can i simply attach a switch to the ONT and plug and play a second router?

[ajax1]

I want to create a second network on my home internet. From what I've learned TELUS provides 2 external IP addresses with there home internet plans. This seems to be the simplest solution for setting up a separate network on the second IP. I am new to networking so bear with me. I originally looked into subnetting and learned about double NAT and whatnot. I just want a separate network for my PC and NAS. I have two tenants and guests who use the WIFI. I don't need external IP access, I just want a separate network for my stuff. is this possible?

current internet is wifi hub with purefibre.

thanks!

[TELUS_Support]

Hey @ajax1 you can set up a guest network using your current router. You'd just need to go into your router's interface and set it up. It just another option.

If you are set on getting your own hardware and everything, I am sure someone in the community will chime in, otherwise we can reach out to our CPUs (Community Power Users) for help

[ajax1]

I found the guest network option, does it use a second DHCP IP? or is it on the same one? if I set up a guest network can I still attach a second router or will there not be any DHCP IP available?

[ajax1]

I hope what I say makes sense! 😀

[Nighthawk]

The guest network is just an additional wireless network. It shares the same WAN IP as the primary wireless and ethernet connections.

If you are providing internet access for tenants and guests, having a physically separate router is probably the better way to do it. That way you can be 100% sure they won't have access to your main network. On some routers, the guest network doesn't fully isolate itself from the rest.

There are some third party routers out there that have a lot of additional features around guest networks, including limiting bandwidth. The good ones can get pricey. Depending on your connection speed, it may not be a bad idea to limit the speed for guests and tenants so you have a minimum speed available for your personal network. If they're only using wifi, using a wifi 5, or at most a wifi 6 router, would keep them from using all of the bandwidth if you went with just an ordinary router without bandwidth settings.

[ajax1]

thank-you this is what I'm wondering!

currently tenants and I share a wifi 6 mesh thing plugged into a NH20T

I've purchased a wired router from tp link and a switch. can I connect the switch to NH20T and plug the wifi 6 mesh and tp link router into that?

[ajax1]

hoping to leave tenants and guests on current setup, while moving my stuff to the tp link router....

[ajax1]

do i need t put the NH20t in bridge mode? I'm realizing the opticfibre runs directly into it.

[Nighthawk · Accepted solution]

No, not if you want a separate IP for the network. You could bridge port 1 on the NH20T but both the TP-Link router and Wifi mesh node will try to pull a public IP, and one will fail since you only get 2 IPs total. If you want fully separate networks, put the switch on the ONT and then connect only the NH20T and the TP-Link router. The Wifi 6 mesh would have to be on one of the LAN ports on whichever router you end up connecting it to.

If you still want to give the renters access on the Wifi 6 mesh network, you'd have to have it on one of the TP-Link's LAN ports and then you'd have to set up a separate Wifi network for yourself. Now if you only want to give them access to the TP-Link wifi and you keep the Wifi 6 mesh for yourself, then the Wifi 6 can be connected to the NH20T. Then you'd have to give guests / renters the wifi SSID/name and password for the TP-Link wifi network.

[ajax1]

it looks like I don't have an ONT? the opticfibre runs directly into the NH20T.

thanks for the responses I appreciate it.

[ajax1]

I would like to keep the tp link to myself and leave the the NH20T with the wifi mesh for tenants/guests, I'm just confused if its possible now as the opticfibre runs right into the NH20T.

[ajax1]

I solved it, thank-you @Nighthawk for the help