Netgear WC7500-Wireless User Manual - Page 37

ProSAFE Wireless Controller packets that are sent from the wireless controller do not carry the 802.1Q header, and all untagged packets that are sent to the wireless controller are treated as management VLAN traffic. Note: Use a tagged VLAN or change the tagged VLAN ID only if the hubs and switches on your LAN support 802.1Q. If they do not, and you did not configure a tagged VLAN with the same VLAN ID on the hubs and switches in your network, IP connectivity might be lost. The management VLAN must provide IP connectivity between the wireless controller and the access points. If the wireless controller and the access points are on different management VLANs, external VLAN routing must allow IP connectivity between the wireless controller and the access points. For information about how to configure management VLANs, see Manage the IP, VLAN, and Link Aggregation Settings on page 102. Client VLANs Each authenticated WiFi user is placed into a VLAN that determines the user's DHCP server, IP address, and Layer 2 connection. Although you could place all authenticated WiFi users into the single VLAN that is specified in the basic security profile, the wireless controller allows you to group WiFi users into separate VLANs based on the WiFi SSID to differentiate access to network resources. For example, you might place authorized employee users into one VLAN, and itinerant users, such as contractors or guests, into a separate VLAN. To use different VLANs, you must create different security profiles. For information about how to configure regular VLANs, see Manage the IP, VLAN, and Link Aggregation Settings on page 102. DHCP Server The wireless controller can function as a DHCP server and assign IP addresses to both WiFi and wired devices that are connected to it. You can add up to 64 DHCP server pools, each assigned to a different VLAN. Specifying an internal DHCP server on the wireless controller automatically enables DHCP option 43 (vendor-specific information) with the IP address of the wireless controller. Whether you must enable option 43 on an external DHCP server in a Layer 2 network depends on the firmware version that the wireless controller is running: • Firmware version 4.x and earlier versions. Option 43 must be enabled on an external DHCP server in a Layer 2 network. • Firmware version 5.x and later versions. Option 43 is not required on an external DHCP server in a Layer 2 network. For discovery across Layer 3 networks, you always must enable option 43 on an external DHCP server. System Planning and Deployment Scenarios 37