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

    Can't see any wired/wireless clients

    Scheduled Pinned Locked Moved Wireless
    18 Posts 4 Posters 1.3k 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.
    • johnpozJ
      johnpoz LAYER 8 Global Moderator
      last edited by

      @stephenw10 said in Can't see any wired/wireless clients:

      it might have by default

      No way... Have never seen any soho wifi router with native firmware have support vlans. The closest they come is their stupid "guest" networks ;)

      An intelligent man is sometimes forced to be drunk to spend time with his fools
      If you get confused: Listen to the Music Play
      Please don't Chat/PM me for help, unless mod related
      SG-4860 24.11 | Lab VMs 2.7.2, 24.11

      1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
      • GertjanG
        Gertjan @duvel
        last edited by Gertjan

        Even experts won't do this :
        @duvel said in Can't see any wired/wireless clients:

        PFSENSE <-> ROUTER <-> wired clients

        Change the setup for :

        PFSENSE <-> switch <-> wired clients

        According to https://www.linksys.com/us/p/P-WRT1900ACS/ -it's using OpenWRT -your 'router AP' can be put in 'AP' mode.
        In 'AP' mode your 1900 will behave as a switch 'with AP capabilites'. Exactly what you want.
        In AP mode :
        You do not use or touch the 'Internet' port on the 1900.
        You de activate the on board DHCP server and DNS on the 1900.
        If the pfSense LAN is 192.168.1.1/24 (default), give the AP this IP settings : 192.168.1.2 /24 gateway 192.168.1.1 - DNS 192.168.1.1

        One of the 4 LAN ports on your 1900ACS is cabled to the - one of - LAN port of pfSense.
        The remainder 3 ports can be used to connect other wired devices.

        Done.

        No "help me" PM's please. Use the forum, the community will thank you.
        Edit : and where are the logs ??

        1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
        • stephenw10S
          stephenw10 Netgate Administrator
          last edited by

          Yeah I thought it might have VLAN capability in the default firmware since this is one of Linksys's open-source-ready devices with all the extras but it doesn't look like it. But it is very easy to install OpenWRT and then you can.

          Steve

          1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
          • D
            duvel
            last edited by

            All,

            Thanks for all the replies!

            @Gertjan, wasn't sure what you meant by:

            Even experts won't do this :
            @duvel said in Can't see any wired/wireless clients:

            PFSENSE <-> ROUTER <-> wired clients
            

            Change the setup for :

            PFSENSE <-> switch <-> wired clients
            

            My router is my switch also, so I'm configured just like my original post:

            CABLE MODEM <-> PFSENSE <-> ROUTER <-> wired clients
            |
            wireless clients

            The stock firmware of this Linksys 1900 ACS does have VLAN support, but as far as I can see, it doesn't give you an option to address anything wireless. Only the physical switch ports.

            If I wasn't brave enough to go the OpenWRT route, what would be your suggestions for what I'm trying to do?

            Seems like it must be a common want/need for a setup.

            Again, thanks for any suggestions!

            GertjanG 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
            • johnpozJ
              johnpoz LAYER 8 Global Moderator
              last edited by johnpoz

              @duvel said in Can't see any wired/wireless clients:

              Linksys 1900 ACS does have VLAN support,

              For your ISP... not for setting up you own..

              If you want vlan support on such a device - your going to have to go 3rd party firmware.. OpenWRT, DD-WRT.. Those companies do not, or will they most likely ever support vlan support in their firmware for users..

              Or get a real AP...

              Whats the pricepoint on that 1900 - $179 I show it on the linksys site.. For that price you could get a unifi nanoHD, a flexHD or the new AX LR (preorder)..

              When you want to to start playing with stuff like vlans - the typical soho stuff is just not viable. Unless it supports 3rd party and you go that route.. But its just easier to buy a AP that officially supports doing such stuff if you ask me.

              An intelligent man is sometimes forced to be drunk to spend time with his fools
              If you get confused: Listen to the Music Play
              Please don't Chat/PM me for help, unless mod related
              SG-4860 24.11 | Lab VMs 2.7.2, 24.11

              1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
              • stephenw10S
                stephenw10 Netgate Administrator
                last edited by

                That is one of those devices Linksys marketed specially as open-source ready. It's about as easy as installing OpenWRT gets. 😉

                The Linksys WRT AC series is a set of high performance, multi-core, 802.11ac capable devices, designed to be supported by Openwrt out of the box.
                

                In fact I wasn't entirely sure it's not already running it....

                1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                • johnpozJ
                  johnpoz LAYER 8 Global Moderator
                  last edited by

                  Yeah - openwrt is officially support.. If you want to use vlans, that is what you should be running on that hardware.

                  An intelligent man is sometimes forced to be drunk to spend time with his fools
                  If you get confused: Listen to the Music Play
                  Please don't Chat/PM me for help, unless mod related
                  SG-4860 24.11 | Lab VMs 2.7.2, 24.11

                  1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                  • GertjanG
                    Gertjan @duvel
                    last edited by

                    This :

                    @duvel said in Can't see any wired/wireless clients:

                    CABLE MODEM <-> PFSENSE <-> ROUTER <-> wired clients

                    means to me that you put pfSense as a router behind your cable modem : the pfSense WAN interface is hooked up to the cable modem. The LAN interface is hooked up to all your local devices.

                    After pfSense, as your local devices, you have another ROUTER, thus using it's WAN (cabled "Internet" on the back) to the LAN of pfSense. Its 4 LAN interfaces are hooked up to your local devices.

                    This is a router after router setup. It can be done. It's like putting a car on a trailer and have the trailer pulled by another car.
                    Have a nice ride.

                    Your ROUTER should be a simple switch with AP capabilities only. That greatly simplifies your network setup.

                    No "help me" PM's please. Use the forum, the community will thank you.
                    Edit : and where are the logs ??

                    1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                    • D
                      duvel
                      last edited by

                      @gertjan

                      According to one of the comments on that Linksys site, the router can do "Access point" mode by using "Wireless Repeater" mode. But there is no "AP" mode that I've found.

                      I'm already NOT using the "Internet" port.
                      There is a cable from the LAN on the Pfsense to one of the 4 LAN interfaces.
                      I have de-activated the DHCP server and DNS
                      I have given it a unique IP in the proper LAN range of the Pfsense.

                      I used to use DD-WRT, not OpenWRT. Is there any reason to use one over the other?

                      GertjanG 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                      • GertjanG
                        Gertjan @duvel
                        last edited by

                        @duvel said in Can't see any wired/wireless clients:

                        I used to use DD-WRT

                        That's what I use for ... decades.

                        On the main setup screen, set

                        bcbe765b-db01-41fa-9ade-84af7b2377b8-image.png

                        and implicit the box is just a AP now.
                        The Internet port can even be assigned as a basic LAN port.

                        @duvel said in Can't see any wired/wireless clients:

                        "Wireless Repeater"

                        is a very special mode of AP usage.

                        @duvel said in Can't see any wired/wireless clients:

                        I'm already NOT using the "Internet" port.

                        Your using the device as a AP, it's not a router.
                        So this

                        @duvel said in Can't see any wired/wireless clients:

                        PFSENSE <-> ROUTER <->

                        is actually

                        PFSENSE <-> (switch with Wifi) <->

                        A router is another beast, and does change your network a lot.

                        No "help me" PM's please. Use the forum, the community will thank you.
                        Edit : and where are the logs ??

                        1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                        • D
                          duvel
                          last edited by

                          I think what I'm going to do is install Pfsense on an old PC.
                          I have had bad luck with flashing alt firmware's on routers, so instead of bricking an expensive router, I'll put Pfsense on an old PC that I already have.

                          I'll install multiple pci NIC's, or a multi port NIC, and a pci wireless card. That way, I can have switch and wireless functionality.

                          I'll want to setup VLAN's so the LAN and Wireless are separated, I'll use Pfsense's VLAN capabilities for that.

                          Any suggestions or warnings would be appreciated!

                          stephenw10S 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                          • stephenw10S
                            stephenw10 Netgate Administrator @duvel
                            last edited by

                            If you're using a different NIC in pfSense for wireless you don't need VLANs. That would only be required to separate the two subnets arriving over the same physical connection.

                            Steve

                            D 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                            • D
                              duvel @stephenw10
                              last edited by

                              @stephenw10

                              I was looking at using the following cards:

                              https://www.newegg.com/intel-expi9404ptl/p/N82E16833106019?Item=9SIA4A050P7025

                              and

                              https://www.newegg.com/intel-wi-fi-6-ax200/p/N82E16833106102?Item=N82E16833106102

                              I was thinking about using these in a small form factor PC, such as :

                              https://www.ebay.com/itm/DELL-OPTIPLEX-7040-SFF-CORE-I5-6500-3-20GHZ-750GB-8GB-RAM-NO-OS/363122781352

                              Both Intel cards.

                              The Wifi card comes with a small form factor bracket as pictured, but still trying to find out if the Ethernet one does.

                              Any comments or suggestions?

                              1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                              • stephenw10S
                                stephenw10 Netgate Administrator
                                last edited by

                                That Ethernet card will probably work fine.

                                The wifi card will not work at all. There isn't any 802.11AC support in FreeBSD/pfSense, yet, let alone .AX.
                                https://docs.netgate.com/pfsense/en/latest/wireless/hardware.html#recommended-wireless-hardware

                                Steve

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