What Does 'VLAN ID' Mean?

Edward Martel author Edward Martel
What is a VLAN ID?
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A VLAN (Virtual Local Area Network) ID is a 12-bit number used to identify a VLAN. It is used to segment a network into smaller broadcast domains, isolating different subnetworks from each other and limiting the scope of broadcast messages.

Each VLAN is associated with a unique VLAN ID, which can be used to differentiate between different VLANs and control access to network resources. The range of VLAN IDs is from 1 to 4094. The IDs 1 to 4094 are assigned to the user VLAN, and the VLAN ID 4095 is reserved.

VLANs are a way to segment a physical network into smaller logical networks without physically reconfiguring the network. This can be useful for a variety of reasons, such as creating separate networks for different departments or users or isolating sensitive data from the rest of the network.

Each device on a VLAN has the same VLAN ID, and all the devices in that VLAN can communicate with each other as if they were on the same physical network segment. The VLAN ID is used by switches to forward traffic between devices on the same VLAN. Switches use the VLAN ID to identify which traffic should be forwarded to which devices.

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VLANs also enable access control, where only certain devices are allowed to communicate on specific VLANs. This can be useful for security by giving you the ability to limit access to sensitive data.

You can also use VLANs to separate different types of network traffic. For example, you could have a separate VLAN for voice traffic and another for data traffic, which can help to improve network performance and reduce congestion.

Another important feature of VLANs is that they provide you with the option to extend your network across multiple switches, making it possible to create a single large logical network rather than multiple small ones. This is known as VLAN trunking, and it is done by tagging the frames with the VLAN ID.

There are different ways to configure VLANs; one way is by using VLAN tagging, which is the process of adding a VLAN ID to network traffic. Another way is by using port-based VLANs, where each switch port is assigned to a specific VLAN.