Home Network Design – Part 1

This post guides readers from a flat, consumer-router home setup to a segmented network using VLANs, examining simple guest SSID approaches, parallel vs. series router topologies, and the tradeoffs between purpose-built components and all-in-one devices; it surveys affordable router/firewall options (consumer firmware, enterprise gear, Mikrotik/Ubiquiti, and DIY platforms like pfSense, OPNsense, VyOS, Sophos UTM) and clarifies key terms (APs, hubs, switches, routers, firewalls, L3 switches), laying groundwork for future steps on grouping and segmenting devices.