NETGEAR is aware of a growing number of phone and online scams. To learn how to stay safe click here.
Forum Discussion
CAUTION: Orbi's Wifi Guest Network does not really isolate guests from main network
I was just playing around around with the Guest Network in Orbi and made a rather disturbing discovery that guest clients don't seem to be separated totally from the main network, in fact can access ...
Can Orbi and Orbit Pro in AP mode support a proper VLAN set-up with multiple SSIDs mapped accordingly, with both the wired and the wireless backhaul?
Considering Insight 4 is supposed to support these devices soon: How will Orbi and Orbi Pro APs be integrated with a capable Insight/Smart Managed Pro VLAN switches and the low cost WAC505/510 access point VLAN infrastructure offering correct network isolation then please?
What routers does Netgear suggest for such environments - considering all Orbi, Orbi Pro and Nighthawk are suffering from these problems - and still (after years and years of customer requests!!!) not support industry standard tagged VLAN?
Insight does make it possible to set-up, manage and expand such an environment with ease. Netgear has everything required to fulfill this very basic requirement - except of routers.
Deploying a different router without VLAN-SSID mapping on Orbi does not solve the issue. The KB entry is ok for flat networks only and does in my opinion not apply to an environment requiring proper isolation.
Netgear has all design and engineering capabilities for switching and wireless access in home, SOHO, and SMB - including a nice Insight management system. Just the Nighthawk and Orbi/Orbi Pro are still stuck on the first home router design limitations from 25+ years when Netgear introduced the first ZyNOS based router to the market. Worth noting: That router had capable IPsec VPN capabilities for a VPN server and a VPN client. And it had the ability to add WAN-LAN firewall filtering rules. Capabilities silently lost since. And the community is full with requests for these features. It's just that the people in charge apparently don't care about real world requirements.
Just like the broken (and impossible to achieve) pure Layer 2 guest network isolation. Should Netgear be interested in a product line manager - I'm available.
Considering Insight 4 is supposed to support these devices soon: How will Orbi and Orbi Pro APs be integrated with a capable Insight/Smart Managed Pro VLAN switches and the low cost WAC505/510 access point VLAN infrastructure offering correct network isolation then please?
What routers does Netgear suggest for such environments - considering all Orbi, Orbi Pro and Nighthawk are suffering from these problems - and still (after years and years of customer requests!!!) not support industry standard tagged VLAN?
Insight does make it possible to set-up, manage and expand such an environment with ease. Netgear has everything required to fulfill this very basic requirement - except of routers.
Deploying a different router without VLAN-SSID mapping on Orbi does not solve the issue. The KB entry is ok for flat networks only and does in my opinion not apply to an environment requiring proper isolation.
Netgear has all design and engineering capabilities for switching and wireless access in home, SOHO, and SMB - including a nice Insight management system. Just the Nighthawk and Orbi/Orbi Pro are still stuck on the first home router design limitations from 25+ years when Netgear introduced the first ZyNOS based router to the market. Worth noting: That router had capable IPsec VPN capabilities for a VPN server and a VPN client. And it had the ability to add WAN-LAN firewall filtering rules. Capabilities silently lost since. And the community is full with requests for these features. It's just that the people in charge apparently don't care about real world requirements.
Just like the broken (and impossible to achieve) pure Layer 2 guest network isolation. Should Netgear be interested in a product line manager - I'm available.
As much as I too would like to see features like this, they are definitely focused more on the 'prosumer', whereas Netgear's products are clearly and squarely aimed at the "set it and forget it" consumer market. I'd very seriously doubt you will ever see things like VLAN splitting (outside of that required for WAN support in select European markets) included in the product. Just my $0.02.
wrote:As much as I too would like to see features like this, they are definitely focused more on the 'prosumer', whereas Netgear's products are clearly and squarely aimed at the "set it and forget it" consumer market..
Fact is that Netgear customers are complaining about this incomplete and unfinished guest network and isolation. Not only in this thread. Subject are Nighthawk routers, Orbi and Orbi Pro systems. The majority of users would never see there is a VLAN implementation in place. Different, users who want to seamlessly extend thier single point router by adding wireless Negear APs, by adding Netgear Smart Managed switches, could directly take an advantage out of it. Some assistance built into the router firmware, and adding additional switches and WiFi APs would be a snap, by adding a seamless extension option. Click and run. And people would automatically have the same SSIDs on the router and the APs, the same guest network on the router and the APs. It could not be easier.
And while Talking Orbi - the Orbi Pro is undoubted made for small business environments. Business is mentioned at least half a dozen times on the marketing page. And with the "business" competition in the market offering capable routers (no WiFi built in of course) for much less than 100 US$, offering a unified management environment - instead of a many year old "Genie" full of inconsistencies and design limitations.
And everything would be plug and run.
Netgear could do much better and become the preferred vendor for SOHO, small businesses, easily. They have everything required: Except of routers.