Design and Implementation of a Small Office Home Office Network
- Case Study and Requirements
XYZ company is a fast-growing company in Gujarat with more than 2 million customers globally. The company deals with selling and buying of food items, which are basically operated from the headquarters. The company is intending to open a branch near the city Ahmedabad. Thus, the company requires young IT graduates to design the network for the branch. The network is intended to operate separately from the HQ network. Being a small network, the company has the following requirements during implementation;
- One router and one switch to be used (all CISCO products).
- 3 departments (Admin/IT, Finance/HR and Customer service/Reception).
- Each department is required to be in different VIANS.
- Each department is required to have a wireless network for the users.
- Host devices in the network are required to obtain IPv4 address automatically.
- Devices in all the departments are required to communicate with each other.
Assume the ISP gave out a base network of 192.168.1.0, you as the young network engineer who has been hired, design and implement a network considering the above requirements.
Technologies Implemented
- Creating a Simple Network using a Router and Access Layer Switch.
- Connecting Networking devices with Correct cabling.
- Creating VLANs and assigning ports VLAN numbers.
- Subnetting and IP Addressing.
- Configuring Inter-VLAN Routing (Router on a stick).
- Configuring DHCP Server (Router as the DHCP Server).
- Configuring WLAN or wireless network (Cisco Access Point).
- Host Device Configurations.
- Test and Verifying Network Communication.
Network Topology Created
The network topology below satisfy the user requirements above and everything is verified, tested and working fine. You can get source file (Packet Tracer File) below.
Design and Implementation of a Small Office Home Office (SOHO) Network
VLAN Segmentation, Inter-VLAN Routing & Wireless Implementation using Cisco Packet Tracer
Project Overview:
Project Type: Enterprise-style SOHO Network
Tools Used: Cisco Packet Tracer, Cisco IOS
Core Skills Demonstrated:
- VLAN design & segmentation
- Inter-VLAN routing (Router-on-a-Stick)
- DHCP configuration
- Wireless LAN integration
- IPv4 subnetting & addressing
- Network testing & troubleshooting
This project simulates a real-world branch office network designed with scalability, security, and usability in mind.
Business Scenario
XYZ Company is a fast-growing organization based in Gujarat with over 2 million global customers. To support business expansion, the company plans to open a new branch office near Ahmedabad.
The branch network must:
- Operate independently from HQ
- Support three departments
- Provide wired and wireless connectivity
- Enable secure inter-department communication
High-Level Network Design
Departments & VLANs
| Department | VLAN | Subnet |
| Admin / IT | VLAN 10 | 192.168.1.0/26 |
| Finance / HR | VLAN 20 | 192.168.1.64/26 |
| Customer Service | VLAN 30 | 192.168.1.128/26 |
Each VLAN has:
- Its own IP range
- Dedicated default gateway
- Separate DHCP pool
Core Technologies Implemented
- Router-on-a-Stick (802.1Q trunking)
- VLAN creation and access-port assignment
- Router-based DHCP server
- Wireless access points per department
- End-to-end network testing and verification
Key Cisco CLI Configuration Snippets
⚠️ These snippets are intentionally concise and readable — ideal for recruiters reviewing technical depth without noise.
1. VLAN Configuration (Switch)
enabel
configure terminal
vlan 10
name ADMIN_IT
vlan 20
name FINANCE_HR
vlan 30
name CUSTOMER_SERVICE
end
✔ Demonstrates logical segmentation using VLANs.
2. Access Port Assignment (Switch)
interface fastEthernet0/1
switchport mode access
switchport access vlan 10
interface fastEthernet0/2
switchport mode access
switchport access vlan 20
interface fastEthernet0/3
switchport mode access
switchport access vlan 30
✔ Shows understanding of access-layer configuration.
3. Trunk Configuration (Router ↔ Switch)
interface gigabitEthernet0/1
switchport mode trunk
✔ Enables VLAN traffic between router and switch.
4. Inter-VLAN Routing (Router-on-a-Stick)
interface gigabitEthernet0/0.10
encapsulation dot1Q 10
ip address 192.168.1.1 255.255.255.192
interface gigabitEthernet0/0.20
encapsulation dot1Q 20
ip address 192.168.1.65 255.255.255.192
interface gigabitEthernet0/0.30
encapsulation dot1Q 30
ip address 192.168.1.129 255.255.255.192
✔ Demonstrates enterprise routing knowledge using a single physical interface.
5. DHCP Configuration (Router as DHCP Server)
ip dhcp excluded-address 192.168.1.1 192.168.1.10
ip dhcp pool ADMIN_IT
network 192.168.1.0 255.255.255.192
default-router 192.168.1.1
dns-server 8.8.8.8
ip dhcp pool FINANCE_HR
network 192.168.1.64 255.255.255.192
default-router 192.168.1.65
dns-server 8.8.8.8
ip dhcp pool CUSTOMER_SERVICE
network 192.168.1.128 255.255.255.192
default-router 192.168.1.129
dns-server 8.8.8.8
✔ Shows automation, scalability, and operational efficiency.
6. Wireless Network Implementation
- One Cisco Access Point per VLAN
- SSIDs mapped to respective VLANs
- Wireless clients receive IP addresses via DHCP
✔ Demonstrates understanding of wired + wireless enterprise integration.
Testing & Verification
The following tests were performed successfully:
- Ping between hosts in different VLANs
- DHCP verification on wired & wireless devices
- Wireless connectivity testing
- VLAN & trunk validation
✔ Confirms correct configuration and real-world functionality.
Outcome & Learning
What This Project Demonstrates to Recruiters
- Practical understanding of enterprise networking fundamentals
- Ability to design networks based on business requirements
- Hands-on experience with Cisco IOS CLI
- Knowledge of VLAN security & segmentation
- Confidence in testing and troubleshooting
Artifacts
📁 Cisco Packet Tracer (.pkt) File
📸 Network Topology Diagram
📜 CLI Configuration Snippets
Available on request or via GitHub.
Next Improvements (Future Work)
- Add ACLs for VLAN-level security
- Implement basic firewall rules
- Integrate network monitoring (SNMP / Syslog)