What’s the right way to do it?
A lack of space above or below and solid brick walls are going to be seriously limiting. Possibly the only upside to New Zealand’s average house quality is that there is space everywhere and most things are hollow.
> you might end up with the switch on the attic
UniFi makes stuff I like and this situation sounds like a great use for their ‘Flex’ switch which is managed and POE powered.
I think it depends on what creatures you have in your area.
In my location, I'll take ceiling creatures (bats, owls) over basement creatures (multiple poisonous arachnids, poisonous snakes, poisonous lizards, etc...)