The Computer Oracle

Is there any reason to subnet a home network?

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Track title: Hypnotic Puzzle4

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Chapters
00:00 Is There Any Reason To Subnet A Home Network?
00:44 Accepted Answer Score 22
03:06 Thank you

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Full question
https://superuser.com/questions/479588/i...

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Content licensed under CC BY-SA
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Tags
#homenetworking #subnet #ipv4

#avk47



ACCEPTED ANSWER

Score 22


It depends on the nature of your home network and how it's used. Are you just "consuming" resources from the Internet? Do you have an "experimental or test" network? Do you offer services back to the Internet via a server? Ultimately - Is there a need to segregate devices by network?

For example, in my "home" network, I have three subnets. I have the regular network - the network to which my girlfriend's PC connects for example. And the one my friends access via their tablet, laptop, or phone, when they come over to visit.

And then I have "my" network, which is for me screwing around and doing things with various flavors of Linux and Windows builds.

And I run an "external" network which has a mumble server, a game server, and occasionally a honeypot (since I like to see what it can catch... - ha!).

Is my infrastructure typical? No, but it's not that unusual either.

In the future (perhaps not immediate - but down the road nonetheless) as more devices in the house become IP connected, QoS issues will likely start to arise. Managing by network (the fridge, microwave, security system, garage opener, and coffee maker go in A, my tablet, laptop, PC, and watch go in B, my TV, game console, security camera, and web server go into C, etc).

It's (usually) easier to manage devices by network than by individual IP. (For example, my devices get priority when downloading something rather than my girlfriend's.... SSHHH).

Then there's the question of IPv4 w/NAT vs the imminently promised arrival of IPv6. If and when IPv6 begins to significantly affect the consumer market (in terms of endpoints), subnetting will be absolutely required. You're evaluating the home environment based on the assumption it always seems like a private 192.168.0/24 environment.

If IPv6 begins to touch consumer endpoints, that isn't necessarily guaranteed. Combine that with the likely need to mix with IPv4 devices, and I could easily see "subnetting" being required. (Of course, almost every consumer router would have to be thrown away and replaced with something new anyway.)