I’ve been having network problems of late and also because of security I wanted to better isolate my network from IoT devices from Google, Amazon, Hue, Etc.
I basically had a few ASUS routers (which have been great) and I’ve been using a Double NAT (Network Address Translation) with my more secure stuff behind another router. It’s worked fine for about 15 years but I wanted more security and more isolation.
First I tried to replace my Asus RT-AC86U and its DUAL WAN capabilities with an EdgeRouter-X by Ubiquity. No luck with the DUAL WAN and multiple LANs. As soon as I unplugged one of the WANS things worked and if I only had one LAN with DUAL WANS it would have worked. In hindsight, I could have just used a managed switch on the other side but I also didn’t want to spend another $300+ on access points.
So I decided to keep my Asus network and its AI Mesh routers for IoT and Media Streaming. My new purchases included:
- Ubiquity EdgeRouter X ($65 Micro Center)
- (2) D-Link DGS-1100-08p managed switches ($35 each Micro Center)
- 1 EnGenius EAP1300 Access Point ($89 Micro Center)
Total cost $224 plus tax.
With these purchases, I get a VLAN capable Router with a firewall. A few managed switches with simple stand-alone management and web interface. A VLAN capable Multi-SSID Access Point also with stand-alone management.