Subnet security and, high end and low end routers

[BobY777]

I'm trying to learn a little about security with respect to high end and low end routers addressing different subnets.

As you do your answers, keep in mind, I'm not all that good at wired networking.

I have heard that if I wanted to have security between two networks, whereby people on each subnet couldn't "see" people on another subnet, I could use a high end router like a Netopia.

That is I understand the Netopia has the ability (since it is high end) to be able to address two or more subnets connected to it through a switch. And as such the people on each subnet in effect are kept from hacking into the other subnets connected to the same Netopia router (even though they both are connected to the same switch).

My original understanding was that it had to be a high end expensive router. But I was told recently that even a low end router like an inexpensive Netgear router could also do the same thing.

Is that correct? How many subnets can be used?

Is this type of security using subnets to keep one group of people on one subnet from hacking into another subnet, sufficient?

Thanks for any info.

[sschulak]

I think what your looking for is SSID, you can use ssid's to logicaly seperate people in a wireless network much like wired vlans, as a matter of fact you can map ssid's to cisco vlans using 802.1q trunking or if your using an aironet AP you would use ISL. I recomend when deploying wireless use vlans and seperate your wireless users from your wired users.

[BobY777]

Hi ssuchlak:

Yes I know about the SDIDs. That is a different aspect from the subnets.

I also may have different SSIDs on a subnet.

But I'm looking at the aspect where I might have different subnets on the same router.

[sschulak]

depends on the router, with cisco you can make sub interfaces ethernet0.1 on any other router is depends on how many interfaces you havce, typical 1 subnet per interface.

[oshea85]

if you were handy with *NIX, you could set up an old PC as a router/gateway/firewall to let both nets out to the internet, but away from each other.