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I have a well-functioning network setup with PCs, laptops, smartphones, and numerous smart home devices (lights, doorbell, thermostat, Logitech Harmony Hub and remote, vacuums, Google Home devices, et al.) working in harmony. Recently, I've come across a rash of articles about putting all smart home devices under a separate SSID and password, if not on a separate wireless router altogether, including a recommendation from the FBI! I want my network to be secure as well as convenient, but redoing all my smart home device configurations to move them to the Orbi RBRE960's IoT network would be a long and tedious process, and I'm not persuaded that my Google Home app, for example, running on my smartphone on the main SSID, will still be able to communicate with and control the smart home devices on the IoT SSID.
Could someone offer an informed opinion on whether a major change like this is worth the effort, and whether I can maintain the convenience of controlling my devices through my smartphone or Google Assistant? Thanks in advance!
You will be able to control your devices from your smartphone or from Google Assistant, since you will still be on the same LAN. I have 60+ IoT devices in my network, on the same SSID as my other devices. I’m still not convinced of value to have those devices separated in own radio network. My setup works perfectly as it is now.
You will be able to control your devices from your smartphone or from Google Assistant, since you will still be on the same LAN. I have 60+ IoT devices in my network, on the same SSID as my other devices. I’m still not convinced of value to have those devices separated in own radio network. My setup works perfectly as it is now.
Thanks to everyone for your responses! You saved me a lot of time - had there been some clearly discernible advantage to putting my IoT devices on a separate network, I would have had a lot of reconfiguring to do!
At least with the RBKE963, putting your IoT devices on the IoT network has absolutely no benefit from a security standpoint. Unlike many other wireless routers that support VAPs (Virtual Access Points), the 900 series has no network isolation between the IoT and "main" network.
Interesting tech decision - that kind of defeats the purpose of a separate IoT network, which is to provide additional security for the main network. I suppose that exposes the conundrum faced by manufacturers of consumer networking gear. Physically separating the main and IoT networks means isolating the smartphone that most people use to control their IoT devices from the devices themselves, and that removes the convenience factor that is one of their primary selling points.
