【Open Discussion】Share Your Network Challenges & Vision

Dear Community Members,

We’re launching this discussion to understand your unmet needs across key network management areas. No predefined solutions — we want to hear your raw challenges, pain points, and aspirations. Your input will directly shape future development!

Discussion Topics

1. Managing Network Behavior

  • How do you ensure critical tasks (e.g., video calls, backups) get consistent performance amid competing traffic?

  • Have you faced challenges balancing fairness vs. prioritization when multiple users/devices share bandwidth?

2. Controlling Access & Permissions

  • Do you struggle with unauthorized devices joining your network, or need to restrict access for specific users/apps?

  • What granularity of control (e.g., time-based rules, role-based policies) would simplify your workflow?

3. Defending Against Threats

  • What types of attacks or vulnerabilities concern you most in your current setup?

  • Are there blind spots in your network’s defense mechanisms that existing tools fail to address?

4. Supporting Complex Applications

  • Do certain applications or protocols (e.g., VoIP, IoT services) behave unpredictably in your network?

  • What interoperability hurdles have you encountered with modern apps or hybrid environments?

How to Participate

  • Share freely! Tell us:

  • Your role (e.g., home user, admin, developer).

  • Specific frustrations or "I wish my network could..." scenarios.

  • Any workarounds you’ve built to solve these issues.

  • Avoid technical jargon — focus on real-world problems, not solutions.

Why Join?

  • Your voice will guide tools that solve actual problems .

  • Contributors of impactful ideas may collaborate on early prototypes.

  • Let’s co-create a more flexible and resilient networking future.

This is a neutral, community-driven discussion. No agendas — just collective learning.

We’re all ears!

1 Like

Ok I will throw one out:

Role: Home user

Goal: I want to be able to configure my multi-wan so that when using "failover" mode, only certain devices use the connection. For example, priority items (security system/cameras for example) should use the failover option but things like a smart TV (not critical) should not.

Workaround: Nothing yet, but I have considered putting two routers on my network. One for "high availability" devices with MWAN setup, and another without MWAN for the regular devices.

Power user:

Goal: Need visibility in networking flows (stored in sqlite3). I'd like to see where my iot devices, children devices are going to, IP / Hostname. Latter is possible with ad guard home. I'd also like to block flows. :slightly_smiling_face:

I've been working on a project to view flows via Netify.

Dashboard:

Flows:

but I am not a dev at all, never coded JavaScript in my life. If you guys wanna use my project and make it better incorporate it, I don't mind, it's open source.

Thank you for your reply.

I have received your request and recorded it.

  1. Local ones. Most secure. Most reliable. Most hardcore.

a) Yes. Unfortunately. In home - no. But in my small Cafe (I am owner) there is huge problem with that. Everyone uses wifi outside. Even put it's password on free wifi map.
b) I think temporary password/qr code for acces via Admin panelfor guest network will do a trick.

  1. I think no. But there should be implementation of partial clien isolation (for example phone cannot send netbios request but can send file to printer)

  2. No idea.


My role?

Cafe owner, technical enthusiast, home user

Frustrations?

There is a bunch.

  1. No built-in Tor bridges.

Why it is important:
Tor can be limited by some ISP (even if not blocked in country). And GL gui should support at least OBFS4 moats (i know about laws, they can just not include this feature in CN version)

As Cafe owner, I know that people can use my network to download something pirated. I don't wanna have troubles for that.

And adding this can allow users to use internet more privately without paying VPN provider

  1. YOU STILL DIDN'T RETURN FILE SHARE OPTION TO E750! Do I really need to explain why it is important?

Workarounds?

  1. Edit torrc manually. It is a pain. No IT IS A PAIN!
  2. Adding custom plug-ins via OPKG and making them work with sticks and mud. Do I need to repeat that it is a PAIN?

Thank you for your reply.

I understand that your first demand is to see more device information on the Dashboard, including networking detection, the number of connected devices, the interface status of network devices, disk information, traffic statistics (current real-time uploading and downloading of devices) and so on.

The second requirement is to view and manage all connections of current devices, and support white list and black list.

Please see if there is any deviation.

Looking forward to your reply.

Hi,
Yes I would really love a dashboard that's a little bit more polished and user-friendly. With all the apis that you guys have built into the firmware I'm sure that you guys could create a docker container that can tie into those apis and display it. Or maybe even create something native. The slate 7 has enough resources to probably run a decent dashboard.

For me the more important functionality is the network flows. It would be very nice to see where the traffic is going (historical as well.)

Also I think the device page that you have is good it would be nice if you could add a small notification to a new device, maybe like a little icon that says new device.

1 Like

Ok, thank you for your reply.
We have made clear your requirements.

First, thank you for your reply.

Secondly, I have a few questions about your reply, which need to be confirmed with you again.

  1. With regard to article 2 (a), do I understand that you need access control and flow control management for the entire guest network?

  2. Regarding the second b, does it mean that the guest network also needs to be able to open the management panel and access normally, or do you mean the access control and flow control management of the guest network, just like 2(a)?

  3. With regard to the third article, I understand the application layer restrictions for client.

  4. I have recorded the problem that there is no built-in Tor bridge.

  5. You need the restriction of downloading pirated content on the network managed by flow control.

  6. I will urge "the need to return the file sharing option to E750" to be put into the process as soon as possible.

  7. What firmware version are you using? The latest version of Tor does not need to edit torcc manually, just select the region and turn on the switch connection.

  8. It has been recorded that the custom plug-in store needs flexible requirements.

Hi @Lun! Thanks for your attention and support!

Let me answer your questions:

  1. Yes.
  2. No. I mean to give users only temporary passwords that will invalidate after some time. For example each day new guest password. This will prevent "crowds" under my windows to have "free" wifi.
  3. +
  4. Thanks!
  5. No, I need to run Tor on guest network. While Main network works normally. This will prevent me from problems.
  6. Thanks!
  7. On Flint 4.7.0. On E750 4.3.19 (latest). To add bridges you need to edit torrc file.
  8. Thanks! Better if tested capability

Also, GL, please block upgrade of critical system packages via opkg! Now if you run opkg upgrade you can break system!

Thank you for your reply. Your requirements have been recorded.

If you can get your hands on a Raspberry Pi & a monitor to hook up to it I can automate it. Technically even an old laptop running a Linux distro would do the trick but that might look a little too janky for your establishment. The automation overview would change the Guest VLAN/AP password & output it to display it on the RPi's monitor. A simple image viewer would be refreshed/relaunch on its end to show the resulting PNG on the update. The RPi should have Wi-Fi unless you want to run a dedicated network cable to where ever the monitor is to be displayed for your patrons.

The password could change as often as you want — I'd suggest just before opening so you don't have to worry about it. The guest Wi-Fi can be scheduled to be shut off during non-business hours.

Well I can show some experience :slight_smile:

I host a small home lab with multiple vlan networks, I use those networks like small isolated islands based on vendors or areas at my home.

Lately I have been moved to a bigger house, with multiple levels upstairs rather than a appartement.

I decided to go full cat6 and maximize my needs for future proofing aslong my cables are not longer than 50 meter I could still reach close to max connection, and I actually overloaded my bandwith since isp is 1gbps.

I also use a proxmox with a big docker stack with jellyfin and a few usefull apps to use as my own 'cloud' and a lancache.

Now everything worked fine, back in my appartment all was also fine, no issues you would think right?

Wrong, everytime I downloaded max my speed via the lancache on my pc upstairs, which is connected to a unifi switch and then on the Flint2 port lan1.

On lan2 where my tv vlans are present on a gs1900-8hp switch started to malfunction, and turned my whole network down with the message that this switch was sending packets with its own source address as the router and created a loop, and only when the max speed in my home got reached at a point nothing else would have internet, if not my network kept working normal.

That was really weird to observe, because lan2 had nothing to do with lan1, the flint 2 has a max switch capacity of 5gbps so that was not the issue afaik.

So I have been digging for a solution, and voila I had set STP on br-lan but what I did not know was that multiple versions of stp, but also rstp and mstp can cause all kinds of unexpected behaviours when being mixed.

Imagine understanding that stp is to avoid loops, but the differences in versions made exactly a loop, because all unifi switches used rstp, that was a really odd experience for me.

Luckily AI was able to tell me this when I was exactly was searching for stp incompatibilities on google, that instantly rang some alarm bells what was going on.

Most of the times when such block happen with this exact message, I either think about a bad vlan configuration or bad switch firmware, but in this case it was stp all along.

Surfshark doesn't log & their WireGuard servers typically handle 1 Gbps IIRC. Even after their free trial ~2.00USD/mo is going to provide a lot more performance than Tor. I think your patrons would notice & appreciate the difference.

If you're really concerned I can also automate that interface to grab a new IP daily — say, just before opening; I already do this now on my VPN gateway.