Created: June 10, 2026
High-Performance Residential Network
Hardware Bill of Materials (BOM)
Prices are estimates based on current market rates for New equipment.
The router and core switching moved from Google Nest Wifi Pro to a prosumer UniFi stack. The reason: real VLAN segmentation (Main / IoT / Cameras / Guest), manual Wi-Fi channel control to keep 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi off the Zigbee/Thread channels, and a local API so router telemetry and presence flow into Home Assistant. Nest cannot do any of those. See Network Segmentation for the why.
| Image | Category | Item Description | Qty | Est. Unit | Est. Total | Implementation Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Core Gateway | UniFi Dream Machine SE (UDM-SE) | 1 | $499 | $499 | Office: gateway + controller + 8-port PoE + local NVR (UniFi Protect). Budget alt: Cloud Gateway Ultra ($129) + the managed switch below. |
 |
Switching (managed) | UniFi USW-Lite-16-PoE | 1 | $199 | $199 | Office core: VLAN-aware (802.1Q) + PoE for the APs. Replaces the unmanaged 16-port; managed is required wherever VLANs trunk or an AP is fed. |
 |
Wi-Fi | UniFi U6 Pro Access Points | 3 | $159 | $477 | Office + Living Room + Garage. Wi-Fi 6, per-SSID VLAN, manual 2.4 GHz channel selection. Step up to U7 Pro (~$189) for Wi-Fi 7. |
 |
Switching | 8-Port Gigabit Switch (Netgear GS308) | 1 | $25 | $25 | Living Room: TV, console, soundbar. Unmanaged is fine at a single-VLAN edge; use a managed switch here if this drop must carry more than one VLAN. |
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Switching | 5-Port Gigabit Switch (Netgear GS305) | 2 | $20 | $40 | Bedrooms/Garage: local aggregation, single-VLAN edges. |
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Switching | 5-Port Industrial Switch | 1 | $50 | $50 | Gate: high-temp rated (TRENDnet TI-G50). |
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The Bridge | Ubiquiti NanoStation 5AC Loco | 2 | $79 | $158 | The "invisible cable" to the gate. airMAX/UISP; independent of the gateway choice. |
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The Bridge | 24V PoE Injector | 2 | $15 | $30 | Powers the bridge units. |
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Remote Wi-Fi | TP-Link EAP610-Outdoor | 1 | $130 | $130 | Gate Wi-Fi + sensor support. Standalone Omada; can stay as-is or be swapped for a UniFi outdoor AP for a single pane. |
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Cabling | Cat6a Bulk Cable (1000ft Spool) | 1 | $250 | $250 | Solid copper, Riser (CMR/CMP). |
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Cabling | Termination Kit & Patch Cables | 1 | $150 | $150 | RJ45 ends, crimper, tester, patch cords. |
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Power/UPS | CyberPower CP850PFCLCD (PFC Pure Sine Wave, 850VA / 510W) | 1 | $140 | $140 | Office (purchased, in place): backs all current network equipment and the Home Assistant gateway; bridges to the whole-home generator. |
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Power/UPS | UPS 600VA | 1 | $80 | $80 | Living Room: protects AV gear. |
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Enclosures | NEMA 4X Weatherproof Box | 1 | $45 | $45 | Protects gate switch/injectors. |
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Enclosures | Pole Mount Kits | 2 | $30 | $60 | Mounting for bridge radios. |
| TOTAL | ~$2,283 | Excludes taxes & labor |
Notes
- The prosumer core (UDM-SE + managed PoE switch + UniFi APs) is roughly $730 more than the prior Nest 3-pack + unmanaged 16-port build. That delta buys real VLANs, manual Wi-Fi channel control, router/client telemetry in Home Assistant, and a local NVR. A budget path (Cloud Gateway Ultra + the managed switch + the same APs) lands closer to $700 total for the core if the UDM-SE NVR is not wanted.
- Managed vs unmanaged: a switch must be managed (802.1Q) anywhere it trunks more than one VLAN or feeds an access point. Single-VLAN edge switches (the small living-room/bedroom units) can stay unmanaged.
- The UniFi controller runs on the UDM-SE itself, so there is no recurring fee and no hard cloud dependency. The UniFi Network integration exposes presence, per client bandwidth, and uptime to Home Assistant.
- Smart-home radios (Zigbee, Thread, Z-Wave) stay on the Home Assistant side via their own coordinators. They are not IP traffic and do not ride this network; the router's role for them is Wi-Fi channel hygiene, not routing. See the Local-First Smart Home build.
- All switches are gigabit-rated to support the full 1 Gbps fiber connection.
- The industrial switch at the gate is rated for -40C to 75C operation.
- Cat6a cabling supports 10 Gbps for future upgrades.
- UPS units provide ~15-30 minutes of runtime during power outages.
- The office UPS is a pure sine wave unit. The property has a whole-home propane generator, so the UPS does not need long runtime; it carries the load through the brief gap before the generator starts and cleans up both utility and generator power for sensitive electronics. This UPS is shared with the Home Assistant build. It is purchased and in place today, currently backing all current network equipment and the Home Assistant gateway (the rest of the BOM is still being rolled out).
- NEMA 4X enclosure is weatherproof and suitable for outdoor installation.