Netgate Discussion Forum
    • Categories
    • Recent
    • Tags
    • Popular
    • Users
    • Search
    • Register
    • Login

    Pfsense and Router

    Scheduled Pinned Locked Moved General pfSense Questions
    27 Posts 6 Posters 2.2k Views
    Loading More Posts
    • Oldest to Newest
    • Newest to Oldest
    • Most Votes
    Reply
    • Reply as topic
    Log in to reply
    This topic has been deleted. Only users with topic management privileges can see it.
    • A
      Antibiotic @viragomann
      last edited by

      This post is deleted!
      1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
      • A
        Antibiotic @viragomann
        last edited by

        @viragomann What is better and safely regarding my topic question?

        V 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
        • V
          viragomann @Antibiotic
          last edited by

          @antibiotic
          That's not a question of better or safer for me, it's on your own proclivity, how you want it to configure.

          If you need incoming traffic for devices behind to second router and you forward it on pfSense to the router, you need to have a static IP on the .
          But you can as well achieve this by a static mapping in the DHCP server settings and configure the router as DHCP client.

          1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
          • V
            viragomann
            last edited by

            @antibiotic
            That's not a question of better or safer for me, it's on your own proclivity, how you want it to configure.

            If you need incoming traffic for devices behind to second router and you forward it on pfSense to the router, you need to have a static IP on it.
            But you can as well achieve this by a static mapping in the DHCP server settings and configure the router as DHCP client.

            A 2 Replies Last reply Reply Quote 0
            • A
              Antibiotic @viragomann
              last edited by

              This post is deleted!
              1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
              • A
                Antibiotic @viragomann
                last edited by Antibiotic

                @viragomann Generally asking about all of this , because wanna use ntopng for my local network and afraid will i see my home router itself there? My home router working as WiFi AP as well, will have records about WiFi connections in ntopng? Lets say my kids connected to WiFi on this router and will i see in ntopng , where they are going? If will use static IP on router as describe in your previous reply like a first option.

                V 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                • V
                  viragomann @Antibiotic
                  last edited by

                  @antibiotic
                  As @chpalmer already suspected, your secondary router seems not to be configured as a router for the devices connected to it.
                  Obviously all connected ports of it are member of the LAN bridge (br-lan). Otherwise pfSense would could only hand out DHCP leases for the devices behind it if you have enabled to DHCP relay on the OpenWRT.

                  If you want to run it as router, connect its WAN to pfSense, let the home router do the DHCP server for the devices connected to it (wifi or other) or enable the DHCP relay and disable the outbound NAT.
                  Then you have to configure the outbound NAT for the network behind the router on pfSense manually, cause pfSense doesn't know this network and add a static route on pfSense for the network and point it to the home routers WAN IP.
                  Then you will also see the IPs behind the home router on pfSense and can filter them.

                  But if you whole intention is to use it for wifi and to connect other devices to its switch, you don't need to switch it in the router mode can and leave the connection as it is.

                  A 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                  • A
                    Antibiotic @viragomann
                    last edited by Antibiotic

                    @viragomann said in Pfsense and Router:

                    Otherwise pfSense would could only hand out DHCP leases for the devices behind it if you have enabled to DHCP relay on the OpenWRT.

                    I think DHCP relay working , beacuse can see DHCP leases for the devices behind WiFi router. But Firewall - NAT Rules are completely empty on this router. Is it normal? If my whole intention is to use it for wifi and to connect other devices to its switch.

                    V Dobby_D 2 Replies Last reply Reply Quote 0
                    • V
                      viragomann @Antibiotic
                      last edited by viragomann

                      @antibiotic
                      We tried hard to find out if your OpenWrt is configured as a router or as a switch. But we cannot tell you. You should know this, since you had set it up .

                      But simple to determine:
                      router: wifi devices are in a different subnet than the LAN interface.
                      switch: they are within the same subnet (L2)

                      1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                      • P
                        PatRyan
                        last edited by

                        For the home router it sounds like you are using it to be your WiFi access to the network. If that is the case then set it as an Access Point in OpenWRT. That should disable DHCP on the router and still offer WiFi. Keep your connection to the pfSense box as a LAN to LAN connection. Set your router (which is now an Access Point) to get its IP from DHCP or set a static IP.

                        Your Access Point should now serve up WiFi and pass through requests for IP addresses to the pfSense box DHCP. This arrangement will collect the WiFi connections and pass them on to the pfSense firewall.

                        So for what is connected to what:

                        1. Connect pfSense box to ISP on it’s WAN port
                        2. Connect the WiFi Access Point (no longer a router) to pfSense via LAN port
                        3. WiFi clients will connect to Access Point
                        1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                        • stephenw10S
                          stephenw10 Netgate Administrator
                          last edited by

                          It sounds like you're using the OpenWRT device just as a switch as access point. And in that case what you're seeing is expected and I would change nothing.

                          Steve

                          1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                          • Dobby_D
                            Dobby_ @Antibiotic
                            last edited by

                            @antibiotic

                            With OpenWRT you will be able also to create a so called WiFi extender or WiFi repeater, if you have done so, you
                            may be running now into the so called hidden station problem to point it to the not able to see the OpenWRT device from your pfSense.

                            So in normal it would be the best thing to set up pfSense
                            at the WAN (behind ISP Modem) and setup the OpenWRT
                            as a WiFi AP in my eyes. So the AP gets also a IP address
                            and this will be normally static. All the routing is done by the pfSense alone.

                            #~. @Dobby

                            Turris Omnia - 4 Ports - 2 GB RAM / TurrisOS 7 Release (Btrfs)
                            PC Engines APU4D4 - 4 Ports - 4 GB RAM / pfSense CE 2.7.2 Release (ZFS)
                            PC Engines APU6B4 - 4 Ports - 4 GB RAM / pfSense+ (Plus) 24.03_1 Release (ZFS)

                            1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                            • A
                              Antibiotic
                              last edited by

                              Big thanks' to all for useful tips!

                              1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                              • First post
                                Last post
                              Copyright 2025 Rubicon Communications LLC (Netgate). All rights reserved.