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How to build a Linux-based wireless router out of spare parts (1998)

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Re: How to build a Linux-based wireless router out of spare parts (1998)

#11

Post by throwanem »

uniformlyrandom wrote: post #8

What if I'd like to build a linux router out of modern hardware? I would like to stop upgrading routers every two years (maybe just upgrade the wifi cards in it), and have full control over router's UI (command line is fine). Is this a stupid idea?

Not at all, although PFSense is based on BSD rather than Linux. It's incredibly full-featured (with even a complete and polished web UI) and pretty easy to configure and operate, and definitely where I'd suggest starting.

Re: How to build a Linux-based wireless router out of spare parts (1998)

#13

Post by hexagonwin »

uniformlyrandom wrote: post #8

What if I'd like to build a linux router out of modern hardware? I would like to stop upgrading routers every two years (maybe just upgrade the wifi cards in it), and have full control over router's UI (command line is fine). Is this a stupid idea?

It's still possible and although it isn't linux we have things like pfsense too. However, unless you're trying to do something special in the router a cheap router with openwrt on it would do the job.

Re: How to build a Linux-based wireless router out of spare parts (1998)

#14

Post by irfwashere »

throwanem wrote: post #11
uniformlyrandom wrote: post #8

What if I'd like to build a linux router out of modern hardware? I would like to stop upgrading routers every two years (maybe just upgrade the wifi cards in it), and have full control over router's UI (command line is fine). Is this a stupid idea?

Not at all, although PFSense is based on BSD rather than Linux. It's incredibly full-featured (with even a complete and polished web UI) and pretty easy to configure and operate, and definitely where I'd suggest starting.

Yes there's a lot of good content now with guidance on setting up one of these pf or opnsense routers. Really cool stuff. And use any old router you have in AP mode and you're set!

Re: How to build a Linux-based wireless router out of spare parts (1998)

#15

Post by cassianoleal »

throwanem wrote: post #11
uniformlyrandom wrote: post #8

What if I'd like to build a linux router out of modern hardware? I would like to stop upgrading routers every two years (maybe just upgrade the wifi cards in it), and have full control over router's UI (command line is fine). Is this a stupid idea?

Not at all, although PFSense is based on BSD rather than Linux. It's incredibly full-featured (with even a complete and polished web UI) and pretty easy to configure and operate, and definitely where I'd suggest starting.

OpenWRT [0] OTOH is actually Linux. Also very full featured, including a GUI (LuCI) that even though some times lags a little behind the command-line and config file stuff, is still pretty good.

As another FreeBSD-based alternative, there's the PFSense fork OPNSense [1], which started out as a fork of PfSense after the Netgate takeover and complaints about their openness and support for the community.

[0] https://openwrt.org/

[1] https://opnsense.com/

Re: How to build a Linux-based wireless router out of spare parts (1998)

#16

Post by refracture »

uniformlyrandom wrote: post #8

What if I'd like to build a linux router out of modern hardware? I would like to stop upgrading routers every two years (maybe just upgrade the wifi cards in it), and have full control over router's UI (command line is fine). Is this a stupid idea?

I’m using an old Haswell i5 hp envy to run pfsense. Wifi is done by a dedicated ubiquity access point.

I can’t see why I should need to upgrade anything hardware related for some time.

Re: How to build a Linux-based wireless router out of spare parts (1998)

#17

Post by throwaway892238 »

I used to build Linux router software that would fit on a floppy disk and run it in a 486DX2, for absolutely no reason except it was fun as hell. Made a nice web UI, packed in a ton of advanced features. Wanted to try and start a company to sell little open source routers, but then I found out cheap routers were quite hard to make money on, so I became a sysadmin instead and mostly browsed Slashdot for 10 years. My big regret is not becoming a musician or woodworker instead.

Re: How to build a Linux-based wireless router out of spare parts (1998)

#18

Post by hk1337 »

throwaway892238 wrote: post #17

I used to build Linux router software that would fit on a floppy disk and run it in a 486DX2, for absolutely no reason except it was fun as hell. Made a nice web UI, packed in a ton of advanced features. Wanted to try and start a company to sell little open source routers, but then I found out cheap routers were quite hard to make money on, so I became a sysadmin instead and mostly browsed Slashdot for 10 years. My b…

> Linux router software that would fit on a floppy disk and run it in a 486DX2

I thought this was me that posted this and forgot I posted it. I did this exact thing with same equipment back in college.

My reasoning was slightly different. I did do it just for fun but also I wanted to run multiple computers and servers and the university was pretty strict on the one computer per connection rule.

Re: How to build a Linux-based wireless router out of spare parts (1998)

#19

Post by throwaway892238 »

uniformlyrandom wrote: post #8

What if I'd like to build a linux router out of modern hardware? I would like to stop upgrading routers every two years (maybe just upgrade the wifi cards in it), and have full control over router's UI (command line is fine). Is this a stupid idea?

Depends what you want. Modern routers can have faster speeds than the base specs, and can switch easily between different modes (ap/bridge/mesh/etc). But yours would be more secure and less likely to crap out from cheap hardware. Use a mini/embedded PC platform (fanless + low energy), a network chip with good Linux support, and don't use moving disks, or write logs to flash, so the storage won't die. Should last you 10-20 years. *edit* just found this site, haven't looked for parts in a decade: https://pcpartpicker.com

Re: How to build a Linux-based wireless router out of spare parts (1998)

#20

Post by lamontcg »

I think around 2002 I had a FreeBSD box running as a firewall/wireless router with an ath0 card (long since forgotten what that was) using a very old motherboard (might have been from a prior job in 1999 or so). Also had a Sparc 5 hanging off it which I used as a ircd and httpd server since that was just less likely to get hacked into running servers (and no cloudy anything I could buy back then).
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