Network lab
Build a network. Break it. Fix it.
Drag in PCs, cameras, switches, a firewall and the Internet, join them with cables, and send a ping. The lab follows the packet hop by hop and tells you in plain words where it goes, or why it stops.
What you can learn here
The ideas behind a network that works
VLANs and trunks
Split one switch into separate networks, carry several over one cable, and see exactly what happens when a trunk does not allow a VLAN.
Routing and backup lines
Static routes, default gateways and a second internet line that takes over when the first one is cut, so you see why a backup route needs a higher metric.
Firewall rules and NAT
Rules are read from the top, and what matches nothing is blocked. NAT is what lets a private network share one public address. Try both going wrong.
VPNs and remote viewing
Join two offices over the Internet, or open a recorder to a viewer at home with a port forward, and see why only what must be open should be.
CCTV: PoE and bandwidth
A switch only has so much PoE power, and a cable only so much speed. Add cameras until one goes dark or the video starts to drop, then fix it.
Reading a packet's journey
Every test writes out its steps. Learning to read them is the quickest way to find a fault on a real network too.
Good to know
Questions people ask
No. It is a simulator of the logic of a network: how a device decides where to send a packet, how switches keep VLANs apart, how a firewall reads its rules, and how NAT, VPNs and backup routes behave. It uses static routes only, with no dynamic routing such as OSPF or BGP, no spanning tree and no Wi-Fi signal modelling. It is for understanding and for sketching a design, not for practising a particular vendor's commands.
No. Your lab is kept in your browser. A share link carries the whole lab in the part of the address after the # sign, which the browser never sends to a server. Nothing reaches KINNEX unless you press Send to KINNEX or Add to quote list and then submit the form yourself.
Run the test and read the steps. They follow the packet in order: the sender's choice between its own network and its gateway, the address lookup on the cable, the VLANs it crosses, the route at each router, the firewall rule, NAT, and then the reply on its way back. The last step before the red one is usually the answer: a wrong gateway, a VLAN missing from a trunk, a rule in the wrong order, NAT switched off or a missing return route.
Yes. You can drag devices, pan with one finger and pinch to zoom. Building a larger network is easier on a laptop or tablet, and the Device tab lets you do everything without pointing at the diagram.
Use Add to quote list to turn the diagram into a bill of quantities in the quote builder, or Send to KINNEX to start an enquiry with a summary of the design. The quantities are counted from the diagram as a starting point; a site survey confirms them.
Free tools
Work out the numbers yourself
Planners and calculators our engineers start from. Nothing you type leaves your device unless you choose to send it to us.
Network topology diagram editor
Draw your network, CCTV, server room or access control topology with modern device icons and ready-made starters. Save, export, and send it to us.
Open the toolPoE budget calculator
Add up cameras, access points, phones and door controllers against the switch power budget. Get the budget to buy, ports, and the PoE standard needed.
Open the toolInternet bandwidth sizer
Work out download and upload for staff, video calls, VoIP, remote camera viewing and cloud backup, and the link size to ask your provider for.
Open the toolBill of quantities builder
Choose cameras, switches, access points, firewalls, UPS, cabling and more by quantity. Download the list or send it for a quote.
Open the toolCyber-readiness self-check
Eighteen questions on accounts, devices, network, email, backup and response. Get a score by area and the first five things to fix.
Open the toolFirewall sizing
From users, devices and internet speed, get the throughput, sessions and VPN capacity to look for on a firewall data sheet, and the class of appliance.
Open the toolPlanning a real network?
Tell us about the site and what it needs, and we will design and install it with you.