Creating a Separate Employee Wi-Fi Subnet Without Changing the Existing Office LAN — ipTIME Router Setup

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Situation

I needed to add a wireless LAN (Wi-Fi) for employee smartphones while keeping the existing wired office network unchanged.

The existing office network used the 192.168.1.x subnet, so I configured the ipTIME router’s internal network to use a separate 192.168.60.x subnet.

An ipTIME N602E was used at the site.

The layout was:

Existing office LAN → ipTIME WAN → Router/NAT → Internal LAN → Wireless AP → Employee smartphones

What I Checked First

I first checked the IP address and default gateway on an existing PC.

The office LAN used the 192.168.1.x subnet, and one PC was operating normally with the address 192.168.1.234.

I decided to use a different private IP range for the employee wireless LAN instead of using the same subnet on both the WAN and LAN sides of the router.

Static WAN IP Settings

I connected the existing office network cable to the WAN port of the ipTIME router.

The Internet connection type was configured to use a static IP address.

For the WAN interface, I entered an unused address from the existing 192.168.1.x office subnet.

The required settings included:

  • WAN IP address: An unused 192.168.1.x address
  • Subnet mask: Same as the existing office network
  • Default gateway: Gateway of the existing office network
  • DNS server: DNS server used by the existing network

The WAN IP should not already be used by another PC, printer, or network device.

Checking Internet Connection Information

After saving the static WAN settings, I checked the Internet connection information on the ipTIME administration page.

The main items to verify were:

  • WAN IP address
  • Subnet mask
  • Default gateway
  • DNS server
  • Internet connection status

Because the WAN side is connected to the existing office LAN, it uses an address in the 192.168.1.x range.

If the Internet connection does not work after entering the static IP, check for a duplicate IP address, incorrect gateway, subnet mask, DNS settings, or an upstream network problem.

Internal LAN Settings

I then changed the router’s internal LAN address.

  • Router LAN IP: 192.168.60.1
  • Internal LAN: 192.168.60.x

The router now uses two different network ranges:

  • WAN: Existing office LAN 192.168.1.x
  • LAN / Wi-Fi: Employee network 192.168.60.x

The address 192.168.60.1 acts as the default gateway for devices connected to the employee wireless LAN.

DHCP Settings

I enabled the router’s DHCP server so employee smartphones could receive IP addresses automatically.

The DHCP server was configured to assign addresses from the 192.168.60.x subnet.

After connecting a smartphone, I confirmed:

  • Smartphone IP: 192.168.60.100
  • Router / Gateway: 192.168.60.1

This confirmed that the smartphone was connected to the separate internal subnet instead of the existing office LAN.

Wireless AP and SSID

The ipTIME router also provides a wireless access point (AP).

Employees connect to the configured SSID, which is the Wi-Fi network name shown on their smartphones.

Connected devices receive a 192.168.60.x address from the router’s DHCP server and access the upstream network through the router’s NAT function.

Result

The network settings of the existing wired PCs were not changed.

The wired PCs continued using the 192.168.1.x subnet, while employee smartphones connected to the wireless AP received 192.168.60.x addresses.

This allowed the existing wired office LAN to remain unchanged while the employee Wi-Fi used a separate private IP subnet.

Caution

Before assigning a static WAN IP, confirm that the address is not already in use on the existing network.

The WAN and LAN sides should use different IP subnets.

If the router is configured in access point or bridge mode, wireless clients may receive addresses directly from the existing office DHCP server. If a separate subnet is required, confirm that the device is operating in router mode.

A separate private subnet does not provide the same level of isolation as VLAN segmentation or dedicated firewall policies.

Field Notes

  • Purpose: Add employee Wi-Fi while keeping the existing office LAN
  • Existing network: 192.168.1.x
  • Existing PC checked: 192.168.1.234
  • WAN connection: Existing office LAN → ipTIME WAN port
  • WAN settings: Static unused IP from the existing office subnet
  • Internet information checked: WAN IP / subnet mask / gateway / DNS / connection status
  • Router LAN IP: 192.168.60.1
  • DHCP: Automatically assigned 192.168.60.x addresses
  • Wireless AP: Employee SSID
  • Smartphone IP checked: 192.168.60.100
  • Smartphone gateway: 192.168.60.1
  • Result: Existing wired LAN and employee Wi-Fi both worked normally

This article is based on a real network setup. IP ranges, DHCP settings, gateways, and security policies may differ depending on the environment. Check the existing network configuration before making changes and refer to the manufacturer’s official documentation when necessary.