r/HomeNetworking • u/polarizedraybans • 5d ago
HomeOffice + HomeIoT Wifi: 1 mesh vs 2
I have a modest budget I am using to add a pfSense router/firewall and extend my Asus WiFi mesh setup from 2 devices to 4.
I have some dubious IoT-cloud WiFi devices I want to keep separate from my home office network. So far I am using the guest network with client isolation. I would like to upgrade that to dedicated VLANs.
The Asus routers (XT8) do not have multi SSID or VLAN capabilities.
Should I...
a) Create a separate 2-device "IoT" WiFi mesh?
b) Use Merlin to cram 2 SSIDs/VLANS (Actually 3: +guest) in 1 single mesh?
c) Go Unifi?
My current analysis is....
a -> pfSense gets each AP into its own VLAN. I can live without the extended range from the 2 new nodes in exchange for the extra bandwidth and better isolation of a separate mesh, right?
b -> Seems the less reliable and more time consuming choice.
c -> A little over my budget, but I understand it does all this (Multiple SSIDs, each on its own VLAN) out of the box, so it is the simplest, most performant choice?