DHCP on Router or Switch?

[ThomH]

Hello - new to SNB, and sadly might be posting a noob question


Upgrading the Home Office / Entertainment areas, currently running a Cable modem > a DIR-655

My intention is to expand the wireless network and add wired LAN for the higher bandwidth areas. My planned install is

Modem > DGL-4100 router > switch [unknown yet].

From the switch i'd have LAN runs to a desktop switch and routers (configged as WAP's) - think i have that part worked out.

My question, do i set up the switch as the DHCP server or the DGL-4100?

If the switch is DHCP do i need to config the DGL-4100 at all or just plumb it Cable Modem > Router WAN - Router LAN > Switch ???

As I understand it the second switch and WAP's would receive address's from whereever the DHCP is configured.

Thanks in advance for any help - noob flame suit [ON] OFF

 

[YeOldeStonecat]

Just use an unmanaged switch. Uplinked to the router, DHCP will flow from the router through the switch to clients that ask for it.

 

[bendsley]

The router is going to be your DHCP server. Since it handles the routes of the network between your internal (home network) and the external (internet) networks, it will do the IP configurations and NAT (network address translation). The switch won't care anything about DHCP or IP addresses on the network at your home. If you buy an unmanaged switch, which if you're new to this you DON'T need a managed switch, then it will just happily pass along the information you're sending through it.

You can set the DHCP range on your router so that you don't give out so many IP addresses on the network. On my network at home, though quite a bit more intense and expensive than something simplistic, I use static IP addresses for my router and access points and switches, and then set the range for DHCP to limit it to maybe 10 IP addresses, because I only have 10 devices at my house that use wireless.

Make sure you secure your network with WPA2 and use a strong pre-shared key for it.