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Tool guide limitationsGuides explain the intended workflow but cannot cover every device, provider or operating condition.

Interfaces and external services can change. Follow the current on-screen controls, check dates and vendor documentation, and verify important results independently before acting on them.

Important: Do not rely on this result alone for purchasing, configuration, security, safety, compliance, contractual or fault-diagnosis decisions. Results can be incomplete, delayed, misleading or wrong. Verify important findings with the relevant provider, manufacturer documentation and an appropriate independent test or qualified professional.

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Planning

Network Designer guide

Design multi-site physical, logical, VLAN, WAN, management, rack and wireless network views with current or legacy vendor hardware; validate design intent; and export a complete browser-local engineering project.

Open Network Designer

What you need

  • Project title, customer, author and version
  • Sites, buildings, floors and labelled network zones
  • A blank project, worked example or small-office, firewall-HA, branch-SD-WAN or campus-wireless template
  • Vendor, product family and exact model, or a generic infrastructure device
  • VLAN IDs, names, subnets, gateways, DHCP scopes, purposes and colours
  • Hostnames, IP addresses, device VLANs, access/trunk/hybrid port assignments, interfaces, cables, racks, power, weight, heat and device-specific planning values
  • Optional floor-plan image under 5 MB for approximate wireless coverage

How to use it

  1. 1Choose a template, load the worked example or start a blank project.
  2. 2Use Hardware type, Vendor and Product family to narrow the complete catalogue. Search the remaining models, review source, lifecycle and image status, then add the required hardware.
  3. 3Drag devices into position. On touch screens, touch and hold before moving, pinch to zoom, or use the arrow controls. Use the minimap and full-screen canvas for large designs.
  4. 4Select several devices in the command centre to align, distribute, lock or save them as a reusable group. Apply a hierarchy, grid, hub, branch or campus layout when helpful.
  5. 5Add sites, buildings and floors, assign devices to them, then add labelled LAN, WAN, DMZ, guest, management, cloud or physical-site zones.
  6. 6Create connections, assign both endpoint ports and cable media, then choose straight, curved or right-angle routing and adjust the waypoint offset.
  7. 7In the VLAN register, add each VLAN and document its name, subnet, gateway, DHCP scope, purpose and colour. Assign access, trunk, hybrid, native and tagged VLAN intent.
  8. 8Select each device and enter addressing, location, power, weight, heat and vendor-specific planning information.
  9. 9For wireless planning, upload a floor plan, set its width and opacity, position each access point and enter a planning coverage radius. Treat every circle as an estimate.
  10. 10In the rack builder, add patch panels, PDUs, shelves and cable managers alongside equipment. Choose a device then tap a free unit, or tap an Available unit first and then choose the device. Drag-and-drop and Next free U remain available.
  11. 11Review duplicate ports and addresses, undefined VLANs, potential loops, HA roles, oversubscribed interfaces, PoE, rack overlaps and media warnings.
  12. 12Save named versions and compare added, removed or changed devices and links before restoring an earlier checkpoint.
  13. 13Download PDF, PNG, SVG, individual CSVs, the editable project or the complete ZIP implementation pack.

Understanding the results

  • Exact or model-matched image status is stronger evidence than a representative family image, but the ordered SKU still needs manufacturer verification.
  • The physical, logical, wireless, WAN and management views filter the same project; they do not create separate configurations.
  • VLAN access, trunk, hybrid, native and tagged fields document design intent; they do not generate vendor configuration or prove interoperability.
  • Automatically selected ports and catalogue capacity figures are starting estimates and remain editable.
  • Wireless circles illustrate the entered radius only and do not calculate attenuation, interference, antenna patterns or roaming.
  • A clear capacity panel means only that the entered planning rules passed.

Recommended next actions

  • Peer-review the topology, validate exact SKUs and licences, confirm rack power/cooling, run a professional wireless survey where required, verify every cable and interface, and prepare an approved implementation and rollback plan.

Common problems

  • Clear a stale product-family filter when a model does not appear.
  • If a product image is unavailable, its labelled node and planning data remain usable.
  • Large embedded floor plans can exceed browser storage; download the editable project if auto-save reports that it is full.
  • Complete both endpoint ports in the cable schedule when a legacy imported link is marked unassigned.
  • Use different rack starting units if two devices overlap.
  • Large designs may need A3 landscape output and a lower canvas zoom.

Privacy and security

  • Projects, favourites, recent models, floor plans and auto-save remain in this browser.
  • Equipment imagery uses allowlisted same-site routes; project content is not submitted with image requests.
  • Exports can contain internal addressing, floor plans, cable labels and site details; protect and review them before sharing.

Worked example

Scenario
Planning a resilient office with managed Wi-Fi
Example input
Load Firewall HA, replace the generic appliances with verified models, create VLAN 10 Users, VLAN 20 Servers, VLAN 30 Guest and VLAN 99 Management, assign access and trunk ports, place the firewall pair and PoE switch in the rack, add two access points over an uploaded floor plan, and document the cable runs.
How to read it
The project provides a checked VLAN register, device and port assignments, layered topology views, an estimated wireless layout, rack elevation, cable schedule, capacity findings and exportable engineering evidence for peer review.

Limitations

  • The catalogue cannot guarantee every historical, regional or short-lived SKU.
  • Many models use representative family images and planning estimates rather than exact port, PoE or radio specifications.
  • Wireless coverage is not an RF survey, and entered rack power, weight and heat values are estimates rather than engineering certification.
  • Loop, HA, port, PoE, media and VLAN findings are structural heuristics; the designer does not simulate routing convergence, spanning tree, firewall policy correctness, spectrum interference or guaranteed capacity.
  • PDF export fits the complete canvas onto one page.

Do not rely on one result for a production, security, safety, purchasing or contractual decision. Verify important findings independently.