Intel J1900 box with built in wireless - just some help with config
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Afternoon PFSenser's. Not been on for a while. My first dedicated PFSense box and all is well. I run a few access points around the house but ive never used the on board one thats built in. Ive added in as OPT1 (added as an access point) - wasnt too sure about which option to choose so took a punt on that. From what i can see its done but i cant see the wireless ssid broadcasting so wondered if there was any additional stuff to do. Im presuming this is easy for seasoned veterans. Cheers to any one that takes a stab at it.
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Found the "Bridge" option - ive bridged OPT1 to LAN - is that right or should it Bridge to the WAN? - in that, its not working - connecting but getting "no internet".
So, bridged opt1 to wan and lost my internet access, reassigned the WAN an LAN from the command line which removed the OPT1 so im back where i started..... thought id document from a simpletons point of view to help anyone else thats reading this now...
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You don't need to bridge anything. You would only do that if you need wired clients on LAN to be on the same subnet as wifi clients. From a security stand point it's better if they are not. But the trade-off is between security and convenience.
Anyway you should see the SSID in wifi clients even if they can't connect or you haven't enabled DHCP yet.
Can we see a screenshot of the interface config?
What is the wifi hardware?Steve
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@stephenw10 Hi - sorry i didnt come back sooner - hardware: its a Qotom dual lan mini pc. Ive not gone back to it since but i had to reset the WAN/LAN connection from the console which blew away the OPT1 interface....so what steps are there then - or is there an updated guide? the one i was running from was an old webpage from server the home...this one..
https://www.servethehome.com/how-to-setup-wi-fi-with-pfsense/
I think its some sort of realtek wirelss card in there...
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That's a pretty old article but mostly still correct for the wireless setup.
You might also watch this: https://youtu.be/EprxEKcYVfUFrom 2.4 you need to create the wireless interface in Interfaces > Wireless before you can assign it.
Knowing what you actual wifi card is is important though. It may not support hostap mode (access point).
Steve
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@stephenw10 ok - i was assuming as it was built in it was access point compatible...the only other 2 are ad-hoc an infrastructure (access point seemed the obvious one to choose)
Ill go and take a look at the vid now - cheers...
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@stephenw10 Actually - can you recommend a good wireless card? (if the one in there just "gets the job done" theyre not that expensive so if i could upgrade to something more capable...?
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The better option is to get a separate AP, as WiFi support in FreeBSD isn't great. You'll also be able to put it in a better location.
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@jknott Well, i have - got 3 AP's (i use Engenius) - 3 ap's i hear you say....yeah....got an old 4 storey house with really thick walls! the router is at the top in the loft room....ive never used it but thought "what the hell, its there" - but if its not brilliant no biggie..
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I have a single Unifi AC Lite AP. It's high on the wall in my laundry room, which is roughly in the middle of my condo, and it provides good coverage throughout my unit. When I used router WiFi in my "office", I had poor coverage at the other end.
If you have 3 APs, then I'd say use them.
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@comfy said in Intel J1900 box with built in wireless - just some help with config:
its a Qotom dual lan mini pc
The one I got is described in my sig. I did not get WiFi with it, but I do have 4 Ethernet ports.
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@jknott Yeah - i have been - it was more of a "fuck it - may as well us it" but if its too much hassle or too much bother then i wont = but contradicting myself it was in a way - just a bit more tuition for myself on pfsense...
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Run
pciconf -lvat the command line. How does it appear? What PCI IDs?It might already be the best card you can get that will work. Probably isn't though.
Steve