RN212 act as switch using 2nd ethernet port

Question

I am wondering if I can use my the 2nd ethernet port of my readyNAS as an additional port to occasionally connect my laptop or my 100Mbps-connected Wifi AP (so plenty of headroom there).

I guess this would be called bridging the two ports, but I'm not 100% sure...But I would want to keep any connected devices on the same Layer 2 network in all ways, so a separate subnet would not do.

Is this possible?

StephenB · Answer

milind2021&nbsp;wrote:
I am wondering if I can use my the 2nd ethernet port of my readyNAS as an additional port to occasionally connect my laptop or my 100Mbps-connected Wifi AP
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Is this possible?

If your goal is to reach the internet (or other devices on your home network) over that connection, then that won't work.&nbsp;
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It's better just to buy an small switch.

milind2021 · Answer

Agreed it's easier, but it adds unnecessary clutter.Can it not become a supported option? I think you'll find a lot of users would appreciate it.

StephenB · Answer

milind2021&nbsp;wrote:
Can it not become a supported option? I think you'll find a lot of users would appreciate it.

This is a customer forum, and I don't work for Netgear.&nbsp;
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You can post it in the idea exchange if you like.&nbsp;&nbsp;https://community.netgear.com/t5/ReadyNAS-Idea-Exchange/idb-p/idea-exchange-for-storage.
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Sandshark · Answer

It's do-able from SSH.&nbsp; See here:&nbsp;https://wiki.debian.org/BridgeNetworkConnections&nbsp;.
&nbsp;
Generally speaking, it's usually a bad idea, so I would vote against it as an option because those not recognizing the down side might choose to use it.&nbsp; The switch solution&nbsp;StephenB&nbsp;suggested is far from "unnecessary clutter".&nbsp; It performs the task you need without putting a load on the NAS processor or even requiring the NAS to be on.&nbsp; And the processor on a 212 isn't particularly powerful, though better than some earlier models.&nbsp; The switch and single additional cable you'll need can be purchased for about $20US.&nbsp; A 5-port switch is quite small, though you do need to be sure your're not power receptacle&nbsp;challenged.

milind2021 · Answer

I did follow the advice and got a 5-port TP-link gigabit switch that does the job now, so StephenB is definitely not wrong about it, I agree. I had not considered the possible load on the CPU - I presumed that the bridging would be done in hardware within the network adapter (which I had imagined would host both ports). But clutter in the form of yet another power point, wall wart, and unwieldy factory-made Ethernet cable adds up.I will try to mitigate the first two by running the switch and my WiFi AP on the same 5V power supply instead of one each, and the latter by crimping a just-correct-length LAN cable.With the bridging solution, I am worried about what is running "on top" of the networking stack. There's a thread (https://community.netgear.com/t5/Using-your-ReadyNAS-in-Business/Pass-internet-through-readynas/m-p/1837224/highlight/true#M183519) where Ney has tried bridging the ports from the terminal but found that the NAS becomes inaccessible till restarted and the bridge removed. Is there any documentation on what other components would need to be dealt with if I still want to try it?

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RN212 act as switch using 2nd ethernet port

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