Setting up guest wifi

[cliff3]

Thanks for your reply - I will look into WiFi extenders. 

Cliff

[Keith_Beddoe]

@cliff3 

Bear in mind that this method does not give isolation between the guest network and the private network, so you need to make sure that any network shares are secured.

[brookheather]

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@Crimliarwrote:

One way to do this is to use a WiFi extender that has its own separate WiFi SSID that it broadcast compared to the SSID it connects to the router using.  Even better if you can connect one to the router using a cable, as then not only can you use a different SSID, but even different WiFi channels!  And if it's a proper guest network, it's easy to turn on and off!

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This does not give you a guest network - anyone connecting to the Wifi extender will have full access to the local network.  You need a router with a proper guest network implementation which will only forward packets to the network gateway and not to any local computers.

I have guest wifi setup on my Ubiquiti Unifi wireless access points - you can buy a single Unifi Wifi 6 access point for around £100.

[cliff3]

O.K. thanks for that Brookheather. I will have to look into getting a router with a facility to provide a guest wifi set up.

cliff

[Crimliar]

Depends on what exactly you want a guest network for!  Personally, I'd not set up a guest network the same way I'd set up an IoT network.  If I were looking to set up a complex IoT setup, then I'd be looking at a router that offers greater flexibility than the BT hubs.

Maybe it's time to ask what the OP is trying to achieve, rather than how they are trying to achieve it?

[gg30340]

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@Crimliar wrote:

Depends on what exactly you want a guest network for!  Personally, I'd not set up a guest network the same way I'd set up an IoT network.  If I were looking to set up a complex IoT setup, then I'd be looking at a router that offers greater flexibility than the BT hubs.

Maybe it's time to ask what the OP is trying to achieve, rather than how they are trying to achieve it?

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Unless I am mistaken, going by the OP's questions and replies, I suspect that all he wants is what the vast majority of people who want a guest network want and that is simply to allow "guests" to connect to the Internet using his broadband connection without allowing them access to his home network. 

In other words being able to give them a network name and password that they can log onto in order to access the Internet. This, as has already been pointed out can not be achieved with the BT hub. 

I could of course be wrong but I doubt it.

[cliff3]

That's correct, gg30340. Thanks everyone. 

Cliff

[Teza]

I know this thread is old but I have the same question. Recently, I reluctantly gave access to a tradesman and forgot to ask him to forget my network on his phone. It seems a bit of an oversight by BT that they don't give that facility on their routers. I've noted the wifi extender as a possible way around the problem (albeit a pricey solution for the occasional "guest"). 

My question is: why is it inadvisable to give out the main router password? I though it was simply because it has admin privileges and a rogue guest could mess with the settings if they knew how to access the Hub Manager. I wouldn't know how to access anything else on someone's network if I had their router password. Are you saying, with the right knowledge, the router password would give a guest access to all my data on my home network?

[licquorice]

WiFi password and router password are 2 entirely different things. The tradesman would have used your wifi password, not your router password. Simply change it if you are concerned.

The hub password simply gives access to the hub configuration settings including password changes.

[Teza]

Thanks! That's what I thought.
So, is it generally safe to give out the wifi passwords to "guests"?

Mind you I still don't understand the comment above about giving access (unknowingly) to "network shares" (whatever they are).