Isn’t the main benefit of WiFi 6 the number of devices an AP can connect to? So yeah, I don’t know many homes that have 300 devices. My mother’s assisted living facility is another story. They’ve run out of device capacity, but have indefinitely delayed upgrades that were supposed to have been done last month.
This is exactly why we do predictive surveys in commercial environments. A properly implemented network would account for this by provisioning and placing the AP's based on heatmaps.
I'm gonna be like you one day.
Wow. That sounds like a lot of work. Does the router not support VLAN's? That might have been an easier approach.
No, VLANs are not a feature, unfortunately. It's tedious work, but I have just been doing it a little at a time. I figure once I am done, adding new devices in the future shouldn't be a big deal.
I take it this is essentially a type of second guest network intended only for automation type devices? My question is, why? I suppose if could add a little extra level of security, since the guest network doesn't allow access to other local devices, so it can't be used this way. I'm assuming this must allow access to other local devices. It seems like it would have to in order to function.
Yes, in a way, it's like a guest network. However, in this implementation, the isolated devices can still see one another. That does provide for functionality for home automation devices that use a central hub to communicate with the devices. My automated lights don't do that, though.
It's a feature that TP-Link has been adding via firmware updates lately. Their first iteration of a separate IoT network didn't offer any traffic isolation between networks, and they received a lot of complaints about this -- deservedly so. This "device isolation" feature is their attempt at rectifying their initial error. It's not really what I envision when establishing a separate network to isolate certain devices, but it does mostly provide a solution for the task. It's just a kludgy way to go about it, IMO.What TP-Link Deco model do you have? I’ve got the m5 and don’t recall it having a IOT network feature. Will have to check again.
Just found the “Device Isolation” feature! I wonder if this is newer? It didn’t register if it’s been there the past two years.
Yes, I am pretty satisfied with the Deco X55 version I bought, too, especially at the price. It's fairly easy to setup and manage (except for this whole IoT feature). The product solved the few coverage issues we had in our house. My only additional wish is that there would also be a way to manage the network fro a web browser in addition to using their smart phone app. But that's a minor quibble.I’ll take a look at it this fall when I’ve got time for such things. And I’ve been surprised-happy with their feature updates quietly rolling out. My decision on a intermediate price/performance mesh kit is working out better than I’d hoped.
www.mistyrobotics.com
I would suggest Googling "IoT Security Issues". There are lots of articles on the topic. Creating a separate network for your IoT devices keeps those devices from infecting your desktops, laptops, tablets, phones, etc. if an IoT device becomes compromised.
Does it make it where a computer on the main network, or wired, can see the devices, but the devices can’t see the computer? That would make sense.
Ideally, the two networks are completely separate, so devices on one cannot see devices on the other. For home automation devices, they rarely need to interact directly with your PC or smart phone. They are usually controlled via an external app or website, so your PC / phone accesses the website, which pushes commands or changes to the IoT device.
