AC AirPort + Router inquiry

[ZMacintosh]

It's been awhile since I've messed around with the AirPort's...but is essentially putting the AirPort into bring mode the same as turning off DHCP or is there another function or option to completely do that in AirPort Utility?

I'm using my AirPort Time Capsules as WiFi Access Points hooked up to ethernet drops in the house and would obviously need to disable DHCP


Another item I'm looking for is a simple router without wifi options....to fit into a closet cabinet and will be strictly providing access to the switch/ethernet drops.

 

[techwarrior]

Bridge Mode also disables route discovery, NAT, etc.. Routers serve the function of providing external network access to clients, Access Points simply bridge the Ethernet (or Wi-Fi) connection to enable clients to hop on the internal, leaving all routing decisions to other routers.

Multiple routers on a network will create infinite loops and take the whole network down unless proper care is taken to create static routes. So, in your case, using bridge mode will simply allow clients to connect to your wireless signal to hop on the Ethernet and any DHCP, or routing will be handled by any other device that is providing routing services.

Good luck finding routers without Wi-Fi unless you look into commercial products. However, most Wi-Fi routers (Airports included) can be configured with Wi-Fi disabled so they only provide routing services to Ethernet clients, including Airports. Most consumer routers differ in the Wi-Fi technology, so a cheaper Wi-Fi enabled router should do just about everything an expensive one will do if Wi-Fi is disabled.

 

[belvdr]

Multiple routers on a network will create infinite loops and take the whole network down unless proper care is taken to create static routes.

By default, if the routers have not implemented dynamic routing, such as OSPF or BGP, there are no routing loops or issues. Properly maintaining the routing table via static and/or dynamic routing will prevent that.

OP, I have heard good things about MikroTik, but I've never used them:

https://routerboard.com/products/group/17

 

[ZMacintosh]

Yeah its been tough finding a compact gigabit router that isn't enterprise or costly. I wish the AirPort Express had gigabit ethernet. And possible the the AirPort Time Capsule could fit. though the dimensions of the cabinet for all of this is 36" tall x 4" deep, so It may be too oversized.

So I'm rethinking the configuration of this; 2x Unifi AC AP Pro's with a PoE Switch (Linksys or Ubiquity), and some compact gigabit router...and then use the AirPort TimeCapsules as Back up devices somewhere on the network either at a wall drop or somewhere (?)...thats where I'm trying to figure out how I can still use these to provide the back-ups, Not interested in a NAS at the moment, I could just use the Mac mini + hard drives in that event, but how would I configure a Time Capsule on a Access Point network then?

 

[techwarrior]

Yeah its been tough finding a compact gigabit router that isn't enterprise or costly. I wish the AirPort Express had gigabit ethernet. And possible the the AirPort Time Capsule could fit. though the dimensions of the cabinet for all of this is 36" tall x 4" deep, so It may be too oversized.

So I'm rethinking the configuration of this; 2x Unifi AC AP Pro's with a PoE Switch (Linksys or Ubiquity), and some compact gigabit router...and then use the AirPort TimeCapsules as Back up devices somewhere on the network either at a wall drop or somewhere (?)...thats where I'm trying to figure out how I can still use these to provide the back-ups, Not interested in a NAS at the moment, I could just use the Mac mini + hard drives in that event, but how would I configure a Time Capsule on a Access Point network then?

Mac mini + HDD might work as Time Machine destination for your networks, probably need to install and configure the server app to do that as I don't think MacOS allows you to share USB drives but I think Server app does.

If AP TC is configured as Access Point (bridged connection for Ethernet to Wi-Fi, or even with Wi-Fi disabled), it can be a central Time Machine destination. You can even have >1 and Macs will use Bonjour to discover the TC and go from there. The TC dimensions are about 7" tall, and 4x4 WxD. If using TC as a W-Fi AP, the cabinet should probably be open to provide better signals. I think I am hearing you say you might need more than 1 Time Machine "server"? If so, I think the Mac Server app can allow you to create profiles and assign various clients to a given Time Capsule or Mini Server or Partition, and to enforce quotas.

 

[ZMacintosh]

Well I wont be using the Time Capsules as an access point but either plugged into a wall drop/ethernet port and use the Unifi Access Points instead as the wireless. Or use the Time Capsule as the router with Wi-Fi turned off.