Does Mesh extend the IoT Network (multiple SSIDs/subnets) to child nodes — and can it be configured via LuCI in the meantime?

IoT
1

Hi,

I have a two-router setup and a specific use case for the new IoT Network feature. Before restructuring my network, I'd like to confirm a few things about how Mesh interacts with IoT Network, and whether there's a manual path via LuCI.

My setup:

  • Flint 2 (GL-MT6000) — main router, connected to the internet; firmware 4.9.1-op25

  • Flint 3e (GL-BE6500) — currently in Access Point mode, firmware 4.9.0

  • Home Assistant server wired via Cat6 to the Flint 2

  • The Flint 2 alone cannot cover the whole house; a significant part of the home (where most of the IoT devices are) is only in range of the Flint 3e

The IoT Network feature is a routing/firewall function, so as expected it's not available on the 3e while it's in AP mode (even on the 4.9.0). As far as I researched, running the 3e in router mode would give me IoT Network in that coverage area, but creates a double-NAT boundary that prevents Home Assistant (on the Flint 2 LAN) from reaching the IoT subnet on the 3e.

My questions:

  1. With the upcoming Mesh feature ("EasyMesh"), will the IoT Network SSID propagate to mesh child nodes? I.e., if the Flint 2 is the main router and the Flint 3e joins as a mesh node, will it extend the mesh network also to Flint3e (note, both are connected through cat6)?

  2. In the meantime, before Mesh is available/stable: is there a supported way to manually achieve this via LuCI? I see in LuCI of Flint3e the IOT network as a disabled option right now.

  3. If so, could someone outline the recommended configuration (or point me to documentation)?

Thanks in advance!

2

I can’t speak to the Flint 2, but when I enable Mesh on my Flint 3 and Slate 7 it appears to mirror the wireless network settings from the main router (with no option to configure it separately for the nodes).
So it should work for your IoT network.

Personally I wish it allowed you to add the same interface to multiple subnets so that you could sort devices manually into your desired VLAN rather than relying on what interface they were using for sorting.

3

Yes, in my case, wired backhaul from Flint 2 Main Router to Flint 2 Mesh Mode router propagates my ‘Main’, ‘Guest’ & ‘IoT’ Wi-Fi networks. So I recommend you set up the required Wi-Fi networks first on the main router, then set up Mesh mode, connect the second mesh router and it will pull them through.

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5

Hi,

Regarding your first question, the wireless settings from the main router are synchronized to the Mesh nodes.

For the meantime, a similar setup can also be configured manually through LuCI by using VLANs and mapping the corresponding SSIDs to different VLANs.
You can refer to the following configuration example:

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