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Bridge Interface

By default, all RansNet router interfaces operate as Layer-3 routed interfaces. Hosts connected through different interfaces must communicate via routing through the device.

In scenarios where Layer-2 connectivity is required — for example, bridging wired LAN ports with wireless SSIDs so all clients share the same IP subnet — a bridge interface can be created to group multiple interfaces into a single Layer-2 broadcast domain.

RansNet routers support IEEE 802.1d Ethernet bridging, allowing physical Ethernet ports, VLAN sub-interfaces, and wireless interfaces to be combined into a single bridge group.

Bridge Architecture

In the diagram above, eth1 and eth2 are assigned as members of bridge-group 0. The bridge itself is assigned eth0: 10.1.1.254/24 as its Layer-3 IP address, which becomes the default gateway for all hosts connected through any member port. The separate eth0: 192.168.1.1/24 interface on the top remains a standalone routed uplink.

Note

All interfaces assigned as bridge members lose their individual Layer-3 IP addresses. The IP address is assigned to the bridge interface itself, not the member ports.

Use Cases

Scenario Description
Wired + Wireless bridging Bridge a LAN Ethernet port with a Wi-Fi SSID so wireless clients appear on the same subnet as wired hosts
Multi-port LAN segment Group multiple Ethernet ports into a single Layer-2 segment (software switch) without a dedicated managed switch
VLAN bridging Bridge a VLAN sub-interface with a wireless SSID to extend a tagged VLAN over Wi-Fi

GUI Configuration

Navigate to Device Settings → Network → Interfaces, then click + Add Interface and select Bridge (Software Switch).

Add Bridge Interface

Configure the bridge name and assign member interfaces.

Bridge Interface Settings

Settings

Field Description
Bridge Interface Name Name for the bridge interface (e.g., br1, br2)
Admin Status Enable or disable the bridge interface
IPv4 Address IP address assigned to the bridge (shared gateway for all member hosts). Multiple IPs can be added via + Add IPv4 Address/Prefix.
IPv6 Address IPv6 address for the bridge (optional)
Interface Members Physical or logical interfaces to include in this bridge group. Select from the dropdown (e.g., eth0, eth1, eth2). Multiple members can be added.
Description Optional label for this bridge interface

Other Settings:

Option Description
Bond Mode Include the bridge in a link aggregation bond
DynDNS Enable Dynamic DNS updates for the bridge IP
Enable Tracking Enable interface tracking for link-state monitoring
MTU Override the bridge MTU (default: 1500). All member interfaces should share the same MTU.
Proxy ARP Enable Proxy ARP on the bridge interface
Bridge Bridge to an additional interface (e.g., a wireless SSID)
VRRP (High Availability) Configure VRRP for gateway redundancy on this bridge
Route Metric Administrative metric for routes via this bridge
VRF Assign the bridge to a VRF instance for traffic segmentation

CLI Configuration

Basic bridge with two Ethernet members

interface eth1
 enable
 bridge-group 1
!
interface eth2
 enable
 bridge-group 1
!
interface bridge br1
  enable
  ip address 192.168.1.254/24

Warning

Member interfaces must not have IP addresses configured individually before being added to a bridge. Remove any existing IP from a member interface before assigning it to a bridge group.

Verification

show interface br1

Example output:

================================================================================
Interface : br1
================================================================================

  Network Information
  ----------------------------------------
  Admin State            : UP
  Link State             : UP
  MAC Address            : ee:ce:65:2f:34:2a
  MTU                    : 1500 bytes
  IPv4 Address           : 192.168.1.254/24
  IPv4 Broadcast         : 192.168.1.255
  IPv6 Address           : fe80::ecce:65ff:fe2f:342a/64 [link]

  Bridge Information
  ----------------------------------------
  Bridge ID              : 7fff.eece652f342a
  STP                    : Disabled
  Member Interfaces      : eth1 eth2

  Physical Information
  ----------------------------------------
  Link Detected          : yes

================================================================================

To view all interfaces including bridge interfaces:

show interface