Guest Network management

touriga

I would like to be able to manage my main WiFi network and a second network like my guest WiFi network. When I enable the guest network I would like to be able to manage devices connecting to it separately and block new devices. Ideally the app would allow management of both networks without having to switch my phone's WiFi connection. I should have a single known device and user list with the ability to see which network they are on.

VioletChepil

Hi @touriga guest networks are usually closed off and therefore not accessible by Fingbox and thus cannot be monitored. 
I'm going to move this over to the devices category. Perhaps we can get some other ideas/suggestions for managing guest networks or the best way to set this up? 

Pooh

Can the v2 Fingbox connected solely on Wireless, @VioletChepil ? If so, could that be added to the Guest SSID to do this?

Murray

@touriga unfortunately the Fing solution will not allow you to do what you want to achieve. The Guest network is segregated by design from the standard network under control of the router. There is no real way to gain management access unless you are connected to it (via the routers control ‘panel, or via Guest WiFi SSID), and no way to show both the standard and guest networks live status simultaneously in the Fing app.

VioletChepil

I'm checking for more information on this one! 

Lee_Bo

For a guest wifi to be secure, it needs to give out IP addresses that are different from your main wifi, and unfortunately Fing does not multiple vlans.  Now, if there were a way to connect a second Fingbox to that guest wifi, then you'd be in business.  Hmmmmmm....may look into this.

Robin_Ex_Fing

Hey @pooh @touriga

Here are some more details about Fingbox and guest networks.

The guest network creates a separate network gateway so that network cannot connect with the main network. It keeps the connections separate. The Fingbox is designed for the average home network. It can manage/control one LAN or VLAN and one 2.4 GHz /5 GHz Wi-Fi network with the same SSID. You will need to pick one of your SSIDs to monitor/control via the Fingbox.
 
 
There a few things that are best practices: 
 
1.  On a large number of routers the Admin user ID and password are right on the bottom of the router.  
2. Some Guest & primary networks share the same password.  
 
Every home grade router has these features and please follow these steps for adding security: 
 
1.  Change the admin password to something with 11 characters or more.  11 characters as a base make it hard for password crack utilities to break.  Having more than 16 is even better.   
 
2. Change the Guest network password or even turn it off when not in use. 
 
So, in your case, if you want to monitor the guest network, you could use a separate Fingbox and just block all the devices. 

kltaylor

touriga said:

I would like to be able to manage my main WiFi network and a second network like my guest WiFi network. When I enable the guest network I would like to be able to manage devices connecting to it separately and block new devices. Ideally the app would allow management of both networks without having to switch my phone's WiFi connection. I should have a single known device and user list with the ability to see which network they are on.

I actually would like to have this feature as well.

My Guest network has a password that's 'pretty robust', but still would like to have access in Fing to actively monitor it while being connected to the internal or private network.

VioletChepil

I guess @Robin is suggesting you may need another Fingbox for that @kltaylor. Is this an option?

kltaylor

VioletChepil said:

I guess @Robin is suggesting you may need another Fingbox for that @kltaylor. Is this an option?

The Guest network is wireless only, any hard-lined connections to the gateway results in connecting to the main network, resources, etc.

Unless FINGbox can connect to wireless as an option?

With that being said, it would only be a means in the FING menu to add an Access Point, including the SSID and the password (maybe that's the stipulation, it has to have a password for FING to monitor it) but limit that to one 'wireless' connection per node.  Maybe an idea could be to introduce additional licenses or seats for additional AP's?

Pooh

kltaylor said:

VioletChepil said:

I guess @Robin is suggesting you may need another Fingbox for that @kltaylor. Is this an option?

The Guest network is wireless only, any hard-lined connections to the gateway results in connecting to the main network, resources, etc.

Unless FINGbox can connect to wireless as an option?

With that being said, it would only be a means in the FING menu to add an Access Point, including the SSID and the password (maybe that's the stipulation, it has to have a password for FING to monitor it) but limit that to one 'wireless' connection per node.  Maybe an idea could be to introduce additional licenses or seats for additional AP's?

I was thunking the same thing. If the v2 could operate on a Wireless only mode then it's a case of "Take my money, please!" if not, then let me know and I'll add it as a suggestion for perhaps an update, or even a v3 FingBox.

kltaylor

Pooh said:

kltaylor said:

VioletChepil said:

I guess @Robin is suggesting you may need another Fingbox for that @kltaylor. Is this an option?

The Guest network is wireless only, any hard-lined connections to the gateway results in connecting to the main network, resources, etc.

Unless FINGbox can connect to wireless as an option?

With that being said, it would only be a means in the FING menu to add an Access Point, including the SSID and the password (maybe that's the stipulation, it has to have a password for FING to monitor it) but limit that to one 'wireless' connection per node.  Maybe an idea could be to introduce additional licenses or seats for additional AP's?

I was thunking the same thing. If the v2 could operate on a Wireless only mode then it's a case of "Take my money, please!" if not, then let me know and I'll add it as a suggestion for perhaps an update, or even a v3 FingBox.

This would be a feature that a lot of 'generally free' monitoring applications doesn't have.  This could be a niche for FINGbox to incorporate and could increase sales for them. 

I agree, even though I already use Domotz at home if I have a device that could also monitor my external guest networks (just because I like to know what's happening, with whom, etc.) I would consider purchasing the hardware for that feature.

shamasis

Interestingly, even I hit the same snag here. My maintenance help connects to my guest network and my use case is to simply monitor presence and thankfully that works just fine on Fingbox. Simply go to fence section, find the device, start watching it. Post that, you can assign that device to any user.

akahan

I THOUGHT I had a brilliant solution to this, but no dice.  Specifically, I have a router with a main network (wired and wireless) and a guest network (wireless only).  I was hoping that with two Fingboxes, I could monitor both networks - one Fingbox for the main network, and one for the wireless network.  The obvious problem is that, although in theory I could connect the "guest" Fingbox to the wireless guest network, it needs an ethernet connection TO THAT NETWORK as well.   Which is impossible, because the ethernet ports on the router are dedicated to the main network.  My "solution" was to get a wireless client (that is, a box that connects wirelessly to the guest network, and has an ethernet port on it, so that whatever is plugged into the ethernet port is connected by ethernet, through the box, to the wireless side of the network, and gets an IP in the wireless network's range...), but when I do that, the "guest" fingbox cannot be found/activated by a phone connected to the guest wireless network.
Any thoughts as to whether I'm even CLOSE to finding a solution?  Or does the Fingbox actually have to be plugged by ethernet directly into a router port that is on the same subnet as the wireless network?

Hronos

Hi @akahan
The problem is that normally a Guest Network is device isolated.
What this means is, even if 2 or more devices are connected to that network and have access to the gateway, they are blocked to see each other on that network.  May be some routers can change this configuration, mine not, but while it function like that, you can't do much about it (as far as a know).

akahan

@Hronos, you clearly understand my scenario, thanks for reading closely.  In my particular case, my router (Synology 2600ac) can be configured to permit the wireless devices on the Guest wireless network to see each other.   So, for example, from my iPhone, when connected to the guest network, I can ping other devices on the guest network; and the Fing app on my iPhone can "see" the other devices on the guest network when connected to the guest network.  So, the problem appears to be something else.  

Hronos

@akahan Well you are more close to it than me xD.
Have you try your solution with other devices? (like putting a TV or other wired device on the port and look if it has access to the internet and other devices on the network?
If you are willing to try, I think than, more than a Wi-Fi client, you could have to "bridge" your network with an AP with LAN ports to use them for the wired devices.

akahan

That's what's weird.  If I connect a PC or something else to the ethernet port on the client box, it picks up an IP address on the guest network, has internet access, and works fine.  Bridging will be my next experiment.