I chose a Netgate SG-1100 security appliance, US-8-150 POE switch, 3 nanoHDs and an CloudKey Gen2. The videos from this web site were a big help. I’m a networking rookie but reasonably computer savvy so am going to try to set this up myself.
A couple basic questions so I can an environment to configure this before installing (also an idea I got here).
I want to leave my existing Netgear Router / WiFi up while i’m working on this new stuff. Can I have the SG1100 connected to a port of the NetGear or does the SG have to be the first thing after my FiOS ONT?
Does the US-8-150 POE switch need to have a port configured to disable POE in order to plug a non-POE device, such as a laptop, into it?
I don’t think you have to do anything with the POE. Just plug the laptop right into a port. I don’t know anything about the Netgate SG-1100 appliance. Sorry.
If you want to get familiar with the SG-1100 (or any router/firewall), you can let it get its “WAN” ip from your current router’s LAN dhcp server. You will need to make sure the SG-1100’s LAN ip address is in a different ip subnet than your existing router’s LAN.
This is not good for long term, because you will have double NAT, but for most things that won’t be an issue. And it will allow you to continue to have access to the internet via your existing router/switch while you learn and play with the SG-1100.
I did the same as you. Bought a NetGate SG-1100 to replace my old Netgear wireless router. I connected the SG-1100 WAN port to an unused LAN port on my Netgear router. Set the SG-1100 to obtain IP address via DHCP.
I don’t worry about damaging my gear; anything you can plug into a regular port, you can plug into a PoE port.
Chances are some of you are already behind several NAT’s.
The telco in my area had several layers of NAT, when my friend tried to do his own routing he would have NAT collisions. He could not get away from it because it was integrated into the mandatory hardware provided by Telco and was not something you could disable.