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Guest Network - "Access to Local Network" Concerns

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Barryng

Member
Joined
Nov 16, 2001
My current ongoing adventure to get an old Synology NAS working to hold encrypted backups has led me on some other network related tangents associated with resolving minor problems I have previously ignored.

A Guest Network has risen to greater importance to me over the past few years because one-time visitors to my home (e.g. contractors, notaries, distant friends, etc.) more frequently ask for internet access. Too frequently these visitors are offended when I refuse to give them my password. So, today, I finally troubleshot why my already established Guest Network did not have internet access and found I needed to have "Allow guests to see each other and access my local network" enabled. I had it intentionally disabled because I certainly do not want a guest to have access to any of the other devices on my network, I just want them to have internet access.

So, exactly what does "Allow guests to see each other and access my local network" really mean? The router is a Netgear RAXE300. A Google search indicates guests "essentially" only have access to see other guests and the internet, but words like "essentially" water down how much I can depend on how well a guest is truly isolated from just the internet and, on very rare occasions, other guests. I would appreciate more insight into this.
 
You shouldn't have to enable allow network access for the guests to have internet access, that would be like letting them plug directly into your router, These days that shouldn't even be an option. I also use guest networks for the the occasional time the step kids and their friends want to camp in the backyard since I won't give them the wifi password either but it's always worked flawlessly, don't have to worry about neighbors because they are too far out of range.

Ran into a forum post regarding an issue I had with my r7000p when I 1st tried using guest networks, I think you have a tri band router if I remember off the top of my head but are you using the smart connect feature, this is what I found that reminded me of the headache I endured.

"On your main Wi-Fi network, do you have smart connect enabled?



Make sure you have smart connect not enabled with separate SSID's for the 2.4 and 5 GHz bands on both your main network and guest network."
 
Thanks. One of the few things I was smart enough to previously do was to make sure Smart Connect is disabled.

In fact, having separate SSIDs for each band is the raison d'etre I am using the Netgear RAXE300. The Comcast Gateway uses the same SSID for both bands with no convenient way to change that. I was having issues maintaining reliable connectivity for some single band (2.4 GHz) devices such as door locks, garage door openers, etc. Something, I have long since forgot, triggered a thought that these problematic devices were getting somehow confused by having a second band they could not use with the same SSID. I have no clue how this could be but having different SSID for the 2.4 and 5 GHz bands appears (and I stress appears - could be just a much better Wi-Fi implementation) completely solved that problem.

My configuration is kinda hybrid. The Comcast Gateway is intentionally not in Bridge Mode, but its Wi-Fi implementation is disabled on all bands. Originally, I did put it in Bridge Mode, and just fed the Netgear RAXE300, using it to feed all my hardwired ethernet devices (that includes all TVs). I don't use Wi-Fi unless there is no choice as hard-wired Ethernet is always much better behaved, especially with respect to the TVs. However, the Comcast set top boxes did not play nice when connected to the Netgear RAXE300 switch. So, just I just disabled the Comcast Wi-Fi but that left its four-port switch active. One port feeds the Netgear based switch and the other three feed the three set top boxes, with which, they play very nicely. The Comcast firewall is probably still active, but I just see that being redundant with the Netgear Firewall and doing no harm and maybe even some enhanced protection. There is probably some obscure setting I do not have a clue about in the Netgear set up that causes the set top boxes to not play nice, but this set up seems to work very well and fast and I am very hesitant to try to fix something I am not that fluent with that is not really broken.

Thanks again for your suggestion.
 
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