Turn a Router Into a Switch and Back Again

Table of Contents

• Router and Switch Configuration Benefits
• What Is a Switch?
• How to Configure Router Settings
• Switch and Router Configuration Management for Business

Changing the settings on your router can experience like a daunting chore. Simply as near Information technology professionals know, default settings aren't necessarily the best settings, fifty-fifty if abiding by them requires zero effort or intervention. Default settings tend to be insecure and are rarely the all-time option for supporting network connectivity. Equally is the case with most hardware, in that location are always subconscious features waiting to be taken advantage of past an ambitious IT pro. Adjusting your IT infrastructure settings is important for optimizing and securing your network, whether in a small business organisation or corporate environment.

In fact, you don't have to exist an expert or even particularly technology-savvy to make the almost of the router settings options available to you. With the correct communication in hand, you can configure router settings to adapt your organization's private requirements.

In this guide, I've outlined several best practices to aid you figure out how to reconfigure your routers and switches. I've too focused on basic settings for those of you getting started with adjusting your network hardware. And if you're looking to build on this information, I propose investing in a software tool like SolarWinds^® Network Configuration Manager, as an automated tool goes a long way toward optimizing and managing network configurations and changes, especially for larger networks.

Router and Switch Configuration Benefits

One of the peachy advantages of router and switch configuration is you lot can increment security in several ways. The most basic thing you tin can do is modify the router countersign from its default to something more secure and unique. This prevents hackers from accessing your router settings. Via the router, a hacker could potentially disable wireless security for your network, significant they could admission sensitive or confidential business concern data without you ever knowing almost information technology.

Irresolute the Service Set Identifier (SSID), otherwise known as the network name, is besides an selection. Changing your SSID makes identifying your network much faster. Secondly, some routers will take a default SSID to place the blazon of router being used, which can make it easier for hackers to set on your network. While it'southward a small change, switching your default SSID should still be on your list.

Yous can likewise configure router settings to disguise your local IP address. You can change your IP address by tweaking your settings. The well-nigh common reason for doing this is to protect your anonymity online, making it harder for your activity to be traced dorsum to y'all. This is another useful security benefit, although not necessarily a elevation priority for business purposes.

You're besides able to configure settings to enable multi-SSID and guest Wi-Fi. Near modern wireless routers are capable of broadcasting more than than one access point simultaneously. A single admission point can be bachelor for known and trusted devices, while a separate access point could exist used for guests. The virtually obvious benefit of this is y'all won't demand to share your main Wi-Fi password with strangers or guests, reducing the risk of network abuse or overloading. You can also configure router settings to show you who'due south connected. This can be useful considering people stealing your bandwidth tin can result in depression or fluctuating internet speeds.

Router programming allows you lot to alter Wi-Fi channel and band, which tin improve your Wi-Fi performance and coverage essentially. A lot of wireless routers select the channel for yous automatically when you initially set them up. This selection isn't tailored to your private wireless environment and can often lead to interference or slow Wi-Fi speeds.

Certain routers permit you set "parental controls" or block employees from accessing certain types of websites. If y'all're dealing with a personal, at-abode network, setting up parental controls protects your children online, keeping them from existence exposed to adult or inappropriate content. For business networks, you can filter certain types of websites—like online shopping or video streaming sites—to encourage employee productivity. In either instance, controls are split into ii categories: monitoring and filtering. Filtering lets you cull what users are able to access, while monitoring lets you view what sites users access.

In addition, many people don't know y'all tin can activate remote management via the router settings (if your router offers this functionality) allowing you to manage your router from anywhere, via your smartphone or some other device. Remote management is turned off past default.

With these benefits in mind, I'g going to outline how to configure router settings to make the most of the options available. Just earlier I do, I'1000 first going to briefly explain what a switch is and why y'all might want to think near switch configuration.

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What Is a Switch?

Switches tin can be used to connect numerous devices together on the same network. Local area network (LAN) switches are used for controlling and directing the data menstruum to networked resources, at the level of the access layer. A switch is sometimes referred to every bit a network bridge.

Why would you want to configure a router as a switch? Every twelvemonth, Wi-Fi technology becomes increasingly advanced, which means your sometime router might soon be unable to support your current Wi-Fi needs. Just this doesn't mean it's useless. The Ethernet networking chemical element of the router remains useful, allowing consumers to use information technology as a network switch. A switch is useful whenever you want to share an Ethernet cablevision betwixt numerous devices.

How to Configure Router Settings

As this guide has already explained, router programming has numerous benefits. Below, I've given a short caption of how to get started configuring router settings according to best practices.

Accessing Your Router

Before you can larn how to configure router settings, you'll first need to know how to access them as an administrator. If you're using the network also used past the router, so this is the first thing y'all should try; go to your web browser and type in the post-obit IP addresses, ane after the other, into the search bar.

• 168.0.ane
• 168.1.1
• 168.2.2
• 0.1.1
• 0.0.1
• 10.i.one

If a welcome folio pops upwards, or a login window, then you're in. Only if these IP addresses don't give you access, then yous'll accept to go through the longer process. First, become to your settings and click on "Network & Internet." And then select "View your network properties." You lot should see "Default gateway" and a number beside it. This number is your router IP address. Type this address into your web browser's search bar and a login or welcome page should announced.

From this point, you'll need to log in equally an administrator. Admin info should be on the back of the router.

Irresolute Router Login Info

This is an important security factor. To change your router's countersign, follow these steps:

1. Access your router settings past inputting your router IP accost into your browser
2. Log in with router username and password
3. Visit "Settings" and click on "Change Router Password"
4. Input your chosen password (keeping in listen a strong password should take at least eight characters and feature letters, numbers, and special characters) and salve the new settings

Changing Router IP Accost

These instructions are for D-link routers, though the process is likely to exist similar for other router types.

1. Admission your router settings past inputting your router IP address into your browser
2. Log in with router username and countersign
3. Visit "Settings" and click on "Network settings"
4. Type in the new IP address under "Router Settings" and save the changes
5. Note, yous won't be able to use the old IP address to access your router settings anymore

Changing SSID

This process volition teach you how to change your SSID, or network name, to something more memorable.

1. Access your router settings by inputting your router IP address into your browser
2. Log in with router username and password
3. Visit "Setup" and click on "Wireless settings"
4. Input your new SSID and save the new settings
5. Y'all'll then have to wait for your router to restart

Configuring Guest Wi-Fi and Multi-SSID

These following instructions are based on NETGEAR router settings, simply once again the procedure will be similar for other router types.

1. Admission your router settings past inputting your router IP address into your browser
2. Log in with router username and password
3. Visit "Guest Network" and make sure the "Enable SSID Broadcast" check box is ticked
4. Proper noun the guest network and select a security option, then click "apply" to salve the settings

Activating Remote Management

To access your router remotely, follow these instructions:

1. Become to your router'due south administration console
2. Visit "Settings," then "Remote Management"
3. Turn remote management on and save the settings

Gaining Visibility of Who Is Connected

1. Admission your router settings past inputting your router IP accost into your browser
2. Log in with router username and password
3. Visit "My Network" or something similar. It may also be under "Fastened devices"
4. If you lot meet an unfamiliar device you don't think should be connected, ban its MAC address

Irresolute Wireless Band and Channel

Before changing your wireless band and channel, carefully consider what would be well-nigh suitable for your needs. For example, if you lot take a new router supporting 5GHz bands, this is probably a good choice for you equally information technology volition probably be less crowded. This means it's a great option in densely populated areas. To alter these settings, follow the instructions above to admission your router settings and visit "Wireless Settings." You should be able to tweak band and channel from here.

Setting Up Parental or Employee Controls

Setting up filtering or monitoring controls is elementary. These controls should be under router settings, though keep in heed they may have a defended category within the organisation. In some cases, y'all may want to download a specialized plan to integrate with your router for more fine-tuned control. Either manner, I'd recommend setting upwardly a PIN or countersign for access to these controls, and so users can't alter the settings themselves.

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Switch and Router Configuration Management for Business

Router settings are an extremely valuable and versatile resource. You tin can utilise it to boost security, eradicate vulnerabilities, and even speed upwardly your connexion. But managing all your configurations manually can be difficult, especially for larger networks. Checking to encounter if router configurations are authentic and optimized takes time, and if you're handling other network hardware as well, the task can apace go overwhelming. As a issue, you lot may overlook router and switch configurations for a little as well long—putting business concern networks at take chances.

That's why I recommend using an automated tool capable of tracking and managing device configurations and network changes like SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager (NCM) or Kiwi CatTools^®. Below, I'll describe the benefits and differences between these ii solutions to assist you lot meliorate empathize what tool is all-time for your network.

SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager – Medium and Large Networks

NCM is an enterprise-grade tool designed to implement routine and wide-calibration changes by utilizing device-neutral configuration templates and allowing you to easily define the changes y'all want made. The program then uses the directives in the configuration template to create device-specific suites of change commands. You can review these changes and deploy them on a scheduled basis. All configuration templates can be reused and divers by user, so they're great for saving fourth dimension on routine alterations.

© 2020 SolarWinds Worldwide, LLC. All rights reserved.

A major cause of network downtime is human error. With Network Configuration Managing director, you lot can automate processes and gain visibility to better avoid transmission configuration errors potentially leading to network interruptions. You can set permissions and roles to ensure the right users are making configuration changes. And you can get instant insight into configuration changes, and then you always know what changes occurred and who made the alter. You can even search, troubleshoot, and audit standardized configurations.

With SolarWinds Network Configuration Director, y'all tin expect to implement router and switch configurations more than accurately, with less manual endeavor—and you tin more than easily confirm your settings remain in place over time. This tool is great for concern use and comes highly recommended. If yous want to give information technology a try, a fully functional thirty-day trial is available.

Kiwi CatTools – Small-scale Networks

A powerful network automation and configuration management tool built to support small business networks, Kiwi is an affordable solution for companies of all sizes looking for the ability to more easily push configuration changes, track changes on network devices with alerts, revert to previous configurations, perform basic config change reporting, and automate backups on routers, switches, and firewalls.

© 2020 SolarWinds Worldwide, LLC. All rights reserved.

Kiwi CatTools has out-of-the-box support for a lot of IPv4 and IPv6 devices, such as Cisco, HP, Huawei, Juniper, and more. Kiwi supports your ability to more hands troubleshoot problems past allowing you to compare the configurations of two devices, like startup and running configurations, to aid ensure the success of your network. Using a built-in TFTP server, Kiwi tin as well provide an easier way to push configuration changes on multiple devices at the same time. Yous tin can too try the tool for yourself gratuitous for 14 days.

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Source: https://www.dnsstuff.com/router-switch-configuration

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