Setting up a VLAN on your network? Here are the things you need to know before getting started.
Security is one of the biggest concerns in 2025; many people online are simply sitting there trying to hijack your data. While you might be a tech enthusiast, knowing a lot about build configs, you cannot likely monitor every packet your PC exchanges across the Internet. People with ill motives can do many sinister things if they get access to your PC, via tunneling methods, or by getting in through browser exploits. VLANs won’t completely prevent intrusion, but they can significantly limit bidirectional traffic movement within your network. To fully lock down your network, your VLANs should be paired with a firewall and an access control list (ACL) configuration.
Note: This article is aimed at tech-savvy readers. It gets very technical after a while as it explores VLAN security practices, common drawbacks, and more.
Understanding VLANs and Their Core Benefits
VLAN, or Virtual Local Area Network, is fundamentally a logical grouping of devices connected to a single Ethernet. Put simply, you group five devices connected to your router as one network. VLANs’ greatest benefit is reducing broadcast domains per network device and subnets. Rather than requiring separate physical network hardware for different network zones, VLANs allow multiple networks to share the same physical connection without interference.
Take a practical example. Let’s say you use a router with VLAN support (e.g., pfSense, MikroTik, or even some high-end consumer routers). With VLANs, a single physical switch or Wi-Fi access point can act like several isolated networks. Your work laptop, IoT devices, and gaming rig can be segmented into separate VLANs, keeping risky or noisy traffic isolated.
Note: VLANs don’t inherently add latency, but cheap or underpowered routers/switches can bottleneck with 10+ VLANs, primarily if Layer 3 routing or inter-VLAN ACLs are used.
Advantages of VLANs in 2025
Now that the basic understanding is clear, VLANs are more than just a cool networking term. The main reason they are used is the level of security they provide. Once you set up VLANs correctly, attackers will still get in, but as discussed earlier, you need a strong firewall with ACLs.
Here’s what makes VLANs worth it:
Setup and Planning
Before diving in and starting to group devices, you must map out your setup.
After you finish the planning process, security comes next. Below are a few best practices that you should follow.
Configuring VLANs: Access vs. Trunk
After you finish your planning phase, it’s time to understand how traffic will flow. There are multiple methods for this. Below are a few guidelines.
Mistakes to Avoid
It’s very easy to get things wrong, as the entire process is complicated to execute simultaneously. you’re able to consider a few points while doing it, such as:
Note: When stacking VLANs on a port, 802.1Q handles dozens/hundreds of VLANs per trunk just fine, as long as traffic isn’t saturating the link.
Prepping for Troubleshooting
You will likely run into issues, as VLAN is one of the more complex topics in networking. Worry not; the following is a good starting point, provided you are doing this on the CLI and do not have GUI-based guides.
Conclusion
In conclusion, VLANs offer incredible security and network segmentation on a home or office network. But remember, setting them up correctly requires a lot of work, followed by maintenance. Always know what you are doing here. Setting them up with clear goals will make your network stronger, more efficient, and safer.
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