Which is the "proper" network setup

[dhendodong]

1.) ISP Modem Bridged->Merlin->AP(For Wireless Clients)->Switch(For Wired Clients)

or

2.) ISP Modem Bridged->Merlin->Switch(For Wired Clients)->AP(For Wireless Clients)

Thanks!

 

[TheLostSwede]

2.

Doesn't make sense to route all the wired clients through the AP.

 

[ColinTaylor]

Either way is valid depending on your specific environment. You don't state what hardware you're using for the AP so I'm assuming it's an Asus router in "AP mode".

The AP is just an Ethernet switch with one or more WiFi radios connected to it. So looking at it logically you have two switches, one with wired clients and the other with WiFi clients. Assuming all devices have gigabit Ethernet ports you have a gigabit bottleneck between the router and the first switch and another gigabit bottleneck between the first and second switches.

So the real question is what volume of traffic do you expect to have and where is it going? WiFi to WiFi, WiFi to LAN, LAN to LAN or LAN to WAN? Once you understand your traffic volumes/destinations you will be able to decide which way around to place the two devices to minimise the effect of the bottlenecks.

 

[Tech9]

Merlin

In addition to what @ColinTaylor said, this "Merlin" device is a router + switch + access point already.

 

[NGRhodes]

If possible, plug both the switch and the AP directly into the Merlin device.

 

[dhendodong]

Sorry for the lack of context guys and thanks for the very helpful insights, the main reason i want to plug the modem to merlin is i want to take advantage of the 2.5gb switch that i have and the Merlin only has one 2.5gb that i want to plug in to the switch

1.)ISP(1gb)->(1gb)Merlin(2.5gb)->(2.5gb)AP(2.5gb)->(2.5gb)Switch

or

2.)ISP(1gb)->(1gb)Merlin(2.5gb)->(2.5gb)Switch(2.5gb)->(2.5gb)AP

What is the better topology for now(2.5gb)? planning to migrate to 10gb switch in the future once trendnet 5 port 10gb switchi is back on stock on amazon, the main priority is Wired Clients which i want to take advantage of 2.5gb(for now) and 10gb in the future they have all 2.5g nics now and 10gb in the future.

so in the future what is the better topology(10gb)?

1.)ISP(1gb)->(1gb)Merlin(10gb)->(10gb)AP(10gb)->(10gb)Switch

or

2.)ISP(1gb)->(1gb)Merlin(10gb)->(10gb)Switch(10gb)->(10gb)AP

Again, priority is Wired Clients.

Thanks!!

 

[Tech9]

modem > router/firewall > switch > wireless access points

There is no 10GbE ports on any AP and I don't expect to see any in near future.

If you want high performance expandable network, this home router has nothing to do there. Look at x86 firewall with multi-gigabit ports and VLAN support, managed multi-port switch with PoE, access points with PoE and VLAN support. The final result depends on your budget and networking skills.

 

[dhendodong]

modem > router/firewall > switch > wireless access points

There is no 10GbE ports on any AP and I don't expect to see any in near future.

If you want high performance expandable network, this home router has nothing to do there. Look at x86 firewall with multi-gigabit ports and VLAN support, managed multi-port switch with PoE, access points with PoE and VLAN support. The final result depends on your budget and networking skills.

I am using/converting my ax89x to AP and yeah i am planning to migrate to pfsense and directly plug an onu/ont sfp add in.

 

[Tech9]

I am using/converting my ax89x

It has nothing to do with 10GbE connection in AP mode. You'll be lucky to get Gigabit on Wi-Fi to common 2-stream clients. Home routers as APs have limited functionality. No VLAN support, take more space, require separate power adapter, some have limited number of active clients per radio, etc. When time comes sell this dead spider and get proper hardware, not proper connections only. Use it for now to save money.

 

[dhendodong]

Thank you