Need help with home network restrictions

[Briant73]

Hoping this is the right forum, looking to see if something can be done and if so how.

Purchased a new stereo receiver that has Airplay enabled for Apple Ieverything and Itunes. This feature allows the Iphone/phod/tunes/pad to stream music directly to the receiver. Pretty neat feature but has one drawback in my mind, there are no controls to who can and can't access it. If someone has access to my local network and the AVR (audio video receiver) is on, they can instantly select it as the output device for music/videos and the iphone/ipad/ipod/itunes will instantly take over and start playing on the receiver. Not fun when your watching a movie and someone inadvertently hits the wrong thing, even worse that if you have the receiver set to network standy they can turn it on and start playing. Now the simple fix would be to disable Airplay but guess that's not an option and the next solution is disabling network connectivity altogether for the AVR.

Currently running a Dlink DIR-655 router with three Dlink home gig switches connected. Wired are - desktop computers, xbox 360, ps3, avr, tv, blu ray. Wirless - iphones/ipads, laptops, kindles. I also have a linksys wrt54g sitting around unused.

What I'd like to do is this - Keep the AVR network enabled for internet access and windows media player usage but block Airplay devices from using it.

Anyway with my current equipment to do this and if so how? If not is there anything that wouldn't break the bank I could buy?

 

[tipstir]

That system should be use only for those Wired/WiFi Network devices and get another AV-AMP system for your DTS and such so you don't run into these issues. Multi-room systems are now cheaper today than years prior. I have one in most of the rooms here. I use network media 1080p HD boxes throughout the house and out in the patio area. Got to have everything network where there is a HDTV involved!

 

[thiggins]

You could use VLANs to isolate the AVR from the rest of the network, yet still give it Internet access. All you would need is a relatively inexpensive "smart" switch. See VLAN How To: Segmenting a small LAN

 

[Briant73]

That system should be use only for those Wired/WiFi Network devices and get another AV-AMP system for your DTS and such so you don't run into these issues. Multi-room systems are now cheaper today than years prior. I have one in most of the rooms here. I use network media 1080p HD boxes throughout the house and out in the patio area. Got to have everything network where there is a HDTV involved!

I probably wasn't clear but what I am trying to do is restrict any Apple products from accessing my AVR through Airplay but still keep the AVR on the network for other uses. I wish there was a simple way to disable access/functionaility of Airplay but there is not.

 

[Briant73]

You could use VLANs to isolate the AVR from the rest of the network, yet still give it Internet access. All you would need is a relatively inexpensive "smart" switch. See VLAN How To: Segmenting a small LAN

Thanks for that information that is something I will keep in mind. I was wondering if I could use the linksys wrt54g as sort of a seperate AP/Switch on a different subnet.

Question - Since everything but Itunes (on wired computers) connects to the router through wireless (iphone/ipads) would a Vlan really work to stop those wireless devices from connecting to the AVR unit? My thinking is those devices connect to the router which the AVR will also be connecting to and using for internet access, would that not give the router access to the AVR, which would enable those wireless devices to have access also?

 

[thiggins]

You would need to filter traffic to the AVR by protocol, which you're not going to get on a consumer router. VLAN is all or nothing.

By putting the AVR on its own VLAN connected via Ethernet, would keep all traffic off it. If the AVR is connected via wireless, you could use a wireless Guest network to separate it. That would give the AVR internet access, but no LAN access.

 

[Briant73]

You would need to filter traffic to the AVR by protocol, which you're not going to get on a consumer router. VLAN is all or nothing.

By putting the AVR on its own VLAN connected via Ethernet, would keep all traffic off it. If the AVR is connected via wireless, you could use a wireless Guest network to separate it. That would give the AVR internet access, but no LAN access.

The AVR is wired but all the iphones/pads on my Home network are wireless and use the internet router for their network/internet access which would be the same router the AVR is connected to for internet access.
Current setup is
Cable modem - wireless router - switches - wired networked equipment

Now if I am understanding things the suggestion is to add a Managed vlan capable switch between the AVR and the router, setup a vlan on the switch that has both the AVR and the Router so the AVR has the ability to communicate to the router for internet access. What my question is how do i keep the router and any of the wireless devices connected to it from being able to talk back to the AVR on the vlan since the router is part of that also?

 

[thiggins]

What my question is how do i keep the router and any of the wireless devices connected to it from being able to talk back to the AVR on the vlan since the router is part of that also?

Basically, you need to move everything off the router except internet connection.

So get an access point or router converted to AP and connect it to a port on the smart switch. Then take the other switches now uplinked to the router and move them to smart switch ports. Now you have control over VLAN assignment and what connects to what.

 

[Briant73]

Basically, you need to move everything off the router except internet connection.

So get an access point or router converted to AP and connect it to a port on the smart switch. Then take the other switches now uplinked to the router and move them to smart switch ports. Now you have control over VLAN assignment and what connects to what.

That is what I was starting to suspect with my current setup using residential level equipment. Since this caught me by surprise I haven't really budgeted for a new switch and router but it is something to think about for the future. Thanks for all your answers.