dhcp conflicts on a boat's network

RouterOS Beginner Basics
1

Setting up a network on a boat and using hAP AC Lite (RB952Ui) as the sole router plus GrooveA 52 hpn (using the PoE Out port). Also on the network is a Furuno chartplotter, a Furuno radar and a Microsoft laptop, all connected to the router’s other ethernet ports. The Furuno chartplotter must be the dhcp ‘master’ device when it is powered on (typically while vessel is underway) and the laptop, running Furuno software, must be set up with a fixed IP address to successfully communicate with the chartplotter.

I understand the usual settings for allowing the RB952Ui and GrooveA 52 to play together is to set the router up as an AP/WISP-AP and the Groove as the dhcp device. But with the chartplotter needing to be the dhcp ‘master’ to manage the Furuno sensors, there will be a conflict (I assume) with the Groove if it too is set up as a dhcp device.

So two questions:

  1. Is there are way of configuring the router and/or Groove so that when the chartplotter is on, the Groove radio link will still be available and not conflicting as a 2nd dhcp device?

If not, as it is not essential that the Groove be operational while the chartplotter is powered up,

  1. Is it possible to have the Groove become automatically inoperative when the chartplotter dhcp device is present and then become operational (presumably taking over as the sole dhcp device) when the chartplotter is powered down?

Thanks…and please be gentle with a non-networking guy!

2

Answers to your questions depend on wether there are other devices than mentoned (Furuno devices plus laptop) on board? And which devices need to have internet access through Routerboards?

One possibility is to let the chartplotter be the only DHCP server on the LAN (just disable DHCP server on routerboards) and set up all other devices statically with addresses outside of chartplotter’s DHCP range. Also set RB’s address as default gateway etc.

If you have any devices that you can’t set up statically (e.g. smart phones), but don’t need access to Furuno network, then you can create another LAN for those (e.g. WiFi access point and possibly an ethernet port or two) and ony run DHCP server off routerboard only for that LAN (and not Furuno).