There is a lot of home networking advice that involves purchasing “prosumer” or enterprise-level networking gear to maximize your network, and while yes, you can buy that gear for discounted rates, it’ll still cost you. The truth is, you don’t need prosumer gear or even the newest equipment to build a high-functioning network.

You just need to be strategic.

What do you want out of your network?

Planning ahead will save you a lot of pain (and money)

A good network is reliable, secure, and scalable to your needs — which will undoubtedly change over time. Before you start building your network, understand how you’d like it to function and what your goals are. If you’re renting an apartment, you probably can’t run Ethernet cables through the walls. But there are other tricks you can try, like using a powerline adapter, which utilizes your home’s electrical wiring to transmit network signals without extensive installation. No matter your setup, you’ll need to game plan how you’ll distribute reliable internet and Wi-Fi throughout the house.

You can do this by using a combination of network switches, Ethernet cabling, and access points (APs). The exact combination of APs, cabling, and other equipment needed to extend coverage will depend on your home’s layout. Generally, the building blocks of an enterprise-grade network are:

• A router/firewall (e.g., pfSense, OPNsense)
• Network switches and Ethernet cabling
• Wi-Fi (mesh, access point placement, channel planning)
• Power and backup

Start with your router

You don’t have to spend a lot to get a router that works for you

You should invest in a good router and, at the least, eventually replace the router from your internet service provider (ISP), or disable its settings and put it in “bridge” mode. While in bridge mode, you can use the router as an access point (AP) to improve coverage if needed. That said, you don’t necessarily have to replace your router right away to have a high-functioning network.

You change a few settings on your ISP router, like switching DNS servers, enabling MU-MIMO, and adjusting Quality-of-Service (QoS) settings to prioritize gaming, streaming, or work, to boost performance and take network security into your own hands without upgrading.

If you’re not able to modify the settings on your ISP router, you can easily build a custom router using a router/firewall system like OPNsense or pfSense, which are essential for a secure, high-functioning network with an array of Internet of Things (IoT) devices. Both are free, open-source solutions that make it easier to configure your network, host your own services, and build a secure network. OPNsense tends to have a more modern interface and community support, but both are solid options.

You can run OPNsense and similar firmware on a mini PC (like the Intel N100, which typically costs around $100) or an old PC. It doesn’t have to cost you much, and it makes it much easier to segment your network via VLANs (more on that later) and run network-wide ad blockers and VPNs. If you want to take network protection a step further, you can pair your custom router with a DNS-based blocking tool like Pi-hole, which can run on a Raspberry Pi, a network-attached storage (NAS) device, or any Linux-based computer. If you go that route, note that many devices have their own DNS server settings that you’ll have to change to match your Pi-hole server. If you’re building a custom router and planning on segmenting your network, it’s also a good idea to run a dedicated DHCP server to centralize IP address management and make it easier to monitor network access.

Switches and cabling matter, too

Get your most important devices cabled up

A network switch is a smart way to take advantage of multi-gigabit speeds and ensure your bandwidth-heavy devices run smoothly. A network switch allows you to connect multiple devices (like your gaming console, servers, or PCs) to your local area network (LAN) via Ethernet cabling and boost overall throughput. While enterprise-level switches (like the Zyxel) run at $400 to $1,000, you can invest in a cheaper 2.5GbE switch for much less and still get lightning-quick speeds. If you’re newer to networking, an unmanaged switch is a good place to start: they’re plug-and-play and don’t require any configuration.

Good cabling is also essential for an intelligent network, and I recommend upgrading to CAT6 or CAT6a Ethernet cables if you haven’t already. Both come fairly cheap, but will make a huge difference.

Extend your Wi-Fi

You can’t wire all your devices to Ethernet

You don’t need fancy equipment or a new router for good Wi-Fi coverage; the trick is mostly placement and planning. While access points can easily run over $100, you can find plenty of reliable APs, such as Ubiquiti UniFi or TP-Link Omada, at a decent price. Plus, you can turn old routers into APs pretty easily by turning off their DHCP servers and connecting them via Ethernet to your main router. Though they may not perform as well as dedicated access points, you can extend coverage throughout your home and save money in the process.

When setting up your APs, make sure they’re close enough to overlap slightly for seamless roaming, and set them to different, non-overlapping channels (e.g., 1, 6, 11 on 2.4 GHz) so they don’t interfere with each other. That way, your devices will choose the AP with the strongest signal.

Make smart network configurations

They’ll go a long way

After stabilizing your core network, you can add smart configurations to improve its capabilities, and a NAS is one of the most versatile upgrades you can make. It’s essentially a small, dedicated server that stores data and serves it to devices across your network. You can add extra redundancy to your network by storing backups, family photos, game files, media servers, and local applications on your NAS. Even a budget-friendly two-bay NAS from Synology, QNAP, or Terramaster will dramatically improve your workflow and data resilience. If you’re on a tighter budget, you can re-purpose an old PC or Raspberry Pi into a DIY NAS using TrueNAS or OpenMediaVault.

Creating VLANs for your IoT devices and servers is also important for security and congestion management. Smart home gadgets are convenient, but they come with a host of security risks and should not be on the same network as your main devices. A general rule of thumb is to create VLANs for your IoT devices, guest network, and servers. Most routers running OPNsense or pfSense make VLAN setup simple with built-in GUI management tools, and managed switches also support VLAN tagging.

Make sure you have a backup power option

You’ll really regret skipping this step

Network reliability doesn’t just depend on good software or hardware: it relies on consistent power. A brief power outage or surge can disrupt your entire setup, corrupt data on your NAS, and damage equipment.

You can use an Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS), which typically includes built-in surge protection and provides your router, switch, NAS, and modem with several minutes of backup power during an outage. This not only prevents data loss but also allows for graceful shutdowns if power doesn’t return quickly. APC and CyberPower both make consumer-grade UPS units with USB connectivity for automatic shutdowns. UPS units can get expensive pretty quickly, but there are plenty that cost less than $200, and they work really well with budget-friendly network hardware.

Smart choices will get you an affordable, smart network

Building an enterprise-grade network does require a lot of work and careful planning, especially if you’re sticking to a budget. But with the right mix of strategy, configuration, and affordable hardware, you can build a high-performance, secure, and scalable home network that rivals professional setups. The key is to understand your needs, plan ahead, and invest where it truly matters.