pfsense, possible to use old asus as APs?

[rawk stoan]

Perfect, thanks... Decided to with the EAP225 APs, hopefully will have them soon.

 

[Tech9]

Run Omada controller software if you want better roaming, wireless mesh features, guest network login options, remote control, new AP provisioning, network stats, etc. There is a hardware controller also available - OC200. The software is free and runs on Windows and Linux.

Omada Software Controller | Omada Software Controller | Omada Network Support

www.tp-link.com

 

[rawk stoan]

Great, thanks for that.

 

[ddaenen1]

Sorry, this is bit off topic from my original question...
The NIC I will add to my PC/router is a 4 port adapter. So this gives me 5 ports, given the original ethernet port on the PC.
What is the normal practice when configuring the ports? Would all five be used for the router set up?
The original port is an intel I217, and it's called an ethernet "connection", and the new I350 card is called an ethernet "server adapter".
Would they create some kind of conflict with one another? Should remove/disconnect the original port?

No, not at all. I added an X550-T2 to my pfsense box a couple of months ago. Not because i needed 10Gbe but only because i could buy it for cheap. And i just reassigned the LAN and WAN interfaces to these ports and done. The original ports on the motherboard are still available. I have no use for them right now but maybe later.

 

[rawk stoan]

Thanks for all your comments and help. I finally have the components for my network. I am making progress with the configuration, but it's a bit slow since this is mostly new to me. I decided to go with Opnsense router, HPE 48 port L3 switch, and some TPlink EAP225s. Configuring the trunk ports, access ports (does anyone use hybrids??), VLANs, PVIDs, etc. is taking some to grasp concepts and configurations.

With respect to the EAP APs, does the Omada software have to run a separate box? I have been searching if there is a way to run it from the Opnsense router as a plugin, or some other software add, but haven't found a solution. I have a raspberry pi but it's pretty old and not sure specs would work for Omada software.

 

[Adooni]

here you have explained how to run omada not easy solution https://community.tp-link.com/en/business/forum/topic/181042?sortDir=ASC&page=1

I am using for OPNsense HPE MSgen8 + AC68U as AP but planning to move to Firewall Micro Appliance, 6-ports i226 2,5 Gb LAN

 

[rawk stoan]

thank you, Adooni. That might be beyond what I am capable of. I guess I will have to run them stand alone at first.

 

[ddaenen1]

With respect to the EAP APs, does the Omada software have to run a separate box? I have been searching if there is a way to run it from the Opnsense router as a plugin, or some other software add, but haven't found a solution. I have a raspberry pi but it's pretty old and not sure specs would work for Omada software.

So why would you need the controller running? The way i understand it, you can install it on a Windows PC, do the configuration of the AP's and that is that. No need to keep the controller running 24/7.

 

[rawk stoan]

I am not certain you need it, but my understanding was to run the omada software it would have to be on a separate device. Alternatively you can run the APs on a standalone basis and skp the device. I was asking if there is some type of plugin or open source way to run the software on the opnsense router without a separate device. Doesn't seem like there is an easy way to do it. I think I will configure the APs on a stand alone basis to start and see how it goes...

for now, still trying to wrap my head around unbound/dns configurations and firewalls...

 

[Tech9]

No need to keep the controller running 24/7

If you want better roaming and band steering with clients tracking and 802.11k/v/r, or wireless mesh APs, or Captive Portal with alternative Guest Network login options, or advanced features like network monitoring and statistics and everything else not available in stand-alone mode - you need it running.

 

[ddaenen1]

for now, still trying to wrap my head around unbound/dns configurations and firewalls...

I only ran Opnsense for a short while on a test server while there was a whole discussion going on in the background about pfsense plus not being opensource anymore and i wanted to be prepared in case Netgate would make pfsense a paying software. As they are fairly similar, my only advice is to make it as simple as possible to start with and slowly refine the setup on the go as you learn more and more about it. I use the unbound DNS resolver within pfsense and have configured the general DNS settings with google DNS server IP's and "use local DNS and fallback to remote DNS servers". Never had any issues and happy with the speed. In the beginning it appears slightly slower but once unbound has built the internal database, it is way faster. Out of the box, the firewall is already pretty solid. Tweaks are needed to get external access to servers on your LAN if any but all in all pretty straightforward. Also here, don't overthink it to start with.

 

[rawk stoan]

appreciate your advice, ddaenen1. I find I get on a topic and have to be careful to find the balance of how far down the rabbit hole i can go and still see daylight.

Thanks for that Tech9. Eventually I will want to find a solution to running the omada software (maybe raspberry pi?).