sschnapka
Level 1
(4 points)
Q: Roaming network with 2 APEs connected to internet
Hi,
apologies if this has been discussed (I did some search but could not find anything helpful). I have the following question realted to a change in my Network topology:
current set-up:
- Cable modem is connected to the WAN port of my Time Capsule (3TB Tower). TC acts as DHCP unit (modem is dumb, i.e. no router)
- The LAN port of TC is connected to WAN port of APE #1 via CAT6 Ethernet.
- LAN port of APE #1 is connected to WAN port of APE #2
- LAN port of APE #2 is connected to WAN port of APE #3
- all APEs (the latest Tower models) act in Bridge mode, but create a WLAN.
Like this I have a roaming Network workign welll across the house.
New / planned set-up:
- I changed from cable to fiber to the home. So now I have a new fiber box which provide the Internet via 4 Gigabit Ethernet ports.
- The new fiber box is physically located between the TC and APE #1.
- without having to pull a new cable from the fiber box to the TC (in order to feed the Internet into the beginning of the chain) I was thinking about this:
- run 1 Ethernet cable from fiberbox to the TC and feed the Internet via another Ethernet to the WAN port of APE #1 into the remaining chain.
- Switch the TC into Bridge mode to have the fiber box doing the DHCP
However, now the TC is no longer directly connected to the APE chain.
QUESTIONS:
- will I still be able to have ONE roaming Network, or will I end up with 2 Networks, i.e. 1 created by TC and 1 driven by the APEs?
- will all Network Clients still see shared devices (e.g. Printer) on the Network?
Many thanks for your experts view on this.
rgds,
Sascha
Bob Timmons
Level 10
(105,018 points)
- run 1 Ethernet cable from fiberbox to the TC.......
- Switch the TC into Bridge mode to have the fiber box doing the DHCP
That should work. (See Note below)
feed the Internet via another Ethernet to the WAN port of APE #1 into the remaining chain.
That should work. (See Note below)
However, now the TC is no longer directly connected to the APE chain.
Since the TC is connected to the same Ethernet switch on the fiber product to which APE #1 is also connected.....the TC and AE #1 are, in effect, also connected with each other.
will I still be able to have ONE roaming Network,
Yes
- will all Network Clients still see shared devices (e.g. Printer) on the Network?
Yes, assuming that the fiber box is operating correctly.
Important Note.......Your plan to have the TC and all the APE's in Bridge Mode should work.....BUT....Apple has a different idea about how a roaming network should be configured. See the information about a Roaming Network in this Apple support document:
Specifically......Apple would tell you to connect an Ethernet cable from the fiber product to the WAN port on the TC and set up the TC to handle DHCP and NAT....just as it does now. Then....everything else would be set up just as you have it now.....with an Ethernet connection from a LAN port on the TC to the WAN on APE #1, LAN on APE#1 to WAN on APE#2, etc.
If you follow Apple's advice......you will have a Double NAT error on your network.....which Apple will tell you to ignore. How well your network will work with a Double NAT issue is open to question.
I'm not recommending that you follow Apple's advice......just pointing out that Apple has some different and interesting ideas about how to do things, which sometimes go against traditional networking rules.
