Setting dnsmasq on Asuswrt-Merlin

[Siff]

Hi All,

I'm setting up an RT-AX88U Pro as a main router with another one as a mesh node. The main router has Asuswrt-Merlin version 3004.388.8_2 installed on it.

I'm looking to have a "Main" network (192.168.1.0/24) and 2 Guest Networks (172.16.0.0/24 - "Guest" on GN#1 on 5GHz and 172.16.10.0/24 - "IoT" on GN#1 on 2.4GHz) and I need all of them available on the mesh node. All networks will have a mix of devices with static IPs (on the device), DHCP reservations and "free floating" DHCP IPs.

I have YazDHCP (I'm not sure whether I'll keep it) and YazFi installed. With YazFi, I set the 2 Guest Networks up. I looked though the forum for how to set the DHCP reservations on the "Main" network (I have some devices with 2 MAC addressed with the same IP) as well as on "Guest" and "IoT" and I found several posts (here, here, here as well as many other posts), which gave good advice and direction what to do, but none of my attempts to add dhcp-host= worked, so I ended up with the following:

I created a local_config directory under /jffs and created the following two files in it (dummy MAC, IP addresses and host names):

local_hosts

192.168.1.3 device-1 # static ip set on device
192.168.1.101 device-2 # DHCP Reserved
192.168.1.190 device-3 # DHCP Reserved with two MAC addresses
172.16.0.40 guest-device-1 # DHCP Reserved on "Guest"
172.16.10.110 iot-device-1 # DHCP Reserved on "IoT"

local_dhcp

11:22:33:44:55:66,192.168.1.101 # device-2
22:33:44:55:66:AA,22:33:44:55:66:BB,192.168.1.190 # device-3
33:44:55:66:77:88,172.16.0.40 # guest-device-1
44:55:66:77:88:AA,172.16.10.110 # iot-device-1
44:55:66:77:88:AA,iot-device-2 # Assign name, no IP reservation

Then I edited the /jffs/configs/dnsmasq.conf.add file and added:

addn-hosts=/jffs/local_config/local_hosts # local config
dhcp-hostsfile=/jffs/local_config/local_dhcp # local config

As the above shows, I have a wide range of cases which I have to cover (the MAC-to-host name is for convenience only, of course) and I would like to check whether I'm doing something in a wrong or in a non recommended way (e.g. using /jffs to strore my local config)? Also, I think that I don't need YazDHCP (I guess that I'll have to create the /jffs/configs/dnsmasq.conf.add file myself) for this configuration?

Also, I have the "Advanced Settings", "LAN", "DHCP Server tab (YazDHCP)", "DNS and WINS Server Setting", "Advertise router's IP in addition to user-specified DNS" set to "No" and the "General", "Tools", "Other Settings", "Advanced Tweaks and Hacks", "Wan: Use local caching DNS server as system resolver" set to "Yes", so the local names are resolved by the router.

Thank you!

 

[ColinTaylor]

This is not possible. YazFi doesn't support AiMesh nodes. (This question would probably have been better asked in the Merlin addons forum as it's specific to YazFi).

However, you could probably achieve most of what you want by not using YazFi and just using the normal AiMesh guest network options. You wouldn't be able to use 172.16.0.0/24 or 172.16.10.0/24 though, you would have to use the provided 192.168.101.0/24 and 192.168.102.0/24 networks.

 

[bennor]

I'm setting up an RT-AX88U Pro as a main router with another one as a mesh node.

As already indicated, YazFi does not work on, or extend to, AiMesh nodes. YazFi only works on the main router. Per the original YazFi developer:

YazFi doesn't work on Aimesh nodes. The guest network on the node will be unrestricted

If you want to set manual IP reservations for YazFi clients see the following:

Setting up YazFi with PiHole and Reverse DNS records

Feature expansion of guest WiFi networks on AsusWRT-Merlin, including SSID -> VPN, separate subnets per guest network, pinhole access to LAN resources (e.g. DNS) and more! - jackyaz/YazFi

github.com

https://www.snbforums.com/threads/y...inc-ssid-vpn-client.45924/page-32#post-473403

 

[Siff]

Thank you @ColinTaylor and @bennor!

I don't need the IP ranges I posted (but I definitely need the Guest Networks to be available on the AiMesh node!), so I'll try Colin's suggestion. Fingers crossed, it will work

 

[Siff]

I guess that I'm doing something wrong - I turned off YazFi for both the "Guest" and the "IoT" networks. When I connected a device to "Guest" or "IoT", though, it got an IP address from the "Main" DHCP range, not from 192.168.101.0/24 or 192.168.102.0/24 ranges.

Is there anything else that I have to set up?

P.S. The device is connected to the main router, not to the AiMesh node.

 

[ColinTaylor]

I guess that I'm doing something wrong - I turned off YazFi for both the "Guest" and the "IoT" networks. When I connected a device to "Guest" or "IoT", though, it got an IP address from the "Main" DHCP range, not from 192.168.101.0/24 or 192.168.102.0/24 ranges.

Is there anything else that I have to set up?

P.S. The device is connected to the main router, not to the AiMesh node.

You will only get 192.168.101.0/24 or 192.168.102.0/24 addresses when you are connected to the first guest network of each band (with Access Intranet disabled). These are the only networks that can be configured to propagate to AiMesh nodes.

 

[Siff]

Thank you! I have the first Guest Networks set up, but "Access Intranet" was enabled (not sure why - I did too many different things... ). Now, with "Access Intranet" disabled, the devices are getting IPs from the 192.168.101.0/24 or 192.168.102.0/24 ranges.

[Edit] Fixed the setting name: “Access Intranet”

 

[ColinTaylor]

It's access "intranet", not "internet".

 

[Siff]

Of course! Thank you!

Updated my previous post with the correct name of the setting.