Facilitate data transfer of gigabit across four residences.
Facilitate data transfer of gigabit across four residences.
Hello, I'm new here as a long-time WAN listener. I usually handle problems well, but I'm overwhelmed with information trying to find a fit for my situation. I'll keep it brief. I'm updating a 4-unit apartment. I have a 1.5 gb plan for security cameras and water billing, plus I want free internet for the tenants if they choose. They can sign up for their own service, but everything costs a lot these days, so offering free internet would be great. I'm aware this might not be allowed, but ISPs have enough power through tax breaks and monopolies. I've also thought about other moral and legal concerns and feel comfortable taking the chance. I ran Cat 6 to each unit from a locked utility room where the ISP router is located—a Sagemcom Giga Hub FAST 5689E with four LAN ports and one 10gb Ethernet port. The security camera connects to LAN 1, the water meter hub to LAN 2. How can I safely share the internet between all four apartments without them seeing each other or malware spreading from one unit to another? Thanks for any advice.
You seem to be new to managed switches and VLANs, aren't you?
Do the apartments use the same power source or do they have separate connections? You should handle running cables between zones on different power lines carefully. If they’re on the same line, a managed switch can help you control and stop traffic in specific ports.
I’d place a 6-port pfSense unit in a primary router port and connect each apartment port separately, assigning its own subnet.
They acknowledged the situation but noted that what you're trying to do might be against the law. It's best to verify with your local regulations before moving forward.
You're assuming the ISP provided a router setup. That would mean four separate Wi-Fi routers, each with its own configuration, arranged in a nested manner. This approach keeps units isolated so changes in one don't impact others. It's simpler compared to more complex solutions like PF-Sense.
I'm impressed by how quickly and kindly people responded. I wasn't very familiar with these concepts just an hour ago, so it's a bit surprising. I'm trying to balance learning without feeling overwhelmed by the complexity of the project. One service is handling the main connection, but there are four separate meters for each panel. They all connect to a shared ground and service line, which should be fine. After researching, it seems more work is needed for maintenance and installation than I can spare. I'm comfortable admitting when I'm unsure. The original idea was to keep things simple so regular people could use them without hassle. How would you go about physically linking the Wi-Fi routers? You mentioned using the LAN ports of the ISP router or another device like a managed switch. A managed switch seemed like a good fit between the ISP router and the four routers, but I wanted input from someone with real experience.