to provide wired connectivity to 2 computers? Currently, I can only use 1 computer at a time because there is only 1 Ethernet port nearby on this floor. Even though, the Internet signals drop constantly and are worst than connecting the computer wirelessly to the Wifi network.

**Question 2 - Upper floor wired connector**
I guess the best solution is to follow the question 1 solution regardless of what type of wireless device (question 3) will be. If not, please advise.

**Question 3 - Upper floor wireless connector**
What type of device should it be? I'd not like to use a WiFi repeater that picks up the wireless signal from the router on the lower floor due to the reduced bandwidth.
 
Appreciate your time spent on this thread.

Thanks. P

[Client62 · Accepted solution]

"on the Virgin 125Mb broadband plan (actual 85 Mb/s download speed" -  a 10/100 Mb/s connection is limiting the speed, 132Mb/s is normal for M125.

Suggestions ...

Q1 - use a 1 Gb/s 5 or 8 port network switch

Q2 / Q3 - a) either Q2 use a use a 1 Gb/s 5 or 8 port network switch + Q3 a dual band Wireless Access Point
              - b) or  Q2/Q3 use a Wireless Router with 1Gb/s network ports in Access Point mode.

[jpeg1]

With that number of terminals relying on the single VM line you should consider a backup connection. 4g, 5g?

[pkgms32]

Do you mean 4G or 5G switch instead of 1G?

[jpeg1]

No, I mean a backup mobile broadband feed, or perhaps an Openreach connection. With all that equipment relying on a VM feed, you really need a standby.  Most of us who rely on a continuous connection have a backup available.