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Forum Discussion
Add a second Wi-Fi Network
I have Frontier as my ISP and use a Frontier FiOS G1100 Quantum Router and want to add a Mesh Wi-Fi system. Can I have two separate Wi-Fi networks issuing separate DHCP address ranges (i.e. 192.168.1.0, 10.0.0.1)
5 Replies
MNicastro wrote:I have Frontier as my ISP and use a Frontier FiOS G1100 Quantum Router and want to add a Mesh Wi-Fi system. Can I have two separate Wi-Fi networks issuing separate DHCP address ranges (i.e. 192.168.1.0, 10.0.0.1)
Yes, you can... but WHY?
If you want to keep the FiOS WiFi and have the mesh WiFi cover other parts of the building, you could simply put the mesh system into Access Point (AP) mode. That keeps the entire network on the same IP subnet. Being on two subnets works for some things, but will be really awkward for other uses.
It might be worth considering how this is going to work in practice. The mesh WiFi system base unit will need to be connected to the FiOS router with ethernet cable. Unless there is ethernet running throughout the house, that will place the mesh base unit (literally) in the same room with the FiOS WiFi unit. You can put them on different WiFi channels to reduce interference, but the mesh base unit will cover the same area as the FiOS, so this is not much of an improvement.
Thanks for the fast response! The reason why I want two separate networks is because I have static IP address on the 192.168.1.x network like server, workstations, printes and four IP cams. They actually all use static IP addresses, so I can disable DHCP on that network, but still need Wi-Fi to connect to the two weather cams. I use port forwarding for the 4 cameras I have and like to keep them on the same network so I can reach them remotely via the Internet. The only reason I want a mesh is bacause the Frontier FiOS Wi-Fi router is HORRIBLE and disconnects my wireless devices randomly all the time, like my Amazon Echo, Ring, Blink, Phillips Hue and other wireless smarthome devices.I figure I can put them on another dependable Wi-Fi network and isolate them from the other network. Makes sense?
You may be "overthinking" the situation. The FiOS router can be set to issue DHCP to a range separate from the static IP's that have been assigned to the existing permanent devices. If the mesh network is in AP mode, all devices will ask for DHCP and get passed to the FiOS, which will happily issue them in a range separate from those static IP devices.
If you supply the exact model number of the FiOS router, we can find the command to set the DHCP range it uses. (My guess is that the range is already "OK", because it is currently issuing IP's to smartphones and the like and they are not interfering with those static IP's.) For example, if FiOS has a DHCP range of 192.168.1.2 through 192.168.1.250, and your static IP's are at the top of that range, then the FiOS will never "get that high" and thus never interfere.
I would also disable the FiOS WiFi and let the mesh system probide WiFi to everything.
Having two separate IP subnets can lead to awkward problems, including the dreaded "Double NAT":
