How to Set Up a Home Network in a New HDB BTO Flat in Singapore

Because your network determines your net worth

Having recently moved to a new place and lacking good connectivity to work from home, I felt the urgent need to be connected.

Who knew, just as I am the most urgent, there arrised some hiccups that prevented me from doing so. Apparently there are some issues with my fibre termination point, that I need to reach out to my Building Service Centre to seek help.

I had to dig deep and understand the root cause of the issue, because the ISP technician seems to have little idea of how to troubleshoot. Here is what I gathered, hopefully it’s useful to you, if you are an upcoming house owner!

Some terminology

• Termination point: The point where the fiber optic cable from the ISP enters the flat.

• Optical network terminal (ONT): A device that converts the fiber optic signal into an electrical signal that can be used by other devices in the home. Typically also called a modem.

• (Wifi) Router: A device that manages the flow of data between devices on the network.

• Optical network router (ONR): A two in one between ONT and an router, provided by some Internet Service Providers (ISPs).

• Mesh network: A network of multiple routers that work together to provide seamless coverage throughout the home.

Devices and solutions, in increasing level of complexity

1. Single router only

2. Mesh network (Usually two or three-pack, such as thi by TP-Link “deco”)

3. Two routers

4. Routers plus a network switch

Single router only

For small homes, such as a three-room flat with not many users, a single router in the DB box is enough. The installation can be done usually for free by the ISPs.

Mesh network

For bigger flats, having a mesh can be an easy option. The easiest will be of cause a wireless backhaul, but for better connectivity, a wired backhaul will be better.

The setup for two mesh routers with a LAN connection to a PC, can be like this:

Two routers

Instead of laying LAN cables which can be unsightly, the new BTOs all have a ethernet cabling backbone connecting almost all the rooms in the house (bomb shelters even, for some)

To leverage on the existing cabling, connect a LAN cable from the router to the DB Box terminal (see red line below), and in the Study room, use a LAN cable to connect to your second router.

Routers plus a network switch approach

For households who like to game and stream TV content, having a stable LAN connection maybe better than relying on wifi.

In the following scenario, to support the TV and a gaming console such as Playstation, a switch is involved to provide more more ethernet ports.

Hopefully this is helpful, feel free to reach out to me if you have questions!