Homelabber weighs VLAN split: all-in-one mini PC vs. dedicated UniFi gear
A three-node Proxmox cluster built on Micro machines runs Nextcloud, Immich, Plex, the *arr stack, , Zigbee2MQTT (via an SLZB-06 Ethernet coordinator), Pi-hole, Tailscale, NPMplus, and . The network today is flat, using a TP-Link Archer AX55 router and a TL-SG108E with no segmentation. The goal is proper VLAN (virtual network) segmentation: isolating IoT devices from the main network, a separate kids' network with DNS-level ing, a guest network, and a dedicated homelab network.
At the same time, the setup needs to minimize equipment and power outlets, since an ONT, router, switch, three Proxmox nodes, and an Xbox are already crammed onto one power strip. A few spare switch ports should remain available for temporarily wiring up devices during setup. After discussing options with Claude, the safer plan settled on was replacing the AX55 with a UniFi Express 7 — an all-in-one gateway, firewall, Wi-Fi access point, and controller — while keeping the existing TL-SG108E switch for now (with an eye toward swapping it for a UniFi switch later) and possibly adding a UniFi mesh access point down the line for coverage.
Beyond that safer plan, the poster is now considering going further by consolidating router functions onto one of the three Proxmox nodes — a low-utilization OptiPlex 3060 currently running and MQTT — to cut down on equipment further.
Key points
- Three Micro nodes run a Proxmox cluster hosting Nextcloud, Immich, Plex, , and more
- Goal is VLAN segmentation into IoT, kids, guest, and homelab networks
- Current setup is a single flat network via an AX55 router and TL-SG108E switch
- Initial plan: replace the router with a UniFi Express 7 all-in-one gateway, keep the existing switch for now
- Now weighing further consolidation by moving router functions onto a low-usage Proxmox node