By Manny Fernandez

March 21, 2026

Monkey Bites – Creating a VLAN (Tagged) interface on macOS

Creating a VLAN on macOS (The “Pro” Move)

A VLAN (Virtual Local Area Network) allows you to tag packets with a specific ID, letting you segment traffic on a single physical cable. On macOS, we use the networksetup tool for this because it creates a persistent change that survives a reboot.

To create a VLAN with Tag 10 on your Wi-Fi (en0):

  1. Identify your parent interface – Usually en0.

  2. Run the command –

    # Syntax: networksetup -createVLAN <name> <parent-device> <tag>
sudo networksetup -createVLAN "IoT-Network" en0 10

  3. Verify –

    Check your Network Settings or run ifconfig. You will see a new interface, likely named vlan0.

Warning: Not all Wi-Fi cards support VLAN tagging (802.1Q). This is most reliable when used with a wired Ethernet adapter or a Thunderbolt dock.

Ensure that the switch port you are configured can take tagged packets.  The way it works is on an Ethernet switch, you have tagged and untagged (Native VLAN and Allowed VLANs).  Any packet you send that is not being tagged, will be sent on the native vlan and any VLAN interface, will have a tag associated with it and will be tagged accordingly.  The switch must expect and permit that VLAN tag.

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