Client-based guest vlan

A method comprising:

• receiving an access message from a supplicant device requesting access to a network via a logical port, wherein the logical port is configured to provide the supplicant device either authenticated access or guest access to the network;
• providing an authentication request to the supplicant device;
• determining that the supplicant device is not compatible with the authentication protocol based on a failure to receive an authentication response from the supplicant device, in response to the authentication request, within a response period;
• determining a source address associated with the supplicant device from the access message;
• adding the source address to a guest table for granting the supplicant device the guest access to the network;
• and
• providing the supplicant device the guest access to the network via the logical port based on the source address remaining in the guest table.

A network device comprising a processor, the network device configured to:

• interface with a network, the network being associated with an authentication protocol for providing authenticated access or a more restrictive guest access to the network to a supplicant device based on a compatibility of the supplicant device with the authentication protocol;
• determine the compatibility of the supplicant device with the authentication protocol;
• and
• provide, via a logical port of a physical port of the network device associated with the supplicant device, the guest access or the authenticated access to the supplicant device based on the compatibility of the supplicant device with the authentication protocol.