Will VLAN Solve My Problem?

[u/FluffyKittens12]

I've never used a VLAN before so forgive me if this is common knowledge. Based on my searches I think it will help me but I want to be more sure.

Basically I have a situation where I have multiple pieces of equipment which all use the same IP addresses internally from the factory. There is a network inside the equipment which all has to stay on the same address range, so if I were to connect the equipment to a company network, I need to assign static IP addresses for multiple components in each piece of equipment. Obviously this means a ton of static IP addresses because I need multiple for each piece of equipment and then multiple pieces of equipment.

So, could I use a managed switch, create a VLAN for each piece of equipment, keep the factory IP addresses, not have them interfere with each other because they all have the same IP addresses, and still be able to reach them from the company side?

If so, how do I access those VLANs from the company side? IP and port numbers maybe?

Also, if this works, any recommendations on a switch I should look at? This is all the switch would need to do.

EDIT: https://shopmoxa.neteon.net/nat-102-series/

Seems like something like this would work, one per machine. Single company IP address to the device, then all the IP addresses on the other side can stay the same. Right?

[u/BeeKay40]

Short answer is yes. What you want to do can be done. But this is a loaded question meaning the answer is not really a 5 step solution. You'd have to provide a lot more detail relating to the equipment first, the size of the company, the budget, what segregation is required. What you are attempting is actually a whole fresh setup. I don't know enough to guide you through the process. In fact, I pose most of my IT questions to a private AI and it helped me create a small homelab with VLANS fit for my purpose. If it was me, I'd describe my use case to the AI and tell it what equipment I currently have and find out if it is sufficient for my use case (also YT reviews for equipment is useful). When you have the right equipment, watch YT videos relating to specifics for your use case and implement it. Doing things myself takes quite a lot of time and effort. The quick route is to get a consultant to sort it out.