@OpenFerret:
Actually, please ignore my previous post. I think I'll just go from the pfsense box to the Switch and setup seperate VLAN's using the Cisco Switch instead. At least that way I can get the switch to do what it does best and not play around with the pfsense box trying to act like a switch.
Thank for advice!
Yes thats might be right! And the WLAN can also be split into several VLANs with his own IP address range
that would you bring up to build a guest and private WLAN.
If I use the 2558f, and can I utilise that as the gateway / router
Yes you can easily install pfSense on it and it came along with AES-NI and Intel QuickAssist that might
be much better as AES-NI and TurboBoost, the TurboBoost would be better for the device to use it as a NAS
or server running servers like Apache or similar.
and then have it link to the Switch and Wireless Router in AP mode as two separate LAN's with their own subnet?
Yes for sure you will be able to do so, this was the most common way to use it before VLANs were in the network game!
So if your Switch will be able to support VLANs it would be better to go with them, because you will be able to set up VLANs for private usage and connect to the entire network (LAN) and another one only for WLAN Guests with connect
to the Internet only!
This is better because pfSense will bring benefit to both LAN and WLAN, segregate each and isolate both from internet without the potential burden with VLAN.
If no internal (private) and external (guest) WLAN must be exist it would go, but in any case as todays hardware
will be able to do it, I would never connect all devices directly to the pfSense! If he is able to take a small Layer3
switch in the game this would be the best structure then to connect all the devices to that switch and with then two routing points in the entire LAN structure you will be speed up many things and a single failure or miss config. in the pfSense will not be smash down the entire LAN WAN network.
If you intend to deploy later on VPN, AES-NI or AMD CPU is a good advice as state above.
The C2558 "Rangeley" platform will be coming along with both AES-NI and QuickAssist.
OpenFerret_2.jpg
OpenFerret_2.jpg_thumb