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R7800 - allow guest on home network

jbs2022
Aspirant

R7800 - allow guest on home network

I have a R6700 set up in my garage and connected to the cable modem.  I have the wifi turned off.  In my living room I have a R7800 set up as an AP.  It is connected to the garage router by ethernet.  I have a couple of things connected to the ethernet ports on the R7800 and use it as my wifi router.  I would like to turn on the guest wifi but the check box for allowing guest on home network is checked and grayed out.  I cannot get it unchecked.  The garage router has both the wifi and the guest wifi turned off and there are no checked boxes for anything.

I tried turning on the guest network to see if I could then turn off guest access to my home network but that won't work.  I would like to have the guest network for visitors to use wifi but I do not want them on my home network.  I have all of light (Hue bulbs and switches) on my home network plus 3 cameras and 3 servers along with my laptop and desktop computers.

 

Any help or suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

 

john

Model: R7800|Nighthawk X4S AC2600 Wifi Router
Message 1 of 6

Accepted Solutions
antinode
Guru

Re: R7800 - allow guest on home network

> I have a R6700 set up in my garage [...]

> [...] I have the wifi turned off. [...]

 

   Why is the R6700 is the garage?  Is anything connected to its LAN
Ethernet ports other than the R7800?

 

> [...] the cable modem. [...]

 

   Not a very detailed description of that device.

 

> [...] In my living room I have a R7800 set up as an AP. [...]

 

   That's why its "guest network" stuff is disabled.

 

      https://kb.netgear.com/26765/

 

> [...] I would like to have the guest network for visitors to use wifi
> but I do not want them on my home network. [...]


   Strictly speaking, "guest" clients are not on a separate network, but
there are firewall-like rules (enabled by default) which can limit their
ability to communicate with non-guest client devices.  (Those
firewall-like rules are implemented in the router section of the device,
which is why that functionality is lost when the router is configured as
a wireless access point.)

 

   Visit http://netgear.com/support , put in your model number, and look
for Documentation.  Get the User Manual.  Read.  Look for check-boxes
like "Allow guests to see each other and access my local network" (in
the "Set Up a Guest WiFi Network" section).

 

   The real mystery is what the R6700 is doing for you (other than
causing trouble).  Running another cable from the garage to the R7800,
and using the R7800 as the main/only router might simplify many things.


   You could run coax in, and put the modem near the R7800-as-router, or
you could run Ethernet from the modem to the R7800-as-router.  If there
are client devices in the garage, then you could run Ethernet from the
R7800-as-router (LAN port) back to the garage.  For multiple devices in
the garage, put an Ethernet switch out there, or the R6700-as-WAP (with
its wireless-network radio(s) disabled?).

 

   As usual, many things are possible.

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Message 2 of 6

All Replies
antinode
Guru

Re: R7800 - allow guest on home network

> I have a R6700 set up in my garage [...]

> [...] I have the wifi turned off. [...]

 

   Why is the R6700 is the garage?  Is anything connected to its LAN
Ethernet ports other than the R7800?

 

> [...] the cable modem. [...]

 

   Not a very detailed description of that device.

 

> [...] In my living room I have a R7800 set up as an AP. [...]

 

   That's why its "guest network" stuff is disabled.

 

      https://kb.netgear.com/26765/

 

> [...] I would like to have the guest network for visitors to use wifi
> but I do not want them on my home network. [...]


   Strictly speaking, "guest" clients are not on a separate network, but
there are firewall-like rules (enabled by default) which can limit their
ability to communicate with non-guest client devices.  (Those
firewall-like rules are implemented in the router section of the device,
which is why that functionality is lost when the router is configured as
a wireless access point.)

 

   Visit http://netgear.com/support , put in your model number, and look
for Documentation.  Get the User Manual.  Read.  Look for check-boxes
like "Allow guests to see each other and access my local network" (in
the "Set Up a Guest WiFi Network" section).

 

   The real mystery is what the R6700 is doing for you (other than
causing trouble).  Running another cable from the garage to the R7800,
and using the R7800 as the main/only router might simplify many things.


   You could run coax in, and put the modem near the R7800-as-router, or
you could run Ethernet from the modem to the R7800-as-router.  If there
are client devices in the garage, then you could run Ethernet from the
R7800-as-router (LAN port) back to the garage.  For multiple devices in
the garage, put an Ethernet switch out there, or the R6700-as-WAP (with
its wireless-network radio(s) disabled?).

 

   As usual, many things are possible.

Message 2 of 6
schumaku
Guru

Re: R7800 - allow guest on home network


@jbs2022 wrote:

In my living room I have a R7800 set up as an AP.


That's why you can't enable the guest network - which is more than just yet another SSID and security key - it's integrated in the device L2/L3 routing features.Beyond, even in router mode, the guest network can't be extended over the LAN ports. 

 

Your ISP supplied router does support only on LAN on the switched network as most of these consumer devices. A basic wireless access Point as implemented on the Netgear consumer routers are a pure L2 bridge. For an isolation, you would need a small business class router, switch(es) supporting VLANs, and wireless access points supporting multiple SSIDs with VLAN mapping.

Message 3 of 6
jbs2022
Aspirant

Re: R7800 - allow guest on home network

@antinode
Sorry, but I saw no need to explain why the R6700 is in my garage beyond that the wifi was off and that it was point of enty from ISP's modem and the R7800 was connected to it via ethernet.
However, to satisfy your curiousity I will explain. First, I recently moved to a much smaller house. My last one was a 2 story with garage. I made an office in the garage and built a rack for the servers. I used 24 port network switch and wired ethernet to every room in the house. I now live in a 2 bedroom ranch style with attached garage. I have my desktop in my bedroom because there is no other space to place it. All of the rooms are too small. I had to put the servers in the garage and besides, that was the input point from the isp. I use a ISP provided modem and that is about all I know about it other than it has no wifi. I brought the network switch with me and it is connected to the router in the garage and has 3 (and sometimes 4) servers connected to it. Also, 3 lines that run to the bedroom and one to the living room. I have 3 ethernet ports in my bedroom for my computer and assesories (google home is wired in also). The extra port is just that, extra, just in case it is ever needed. Using the garage router as the wifi point I had spotty connections in the kitchen and poor reception in the living room. I ran one ethernet cable to the living room and set up the R7800 router as an access point. I have ethernet to my Phillip's Hue hub, one camera, and my harmony hub and one to my Raspberry Pi Plex Media Player. I do not know why you stated that the R6700 is causing trouble for me. It runs smoothly and serves a purpose in the garage. Doing away with it and only using the one in the living room would be more trouble trying to run enough wire to the garage to the servers there and the bedroom ports would have to be rewired. My entire lan would have to be reworked as I use static addresses for the 14 or so light switches, 4 Google homes, Hue hub, Harmony hub, 3 cameras and probably some other things that I can't think of right now. Your suggestion of using the R7800 as the main router would also nessitate me to put a switch in the living room also because I could not do as you suggested off of 4 ports.
I did look on the Netgear site but did not find the link you provided. I guess I searched for the wrong thing. The link did answer my question quite well and I would have been happy to have gotten just that and not all of the wordage that you used to berate my setup. I do thank you though for that link.

Message 4 of 6
jbs2022
Aspirant

Re: R7800 - allow guest on home network

@schumaku,
Thaks for the info. I do not have an ISP supplied router, it is a modem only. Did not know about the l2/l3 routing features. I haven't gotten that far into routers.

Message 5 of 6
antinode
Guru

Re: R7800 - allow guest on home network

> [...] I do not know why you stated that the R6700 is causing trouble
> for me. [...]

 

   Your original complaint was that the guest network on the R7800
didn't work.  That's because the R7800 is configured as a WAP.  The
R7800 is configured as a WAP because the R6700 is acting as a router.
Remove the R6700, use the R7800 as your router, and your guest-network
problem disappears.  Or did I misunderstand something?

 

> [...] It runs smoothly and serves a purpose in the garage.

 

   That's one way to look at it.  Another way would be that it restricts
what the R7800 can do.

 

> Doing away with it and only using the one in the living room would be
> more trouble trying to run enough wire to the garage to the servers
> there and the bedroom ports would have to be rewired. [...]


   I can't see what all you have connected to what, so I know nothing,
but what is connected to the R6700 in the garage which couldn't be
connected to your 24-port switch, if you had an Ethernet cable
connecting that switch to the (centrally located) R7800-as-router?

 

   As I suggested earlier:

 

> [...] Running another cable from the garage to the R7800, and using
> the R7800 as the main/only router might simplify many things.

 

   I assume that you currently have a cable which runs from a R6700 LAN
port to the R7800-as-WAP (WAN/Internet port).

 

   Again, you could run coax in, and put the modem near the (centrally
located) R7800-as-router.  With the modem connected to the
R7800-as-router (WAN/Internet port), I assume that you could then
re-purpose the existing garage-house Ethernet cable to connect a LAN
port on the (centrally located) R7800-as-router to a port on the 24-port
switch, to feed everything else.  Or is there some problem with such an
arrangement?


   Alternatively, you could leave the modem where it is, use the
existing garage-house Ethernet cable to connect the modem to the
R7800-as-router (WAN/Internet port).  You'd then need a (one) new
Ethernet cable to connect a LAN port on the (centrally located)
R7800-as-router to a port on the 24-port switch, to feed everything
else.  Or is there some problem with such an arrangement?

 

> [...] I ran one ethernet cable to the living room and set up the R7800
> router as an access point. [...]

 

   Run another one, and set up the R7800 router as a router?  (Use the
old cable to pull a new pair of cables?)

 

> [...] My entire lan would have to be reworked as I use static
> addresses for the 14 or so light switches, [...]

 

   Why?  Do you mean really "static" (that is, configured on the devices
themselves), or "reserved dynamic" (configured on the router (DHCP
server))?  Re-doing a bunch of address reservations might be tedious,
but it doesn't seem that big a deal to me.


> [...] Your suggestion of using the R7800 as the main router would also
> nessitate me to put a switch in the living room also because I could not
> do as you suggested off of 4 ports.

 

   With the R7800-as-router, you'd have only three free LAN Ethernet
ports (one going to the garage), so, if you have more than three (wired)
clients there, then, yes, you'd need a small (5- or 8-port?) switch.
Not a major expense these days.  Or a colossal waste of space, either,
I'd say.

> [...] to berate my setup. [...]

 

   Yow.  Do you want a guest network on the R7800 or not?  If you do,
then the R7800 must be configured as a router.  Your current "my setup",
of which you seem to be very proud, won't let you do that.  If stating
that fact is "to berate [your] setup", then consider it berated.


   I've tried to explain how to shed the R6700, and add a cable (and,
perhaps, a small/cheap network switch, if you say so), and solve the
guest-network problem.  I'm not trying to twist your arm.  You have my
permission to do whatever you want with your stuff.  And my blessing.

 

   If buying a new small/cheap network switch bothers you, then you
could configure the R6700 as a WAP, disable its radios, and use _it_ as
a small/cheap network switch. I don't care.  Whatever makes you happy.

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