Network topology question

[Fraoch]

So my Ubiquiti EdgeRouter Lite should be here shortly. (It has 3 gigabit LAN ports which can be configured for LAN or WAN).

Their basic SOHO configuration here has eth0 to a wired switch, eth1 to the wireless network and eth2 for WAN. There's also a variant in the second post which bridges eth0 and eth1.

Would it be better to have my WAP connect to eth1 on the router or to my own switch, then to eth0 on the router?

With the WAP directly on the router, all wireless Internet traffic will be going directly through the router. However all local filesharing traffic will have to go through the router and back to the switch.

Most of my wireless traffic will be to/from the Internet with only occasional internal local filesharing traffic.

Which way would be preferable or would there be no difference overall?

 

[Fraoch]

So - no one has any ideas?

 

[stevech]

AP can connect to a switch or to a LAN port on the router. Negligible difference if the router has gigE LAN ports. If it doesn't and in the unlikely event the AP can exceed 100Mbps net IP layer yield, then connect AP to a gigE switch.

It's difficult to get WiFi to have a net yield at the IP layer of > 100Mbps. The link rate would have to be 3 times that, since WiFi's overhead is 50% or more, vs. the WiFi bit rate.

 

[Fraoch]

OK. Thanks Steve!

Both the router and the switch have gigE LAN ports. I've been testing out the configuration with the AP on the switch, works fine.

 

[coxhaus]

I guess the question is do you want a routed network? How do you have your network now? I run an Untangle UTM machine behind my router so using a switch would be easier.

 

[coxhaus]

One other thing is I read on the forums with your link is that with bridging you lose hardware acceleration so I think a switch may be a better option than using the 2 ports bridged.

 

[Fraoch]

I guess the question is do you want a routed network? How do you have your network now? I run an Untangle UTM machine behind my router so using a switch would be easier.

I guess I have two clients (printers) that don't require routing because they don't require WAN access. Everything else does though.

My network is in my signature and my clients are:

- wired Linux box with gigE
- wired Mac with gigE
- two wired printers with 10/100
- Raspberry Pi at 10/100
- WAP (ASUS RT-N66U) with gigE
- numerous wireless clients

One other thing is I read on the forums with your link is that with bridging you lose hardware acceleration so I think a switch may be a better option than using the 2 ports bridged.

Yeah I think I'll keep everything on the switch now.

Thank you.