The goal here is a simple but secure home network that minimizes risk while keeping administration and everyday usage smooth.

Design principles

Some rules I try to follow with my setup:

  • Services should have the least amount of access possible.
  • Infrastructure should be isolated from regular clients.
  • Guests should not be able to reach internal resources.
  • Infrastructure should be easy to understand and debug.

Network overview

Internet -> OPNsense -> Managed Switch

The managed switch separates clients into different VLANs based on function. IP addresses follow the same numbering as the VLANs.

VLANGatewayNamePurpose
10192.168.10.1/24MGMTInfrastructure and administration
20192.168.20.1/24LANTrusted clients
30192.168.30.1/24GUESTSWifi and WAN / internet only
40192.168.40.1/24SERVICESVirtual machines, containers, lab etc.
50192.168.50.1/24IOTIOT devices

Managed Switch

Got a Netgear GS108Ev3 managed switch at home to handle VLANs.

T = Trunked, U = Unassigned

PortDeviceVLANsPVID
1OPNsense10T, 20T, 30T, 40T, 50T-
2CalDigit TS420U20
3Ubiquiti Unifi AP AC LITE10T, 20T, 30T, 40T, 50T-
4Ikea Gateway50U50
5Telia IPTV50U50
6Proxmox10T, 20T, 40T-
7Empty--
8Empty--

Traffic flow

  • LAN -> MGMT = Allowed
  • LAN -> SERVICES = Allowed
  • LAN -> IOT = Allowed
  • IOT -> LAN = Block
  • IOT -> SERVICES = Block
  • GUEST -> Internet only

Other configurations

  • IKEA Gateway: Requires mDNS Repeater to be enabled in OPNsense. Listen interfaces should be configured to listen on both LAN and IOT.
  • Unbound is configured with an override for my custom domain. It overrides *.mydomain.com to my reverse proxy for internal domain resolution.