Running out of PCIe Slots

[BarQ]

Hi guys,

So I'm finally getting parts for my PFSense box but I have encounter a bump on the way which I can't figure out what to do about it. So my motherboard has the following PCI Slots:

1 x PCIe 2.0 x16
2 x PCIe 2.0 x1
1 x PCI

I need 2 x PCIe 2.0 x1 for Wi-Fi NIC Cards as one will be for my home devices and second one will be used for Guest Wi-Fi which actually I need to do more research on how to set it up so that Guest Wi-Fi AP won't have access to my devices in my own network.

Then I also need 2 Port Ethernet NIC which I was able to find but I can't find anything for 1 x PCI or 1 x PCIe 2.0 x16.

Any advice will be well appreciated.

 

[degrub]

You can use any pcie based nic in the x16 slot. What is the issue ?

 

[coxhaus]

Why run wireless in the PC? Use wireless APs on separate VLANs.

As long as you have 2 Ethernet ports it will work.

 

[BarQ]

Why run wireless in the PC? Use wireless APs on separate VLANs.

As long as you have 2 Ethernet ports it will work.

I have tried to find a tutorial on setting up VLANs and couldn't find much on YouTube. Plus setting up VLANs looks complicated.

What's the difference between having a wireless card vs actual AP except of course the size of the devices itselfes ?

So, would setting up a separate VLAN for LAN, AP and Guest AP block communication between a Guest Wi-Fi and my main network ? I know that VLANs separate a network so that computer for example from HR don't talk with PC's in Finance department. Does VLAN requires a separate subnet and how would I check if a VLAN works correctly ?

 

[degrub]

YES.
There is a good guide to configuring vlans on this site. Just do a search.
It is straight forward to do. All devices (router, switch, AP have to support vlans). There are plenty of folks here willing to help if you get stuck.

The AP(s) you place wherever you need to so that you have good coverage. Use POE (power over ethernet) based AP to avoid the extra wire for power if you prefer. You only need a POE injector plus the connection to a switch or router and an AP that supports POE on the network.

 

[System Error Message]

i dont bother with PCIe wireless cards much because any decent one that will have the performance of an AP will cost a lot, like the ASUS PCE-68 which is the ASUS AC68U but in PCIe card format but costs more than the router itself. Any decent affordable internal cards are usually made for mini PCIe, requiring external antennas to be present (wiring and stuff that you should not be doing in a PC if you do get an adapter).

Just get yourself a quad port NIC or 2x 2 port NICs to either occupy the first slot or the 2 slots or you can use a semi managed POE switch and APs like ubiquiti AC AP lite which supports quite a bit of features.