Airport+ISP configuration: rent-a-nerd?

[MrCheeto]

I really can't stand relying on ISP hardware but let's make the best of a poor situation.

I just need help being walked through configuring my network so that I have the best reliability and performance for all of my devices. I don't believe everything should be free so I'm offering to compensate somebody for their expertise if they offer any sort of professional services.

I have an Airport A1521 which is the 802.11 with draft ac. I have an ISP router with WiFi and receives fiber optic. It includes several standard 1gb/s ports and a single 5gb/s port. Whether the 5gb/s is throttled, I don't know.

WiFi Connected devices: a large number of Macs using anything from g to n, plus two M1's with ac and ax. iPhone Xr and iPhone SE 2nd gen. Game consoles and TV's all likely with standard g/n.

Wired devices: M1 Max MacBook Pro over gigabit-ethernet-to-USB-C. Mac Pro 2009 with on-board gigabit ethernet.

Planned devices: storage accessible throughout the network. Maybe NAS but more on that later.

Currently, if I plug my M1 Max into the ISP router, I get over 900mb/s. If I plug the ISP router into the Airport Extreme then plug the M1 Max into that, I get 700-800mb/s. Over WiFi I receive about 500-800mb/s using the Airport. So speed is an issue with my setup.

Secondly, dumb devices have a hard time connecting and staying connected. My TV over WiFi must be completely unplugged from power every single time I want it to connect. Several other devices have somewhat similar behavior like game consoles etc.

Finally, the storage. I will be coming up with a storage solution in the future and need this to function with that in mind. The storage has to be remotely accessible but also allow the fastest throughput to devices at home. I may want to use 5gb/s or 10gb/s devices on the network for quick access but if you're the expert I'll follow your lead. I'll be running constant backups of every device on the network, manually ingesting data, and using it to host videos, photos, etc. The storage device will make redundant copies. I will also be editing the videos and photos from this device. For instance, I will be using different editing apps on the 2009 Mac Pro or the M1 Max MacBook Pro to edit the same files in the same library. All of the information has to be accessible and interchangeable with all of my Macs and I have to be able to browse, download, edit, and upload remotely over the internet. Speed and connectivity are crucial here which is the reason I suspect there may be use for devices with greater than 1gb/s speeds.

Thanks for reading this far. Where do I start?

 

[belvdr]

First, I would disable wifi on the ISP router, if at all possible. After that, I would look into a more recent WiFi 6/6E system, if you're looking to get the most performance possible.

 

[MrCheeto]

First, I would disable wifi on the ISP router, if at all possible. After that, I would look into a more recent WiFi 6/6E system, if you're looking to get the most performance possible.

Thanks. Glad we're of a similar mind. Disabling the radios in these devices is the first thing I do.

I think I will be happy with maxing out the AC. Most, as in nearly all, of my Macs will have ethernet when they're at their dedicated stations. So really I'm just trying to maximize the wireless capabilities of the Airport and then do the same for the ethernet devices with room to expand to networked storage.