Needed some specific terms and perhaps Wi-Fi help.
Needed some specific terms and perhaps Wi-Fi help.
This might be the most confusing question I've ever asked, but why not? Until now, my network used a few Wi-Fi routers spread across my home to provide coverage in different spots. I simply connected consumer-grade equipment—like a Linksys router with Wi-Fi—and plugged the LAN cable into one of its LAN ports. I didn’t link anything to the WAN port, so I skipped the DHCP and firewall settings. All devices got their IP addresses from the main gateway through the LAN connection. Recently, I added a pFSense box and another Wi-Fi point, but I’m facing serious problems with connectivity, DNS, and speed. Yeah, it’s probably too much setup and the configuration isn’t quite right. Got it! I removed the pFSense unit from the network and took out the other router as well. I suspect a double NAT issue might be the problem. I think I’ll replace all three routers with APs instead.
When you don’t need to turn off the firewall or NAT when you’re not using the WAN port, the DHCP server will continue assigning IP addresses. Make sure it’s disabled on all routers except your primary one. Another step would be to assign static IPs to the routers you use as access points. However, ensure those IPs are outside the DHCP range of your PFSense device. I’m not comfortable with adjusting settings in PFSense, but I don’t think you should worry about changing the server location. For instance, if the server is at 192.168.1.100 and your PFSense box is at 192.168.1.1, any IP between 192.168.1.2 and 192.168.1.99 should be outside that range. This makes future changes to the APs simpler. Double NAT usually doesn’t interfere with web browsing; it mainly impacts applications like games or services requiring port forwarding. Also, some routers include an AP mode—check if yours does. If not, your current configuration seems fine. The main advantage of buying new APs is roaming capability, though I understand it can be frustrating when switching between different brands and models.
Well, none of the routers share the same brand, so it might be better to replace them all with newer models instead of keeping the old ones. You're referring to just the Access Points, right? Since they’re mainly for setting up wireless coverage in different spots? I recall one has A/P mode, while the others aren’t meant to work together well as single units. Thinking about it, the DHCP function on the third router could be causing the problem. I wasn’t able to change its settings to disable it. That must have been the issue. I unplugged the pFSense unit at the same time because both went online within a day and I couldn’t figure out what was causing the trouble. I was exhausted, frustrated, and just didn’t want to keep trying. So I plan to get the firewall back online first, confirm it’s functioning properly, then swap out the old POS units with matching A/P devices. The firewall will handle DHCP, and everything else should work as expected. For simplicity, I’ll assign static IPs across the network and use DHCP only for external devices connecting via Wi-Fi.