Basic Hookup Questions - AP1 Mini

Everything Else
1

I’m currently set up with a Balance 20X to serve 6 wireless clients and a wired LAN in the home. Each WiFi client has a separate VLAN with its own address range and “inter-VLAN” routing left unchecked. No problems with the Balance setup.
To improve signal strength at the home, I’m installing an AP1 Mini.

  • When adding the AP, I will turn off the Balance radio, and create the same VLAN network on the Ap1

  • How do I indicate that the Balance port is the WAN connection to the AP1?

  • What do I need to know about the Ethernet connection from AP1 to the Balance? It will carry the 6 AP1 VLANS to a spare port on the router. Should that wired connection be called WLAN and be on a separate VLAN of its own to avoid routing to the wired network on the Balance?

  • What port type - Access or Trunk - should I call the Balance port?

Thanks for the help.
S5

2

If you haven’t already you I would use the AP controller of the balance to managed the ap’s.
Under the AP tab AP Management, External AP (Check this box).

You don’t need to create the vlans on the Ap1’s just on the Balance 20x.

On the 20x , I would create an additional vlan for the AP1 mgmt vlan
Then go to either
Under AP go to settings profile, and set your Management VLAN ID
or directly on the ap
On the AP1 you can set wan to that vlan id.

Do trunk mode or custom for the balance ethernet port (and select the vlans to serve)

The ap1 wan and lan and wifi broadcast are all bridged internally provided you don’t set the ap1’s into router mode. This would only be used if the ap1’s were standalone.

3

Thanks for that information. I’m trying to visualize what happens in the ap1. Ap1 graphical setup pages look identical to the Balance WiFi VLAN setup screens. I have defined 6 WiFi vlans on the Balance, one for each wireless client in the home, plus wired VLANS for the main computer. Do I understand your comment to mean that I will not have to duplicate these 6 VLAN definitions in the Ap1? (Except maybe to add one more VLAN for the administration functions? So, simply turn off the Balance radios on the Dashboard, and start using the Ap1 radios? Thanks for the help.