Enable Guest Access Point on Wireless Network - Setup Guide
Creating a Separate Guest Wi-Fi Network
Offering Wi-Fi access to visitors is considered good hospitality. However, granting unrestricted access to your local area network (LAN) poses security risks.
This guide details how to configure your router to utilize dual SSIDs. This allows for the creation of a distinct, secured network specifically for guests.
Why Use a Guest Network?
A guest network isolates visitors from your primary network. This protects your personal devices and data from potential security vulnerabilities.
Security is the primary benefit. Guests connecting to a separate network cannot access shared files, printers, or other devices on your main LAN.
Setting Up Dual SSIDs on Your Router
The process for configuring dual SSIDs varies depending on your router's manufacturer and model.
Generally, you'll access your router's settings through a web browser. You'll need the router's IP address, username, and password.
Steps to Configure a Guest Network
- Access Router Settings: Enter your router’s IP address into your web browser.
- Locate Wireless Settings: Navigate to the wireless or Wi-Fi settings section.
- Enable Guest Network: Look for an option to enable a guest network or create a second SSID.
- Configure SSID and Password: Assign a unique name (SSID) and a strong password to the guest network.
- Security Protocol: Choose a secure encryption protocol, such as WPA2 or WPA3.
- Guest Network Isolation: Ensure the guest network is isolated from your main network.
- Save Changes: Save the configuration and reboot your router if prompted.
Testing the Guest Network
After configuration, test the guest network by connecting a device to it.
Verify that you cannot access resources on your main network from the guest network. This confirms the isolation is functioning correctly.
Regularly review your router’s security settings to ensure continued protection.
The Benefits of Utilizing Dual Access Points in Your Home Network
Establishing a home network with dual access points (APs) offers a number of significant advantages.
The most common and immediately useful benefit is the ability to create a segregated network environment, preventing guests from accessing your private data. Typically, most home Wi-Fi routers utilize a single wireless access point.
Granting access to this single AP effectively provides the same level of network access as a direct Ethernet connection. Sharing your Wi-Fi password with visitors, therefore, opens up access to your printer, shared files, and potentially vulnerable devices.
While it's unlikely your acquaintances harbor malicious intent, implementing network segmentation is a sensible security measure. This ensures guests remain confined to a designated internet access area, separate from your sensitive personal data and home servers.
Beyond guest network isolation, employing two SSIDs allows for time-based access control. For instance, parents can utilize a secondary AP to manage their children’s internet usage.
By connecting a child’s devices to this secondary AP, internet access can be automatically restricted after a predetermined time, such as 9 PM, promoting healthy digital habits.
Further Advantages of Dual AP Setup
- Enhanced Security: Limits potential damage from compromised guest devices.
- Improved Network Performance: Can reduce congestion on the primary network.
- Granular Control: Allows for customized network policies for different user groups.
Implementing a dual AP setup provides a proactive approach to network security and management, offering peace of mind and greater control over your home network environment.
What is Required for Implementation?
This guide details the process of configuring dual SSIDs using a router that is compatible with DD-WRT. Therefore, specific prerequisites must be met before proceeding.
- A DD-WRT compatible router, ensuring the hardware revision is appropriate, is essential. Instructions for verification will be provided.
- A functioning installation of DD-WRT firmware on the aforementioned router is also necessary.
Alternative methods exist for establishing dual SSIDs on a home network. However, these alternatives may present drawbacks.
- Acquiring a newer router with native dual SSID support, like the ASUS RT-N66U, is one possibility.
- Employing a second wireless router configured as an independent access point represents another approach.
If your current router already supports dual SSIDs, consulting its user manual is sufficient, and this tutorial can be bypassed. Both alternative options involve additional expenditure and, in the case of a second access point, complex configuration to avoid interference with the primary network.
Considering these factors, utilizing existing hardware – specifically the Linksys WRT54G series Wireless Router – proved to be a cost-effective and efficient solution, eliminating the need for new purchases and extensive network adjustments.
Determining Router Compatibility
Successful completion of this guide hinges on verifying two key compatibility factors. Initially, it’s essential to confirm whether your router offers support for DD-WRT. A comprehensive list of compatible routers can be found on the DD-WRT wiki’s Router Database.
Chip Revision Verification
After establishing DD-WRT compatibility, the next step involves checking the revision number of your router’s chip. Older Linksys models, while otherwise functional, may lack support for dual SSIDs, rendering them incompatible with this tutorial.
Router compatibility regarding revision numbers exists on a spectrum. Some routers can manage multiple SSIDs, but they may not be able to create completely distinct access points, each with a unique MAC address.
This limitation can occasionally cause issues with certain Wi-Fi devices, which may become confused when selecting the appropriate SSID due to the shared MAC address. Predicting which devices will exhibit this behavior is difficult, so we don’t advise against using this tutorial solely based on this potential issue.
You can attempt to find the revision number through a Google search, combining your router’s model with the version number found on its label. However, this method can be unreliable due to potential labeling errors or inaccurate online information.
Reliable Revision Number Check
The most dependable method for determining your router’s chip revision is to directly query the device. This requires using a telnet client, such as PuTTY or the built-in Windows Telnet command.
Connect to your router’s IP address (for example, 192.168.1.1) via telnet. Log in using your administrator credentials; note that the username may be "root" instead of "admin," even if "admin" works for the web interface.
Once logged in, execute the following command at the prompt:
nvram show|grep corerev
The output will display the core revision number of your router’s chip(s) in a format similar to this:
wl0_corerev=9
wl_corerev=
In this example, the router has one radio (wl0) with a core revision of 9. Here’s how to interpret these numbers in relation to this guide:
- 0-4: The router does not support multiple SSIDs.
- 5-8: The router supports multiple SSIDs, but not with unique identifiers.
- 9+: The router supports multiple SSIDs with unique identifiers.
As demonstrated, a revision number of 9 or higher indicates support for multiple SSIDs with unique identifiers.
Installing DD-WRT
With confirmed compatibility, the next step is to install DD-WRT. If it’s already installed or pre-loaded on your router, proceed. Otherwise, download the appropriate version from the DD-WRT website and follow our guide: Turn Your Home Router Into a Super-Powered Router with DD-WRT.
Beyond our tutorial, the DD-WRT wiki is an invaluable resource. Consult it for specific information about your router model and best practices for firmware flashing.
Configuring DD-WRT for Multiple SSIDs
Having successfully flashed DD-WRT onto your compatible router, you are now prepared to establish a second SSID. It is highly recommended, as with all firmware updates, to perform this wireless configuration while connected via a wired Ethernet connection. This prevents potential disruptions to your wireless connection during the process.
Initial Setup & Virtual Interface Creation
Open your web browser on a computer connected to the router through Ethernet. Navigate to the router’s default IP address, typically 192.168.1.1. Within the DD-WRT interface, go to Wireless > Basic Settings. You will observe your current Wi-Fi access point, for example, “HTG_Office”.
At the bottom of the page, within the "Virtual Interfaces" section, click the "Add" button. This action will expand the previously empty section, displaying a prepopulated entry.
This virtual interface operates on your existing radio chip, indicated by "wl0.1" in the entry title. The "vap" suffix appended to the default SSID signifies a Virtual Access Point.
Configuring the Virtual Interface
You can customize the SSID to your preference. To maintain consistency and ease of use for guests, we’ll change the SSID from the default to “HTG_Guest”—while our primary Wi-Fi AP remains “HTG_Office”.
Ensure "Wireless SSID Broadcast" is enabled. Many older devices are incompatible with hidden SSIDs, and a hidden guest network is less user-friendly.
AP Isolation is a security feature you can enable or disable based on your needs. Enabling it isolates each client on the guest Wi-Fi network from one another. This enhances security by preventing malicious users from accessing other clients’ data. However, it may hinder features like Wi-Fi linked gaming between devices. For most home and small office environments, AP isolation is often unnecessary.
The "Unbridged/Bridged" option in Network Configuration determines whether the Wi-Fi AP is bridged to the physical network. For optimal stability and control, leave this setting as "Bridged". We will manually manage the network separation for a cleaner outcome.
After modifying the SSID and reviewing the settings, click "Save".
Wireless Security Settings
Next, navigate to Wireless > Wireless Security.
By default, the second AP has no security enabled. You can temporarily leave it open for testing purposes, avoiding password entry on test devices. However, we advise against permanently leaving it unsecured.
Regardless of your initial security choice, click "Save" and then "Apply Settings" for the changes to take effect. Allow up to two minutes for the changes to propagate.
Verification of Network Visibility
Now is an opportune moment to verify that nearby Wi-Fi devices can detect both the primary and secondary APs. Checking the Wi-Fi interface on a smartphone is a quick and effective method.
While connection to the secondary AP is not yet possible, confirming its presence in the list is a positive sign.
IP Address Range Separation
The next step involves isolating the SSIDs by assigning a unique IP address range to the guest Wi-Fi devices.
Navigate to Setup > Networking. Under the "Bridging" section, click the "Add" button.
Change the initial slot to "br1", leaving the other values unchanged. The IP/Subnet entry will become visible after clicking "Apply Settings". Set the IP address to a value one step off your primary network’s IP (e.g., if your primary network is 192.168.1.1, use 192.168.2.1). Set the Subnet Mask to 255.255.255.0. Click "Apply Settings" again.
Assigning the Guest Network to the Bridge
Under “Assign to Bridge” click “Add”. Select the newly created bridge from the first drop-down menu, and pair it with the “wl0.1” interface.
Click “Save” and “Apply Settings”.
After applying these changes, scroll to the bottom of the page to the DHCPD section. Click "Add". Switch the first slot to "br1". Leave the remaining settings as they are.
Click "Apply Settings" one final time. You should now be prepared for connectivity and DHCP assignment.
Alternative DHCP Setup (If Applicable)
If the Wi-Fi AP is piggybacking on another device, such as a Wi-Fi extender, you’ll need to configure DHCP in the Services section. Navigate to Services > Services.
In the services section, add the following code to the DNSMasq section within the "Additional DNSMasq Options" box:
interface=br1 dhcp-option=br1,3,192.168.2.1 dhcp-range=br1,192.168.2.100,192.168.2.150,255.255.255.0,24h
Click "Apply Settings" at the bottom of the page.
Final Verification and Network Isolation
After completing all tasks on the Setup > Networking page, connect to your new guest SSID. Verify that your assigned IP address falls within the specified range.
If everything appears correct, proceed to isolate the secondary AP from the physical network to prevent guest access to your primary network resources.
Navigate to Administration > Commands. Paste the following commands into the "Command Shell" area:
iptables -I FORWARD -i br1 -o br0 -m state --state NEW -j DROP iptables -I FORWARD -i br0 -o br1 -m state --state NEW -j DROP iptables -I INPUT -i br1 -p tcp --dport telnet -j REJECT --reject-with tcp-reset iptables -I INPUT -i br1 -p tcp --dport ssh -j REJECT --reject-with tcp-reset iptables -I INPUT -i br1 -p tcp --dport www -j REJECT --reject-with tcp-reset iptables -I INPUT -i br1 -p tcp --dport https -j REJECT --reject-with tcp-reset
Click "Save Firewall" and reboot your router.
These firewall rules prevent communication between the two bridges and block access to the router’s configuration ports from the guest network.
With the configuration complete, you can now enjoy the benefits of dual SSIDs, including guest network control and bandwidth management.