adding Smart TV.. WiFi to Guest Network configuration

[db9]

I have added a Smart TV (Samsung) to my multitude of devices and I'll use WiFI to connect (I don't have a ethernet cable to this particular room)
My current setup is as follows..
modem in bridge mode connected to Asus 16 running Merlin (this is my DHCP server - WiFi is turned off) connected as a AP is an Archer C7 - 2.4 & 5 WiFi with Guest WiFi turned off, DHCP is also turned off.

I had thought I could turn the AP guest network on and have it isolated from my LAN. But by doing so the TV does not get a IP address from the 'main' router (Asus which is the DHCP server). To get an IP I need to let the TV see the LAN.
What would be the recommendation for a LAN layout that has my NAS & workstation (ethernet) - laptop(s) on WiFi (with access to the NAS for backups and file access ) BUT with the TV isolated (via WiFi)?
Could I create 2 VLAN's (virtual) with the Asus (Merlin) one secure for the NAS etc and a second isolated with a AP connected?

Thanks for reading

 

[mlg321]

Use VLANs with a new DHCP ip scope. eg. 192.168.1.1 is your main private LAN and 192.168.20.1 is your guest. If you just turn on guest WiFi without DHCP it's just a ghost ssid.

 

[db9]

Thank you..
Just to be clear in my mind - so as described before my Archer C7 is an AP and using your responce, can I put the guest WiFI on its own VLAN within the C7 and the WiFi on a private LAN (which gets it DHCP IP scope from the asus ) ?

 

[Trikein]

What are your reasons for putting the TV on a guest network? Are you trying to seperate it from the rest of the network for privacy reasons? If so, what two networks are you trying to isolate? The guest wifi from the main wifi from the AP? The Guest wifi and the wired network? Also, will the TV be streaming content locally or does it just need a internet connection for Netflix/etc?

" But by doing so the TV does not get a IP address from the 'main' router (Asus which is the DHCP server)."

Where does it get a IP from then? If the Asus is the only thing with DHCP on, it should be the only device giving out IPs. What IP address do you get? It sounds like you don't have the Archer C7 in proper AP mode, but just have the DHCP disabled. Disabling DHCP does NOT disable NAT. Because of the double NAT, the TV connected to the C7 can't talk to devices connected to your Asus. I would suggest trying to use the C7 in normal router mode and try the Asus in AP mode. See link below for emulator on Asus RT-N16 on where to change to AP mode.

http://event.asus.com/2009/networks/dummy_ui/rt-n16/Advanced_OperationMode_Content.html

Another thing to check is that your ISP modem is in full bridge mode. Like AP mode, some manufacturers implement Bridge mode in different ways. Make sure your Asus router is getting a public IP for it's WAN settings and disable IPv6 unless you know your entire network and ISP support it.

 

[db9]

What are your reasons for putting the TV on a guest network? Are you trying to seperate it from the rest of the network for privacy reasons?

Yes isolating the TV from my LAN

If so, what two networks are you trying to isolate? The guest wifi from the main wifi from the AP? The Guest wifi and the wired network?

The AP is the the only WiFi (the WiFi on the Asus is turned off) I wish to isolate the guest WiFi from my LAN (wired and WiFi)
I currently connect my laptop to the WiFi and get internet (as expected I'm assigned a IP address from the Asus) When I connect to the Guest WiFi I do not get a IP and no access to the internet.

[/QUOTE]Also, will the TV be streaming content locally or does it just need a internet connection for Netflix/etc?[/QUOTE] internet connection required for Netflix

It sounds like you don't have the Archer C7 in proper AP mode,

The C7 is connected via cat5 to a LAN port on the ASUS,
On the C7 DHCP and NAT are turned off.

Another thing to check is that your ISP modem is in full bridge mode.

It is set to bridge mode

Make sure your Asus router is getting a public IP for it's WAN settings

It is...

 

[Trikein]

Is NAT a concern? Could you enable router function on the Archer C7? Isolating one wireless SSID(WLAN) from another is pretty easy, but separating other ethernet from other ethernet(LAN) is more difficult. I don't think stock/merlin offers VLAN tagging on the RT-N16u but you can get it with dd-WRT if you want to upgrade to that. See thread here. If not, then you could enable router mode on the C7 and set it to use a DHCP range of a different subnet than your main router. Another option is to buy another router capable of wireless bridging and/or WDS and use that to create a ethernet bridge between that router and the guest network on your C7. This would limit it's bandwidth though.

I am still slightly confused what the problem is. In the OP you said;

"thought I could turn the AP guest network on and have it isolated from my LAN. But by doing so the TV does not get a IP address from the 'main' router".

Did you mean the TV wasn't getting a IP address at all? If so, this isn't inherent in the guest mode, but something broken with it. Can other devices connect to the Archer C7's guest wifi? Also, when you say the Archer C7 is a AP, do you mean one connected with ethernet? Or does it act as a repeater? Did you try disabling security on the guest Wifi?

 

[RogerSC]

Curious if you've considered powerline network adapters for connecting your TV to your router? That's the way I have my Samsung TV connected at the moment, and it is more consistent than wifi, and about as fast using powerline as wifi. And I don't have to manage VLANs. I'm sure that MoCA would be a lot better than either wifi or powerline, but not using that at the moment.

Or, if you're happy with wifi, that's fine, too, of course *smile*.

 

[db9]

Did you mean the TV wasn't getting a IP address at all? If so, this isn't inherent in the guest mode, but something broken with it. Can other devices connect to the Archer C7's guest wifi? Also, when you say the Archer C7 is a AP, do you mean one connected with ethernet? Or does it act as a repeater? Did you try disabling security on the guest Wifi?

Correct the TV doesn't get an IP at all. As well if I connect my laptop to the guest wifi it will not get a IP either. Yes the Archer C7 is connected with ethernet from a LAN port on the Asus to a LAN port on the Archer C7.

I thank you for your help.. I think that I may have assumed that by turning on the guest function on the C7 it would get IP from the DHCP on the Asus. I will try and run a few different things.. one would be to turn on the wifi on the Asus and enable guest wifi as well and see what happens when I connect to that guest wifi. and I will try your other suggestion about enabling router mode on the C7 and setting a different DHCP range.
Ultimately I think that my understanding is limited and what I assumed is incorrect. I'll need to look for information regarding setting up a 'home' system with seperate LAN's before I invest in new or more hardware.

 

[db9]

Curious if you've considered powerline network adapters for connecting your TV to your router? That's the way I have my Samsung TV connected at the moment, and it is more consistent than wifi, and about as fast using powerline as wifi. And I don't have to manage VLANs. I'm sure that MoCA would be a lot better than either wifi or powerline, but not using that at the moment.

Or, if you're happy with wifi, that's fine, too, of course *smile*.

Thanks
Yes I had considered a powerline adapter but hadn't looked at the tech side of that yet (speed etc) I was hoping I could achieve what I wanted without spending some $$.
I do use a MoCA system all ready into another place in the home (enabling wifi coverage, as I can't get an Cat5 cable into that part of the home either) I'll need to find a performance comparison of the different technologies.

 

[RogerSC]

Thanks
Yes I had considered a powerline adapter but hadn't looked at the tech side of that yet (speed etc) I was hoping I could achieve what I wanted without spending some $$.
I do use a MoCA system all ready into another place in the home (enabling wifi coverage, as I can't get an Cat5 cable into that part of the home either) I'll need to find a performance comparison of the different technologies.

Don't know what speed you're trying to support, but MoCA 2.0 is a good way to go. That can almost get up to 1Gbps...assuming that the cables in your walls are in good shape. MoCA 1.1 can support up to about 100Mbps or thereabouts, which is enough for HD/UHD streaming. Powerline networking is not that fast, but it's also good enough for HD streaming...not sure about UHD, though, if you want to go there. I have the TP-Link PA9020P kit, works well for me.

You can get a couple of Actiontec MoCA 2.0 adapters on Amazon, try them out, and return them if you can't get them working. In my experience, it was easier to get the MoCA 1.1 adapters to work, those worked great for me here. Got up into the 90Mbps area with MoCA 1.1.