Multi-Network Installation

Setup, Configuration and Use Beginners
,
1

Complete openHAB noob here, but I am pretty techie.

I recently simplified my home network and went with Google WIFI (which my better half loves, BTW, over my previous DDWRT installation). It is, however limited in a number of ways.

I am just jumping into home automation and anticipate I will be using WIFI as well as the other wireless and wired protocols, but I wanted to keep it separate from my home network a bit.

I’d like to use openHAB on a “small” dedicated machine (RASPI or NUC, or the like) and have that machine dual homed, one side plugged into the physical port of one of the Google WIFI mesh nodes, and the other side tied to my old wifi router (running as a switch/wifi access point and DHCP server).

So from my normal WIFI network, the only accessible device would be the machine running openHAB but the HA WIFI network would have a route back through the dual homed machine to access internet services if/as/when required. If required, I can always login to the HA WIFI network with my laptop or a phone/tablet to do any configuration or mtce, but then want to limit all “user” access through openHAB.

Does anyone see any dealbreakers before I give such a configuration a try?

-Rob A.

2

Not really. Your planned setup seems ok to me.

By the way: I would consider running DHCP, DNS, NTP, etc (all network services) for the entire LAN on the rPi/NUC since it will have 2 interfaces (you can configure 2 subnets and zones)

There are a few disadvantages but they are minor: WLAN Frequency spectrum overlap (maybe run the Google AP on 5GHz and the HA AP on 2.4 Gigs?)

Another disadvantage maybe is that when Google formally takes over control of the entire world… you will be their slave :slight_smile: (joking)

3

Sounds reasonable. I bet the community would greatly benefit from a tutorial posting when you get it up and running.