Hello all.
First time poster, but I have read and found many solutions on here before, so thanks for the great source of information.
My question regards the bridging of Linksys routers. I have an application where I need to cover approximately 14000 square feet with wireless, and also a guest network. There is currently lan wiring to key points in the residence, with switches and G access points at those locations (primarily each of the main AV centers). The client wants to update everything to higher speed, and also add a guest network. Aside from the other equipment, we have a Cisco WRVS4400n router and Cisco SLM2024 gigabit switch at the head end of things.
The newest Linksys EA series routers (considering the EA4500 and EA6500) have a bridge mode available (effectively being access point and switch only). Now I know that a single one of these routers (as in being the only network piece in a system), connected to to a modem, will isolate the guest traffic from the rest of the network, only allowing internet access to the guests. Is there any possible way that this router (at the AV centers connected via the single lan cable) could be bridged to the existing network router or switch and still maintain the isolation between the guest network and main network? The bridged router would have a single IP assigned to it by the main router, therefore appearing to me as if there would be no way for the main router to discern which traffic is guest network traffic and which is main network traffic.
That's the point at which I'm somewhat perplexed. I talked to Linksys support, and they said that bridging the seconday routers to the main router will still keep the guest traffic separate, with internet access only. Does this make sense to you? Perhaps somebody could explain briefly how this would work, how the two traffic flows would be differentiated by the main router.
Secondly, in the case that the aformentioned is not a viable solution, would anyone have a (relatively) cost effective solution to what I'm trying to accomplish? There is only a single cat5 running to each of the secondary locations, of which there are three, with possibly a fourth and fifth to be added.
Thanks in advance for any help or insight.
Pat
First time poster, but I have read and found many solutions on here before, so thanks for the great source of information.
My question regards the bridging of Linksys routers. I have an application where I need to cover approximately 14000 square feet with wireless, and also a guest network. There is currently lan wiring to key points in the residence, with switches and G access points at those locations (primarily each of the main AV centers). The client wants to update everything to higher speed, and also add a guest network. Aside from the other equipment, we have a Cisco WRVS4400n router and Cisco SLM2024 gigabit switch at the head end of things.
The newest Linksys EA series routers (considering the EA4500 and EA6500) have a bridge mode available (effectively being access point and switch only). Now I know that a single one of these routers (as in being the only network piece in a system), connected to to a modem, will isolate the guest traffic from the rest of the network, only allowing internet access to the guests. Is there any possible way that this router (at the AV centers connected via the single lan cable) could be bridged to the existing network router or switch and still maintain the isolation between the guest network and main network? The bridged router would have a single IP assigned to it by the main router, therefore appearing to me as if there would be no way for the main router to discern which traffic is guest network traffic and which is main network traffic.
That's the point at which I'm somewhat perplexed. I talked to Linksys support, and they said that bridging the seconday routers to the main router will still keep the guest traffic separate, with internet access only. Does this make sense to you? Perhaps somebody could explain briefly how this would work, how the two traffic flows would be differentiated by the main router.
Secondly, in the case that the aformentioned is not a viable solution, would anyone have a (relatively) cost effective solution to what I'm trying to accomplish? There is only a single cat5 running to each of the secondary locations, of which there are three, with possibly a fourth and fifth to be added.
Thanks in advance for any help or insight.
Pat