A topology map should answer a question

Start with the question

Network diagrams become wallpaper when they try to show everything at once. The useful questions are usually smaller: what is this device connected to, which path does traffic take, and where should I look when that path breaks?

That changes the job of the map. It is not a picture of the database. It is an interface for moving from an overview to one specific relationship.

Structure before detail

I keep the main route visually quiet, make devices selectable, and reveal ports and direct connections only when they matter. Labels should describe what a person recognises, while implementation detail waits one level deeper.

The result can look simpler than the system underneath it. That is not missing information; it is information arriving in the right order.

Public examples need a boundary

A public demo should prove the interaction without publishing a real network. Synthetic switches, access points, and clients make the behaviour inspectable while keeping private infrastructure out of the page.