Okay, so wtf is a subnet prefix length? It’s just a way to tell your network how many IPs it can hand out.
/24 = 256 IPs
/16 = 65,536 IPs
Smaller number = bigger network. That’s it.
You’d change it if you’re running out of IPs or if you’re merging networks. But unless you’re doing something fancy, you can probably leave it alone.
Pro tip: If you’re confused, just stick with /24 for home stuff. It’s the default for a reason.
/24 = 256 IPs
/16 = 65,536 IPs
Smaller number = bigger network. That’s it.
You’d change it if you’re running out of IPs or if you’re merging networks. But unless you’re doing something fancy, you can probably leave it alone.
Pro tip: If you’re confused, just stick with /24 for home stuff. It’s the default for a reason.