Anyone here using VLANs over wifi with consumer APs that is not from Ubiquity?

unni

I have been researching about setting up VLANs over wifi access points. Looks like the common recommendation is to get the Unifi AP series. But we don't get that here where I am from. Are there any alternatives? This is for home use, and I am looking from something in the sub $200 range.

Also, is there anyway to turn a regular AP to support VLAN by adding some extra hardware between the AP and pfSense?

johnpoz

Where are you..

Pretty sure unifi is global available..

https://www.ubnt.com/distributors/

What do you have that is available?

unni

I am from India. Even if I where to get a Ubiquity through someone coming from US, it looks like it should be mounted on the ceiling which would be a challenge since the concrete/brick walls make it really difficult to run the wires (I am assuming its easy in American homes because its made of wood). And after sales support/warranty will be a problem as well.

I currently have an Asus RT-N56U router that I configured as an access point.

johnpoz

You do not have to mount it in the ceiling. You can mount it on a wall.. Or you could put it on the floor.. My guest room AP is under the bed in the guest room..

Derelict

My downstairs AP is next to the TV. My upstairs AP is in my office.

You generally want to position your APs so they get through walls to your potential clients in a perpendicular direction if possible.

Drywall is a lot thicker on the oblique. 1 2x4 stud is thinner than 2 or 3.

2 x Ruckus R600s in "unleashed" mode.

gjaltemba

Shout out to LEDE firmware project. It is a reboot of openwrt. The firmware supports many consumer AP including Asus RT-N56U. Configuring vlan on LEDE is quite simple.

https://lede-project.org/toh/views/toh_fwdownload

remlei

I used a Tplink router in the past as my AP and managed switch and it works well with VLAN as my MiniPC only had 1 gigabit port, having that tplink serves as a gigabit managed switch + AP.

of course the tplink router is flashed with OpenWRT back then, you cant do that on stock firmware.

I have been researching about setting up VLANs over wifi access points.

It would be not really clear to me about what you are talking here exactly! Do you want;

set up one or more SSIDs and put each in a VLAN or
set up a WiFi bridge between to networks and transfer over that WiFi radio link VLANs?

Looks like the common recommendation is to get the Unifi AP series.

It all depends on many points here what to give the right advise. fast roaming or not, roaming or not,
distances between the links, area that must be captured and sorted, a/b/g/n or ac WiFi and so on…..

MikroTik has nice and stable running equipment for any kind of budget
Internal WiFi cards should work too, Compex WNE200X, SR71-Eand many Atheros based cards
refurbished Ruckus APs are able to be a controller and AP for a smaller WiFi network or as single device
Buffalo, Netgear and TP-Link are selling consumer WiFi routers that can be turned into AP mode or able to be
sorted with OpenWRT, DD-WRT or the OpenWRT replacement LEDE distribution if you want it, all are mostly VLAN
capable but not supporting it on all devices! So you might be looking more and/or do more research on the wished
functions you need.
A small RaspBerry PI 2/3 can be easily turned into a WiFi AP with internal miniPCI(e) cards or USB WiFi sticks
by installing and using Linux on it.

So you see there is many equipment on the market from 20 € - till open end.

But we don't get that here where I am from.

A RaspBerry PI is for ~20 € - 35 € able to get the hands on and used or new WiFi USB sticks will be
less then 20 € too, or some internal cards for WiFi ac will be able to get for 12 € - 30 € so you will fit
all with your budget as I see it right.

Are there any alternatives? This is for home use, and I am looking from something in the sub $200 range.

Have a look over well known and good working OpenWRT consumer routers, capable of VLANs.
Or build your own with a RaspBerry PI and Linux and miniPCIe cards or USB sticks.

Also, is there anyway to turn a regular AP to support VLAN by adding some extra hardware between the AP and pfSense?

VLANs should be supported at three points in the network or more if needed or whished;

the router or firewall should be able to support it
the network switch should be support it well too for sure
the WiFi APs should be supporting; single SSID and VLAN or multi-SSID and multi or more VLANs