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How to turn anything into a router

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Re: How to turn anything into a router

#231

Post by userbinator »

doubled112 wrote: post #156
smashed wrote: post #30

Lots of "just use X" comments but the article is about showing the bare minimum/how easy the core part of routing actually is. Also, if you have ever used docker or virtual machines with NAT routing (often the default), you've done exactly the same things. If you have ever enabled the wifi hotspot on an android phone also, you've done pretty much what the article describes on your phone. All of these use the same Lin…

Basically any computer is a router if you're brave enough. Windows PCs had (have?) that Internet connection sharing feature for a long time. It was really just a checkbox to enable NAT too. Sometimes I think combining a firewall/router/switch/AP/file server/etc into a device called a "router" really confuses people. Even people who should know better.

You don't even need more than one NIC: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Router_on_a_stick

Re: How to turn anything into a router

#232

Post by progmetaldev »

razingeden wrote: post #104
bluedino wrote: post #47

This really takes me back. My first actual 'use' for Linux was making routers out of leftover computers. The perfect machine back then was a 100MHz Pentium, in a slimline desktop case. At the time, the Pentium III was the current desktop chip, so you'd have a pile of early Pentium-class machines to use. And even a 10mb ISA network card (3Com if possible) would have plenty of power for the internet connections of the…

That takes me back, I had the same trajectory , getting a newspaper’s news room and offices online with a single computer sharing its ISDN connection. Think ours was also a 100mhz gateway 2000 computer or some such. That snowballed into “we want a website do you know how to do that?” and. Well, no, but it had Apache available and I … figured things out enough to take the skills elsewhere. Repeated the same trick with…

Sometimes if it's a client that isn't too difficult, they are worth keeping if they come at you with projects that expand your knowledge.

Re: How to turn anything into a router

#233

Post by userbinator »

novachen wrote: post #210
doubled112 wrote: post #156

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Basically any computer is a router if you're brave enough. Windows PCs had (have?) that Internet connection sharing feature for a long time. It was really just a checkbox to enable NAT too. Sometimes I think combining a firewall/router/switch/AP/file server/etc into a device called a "router" really confuses people. Even people who should know better.

the naming is part of the confusion. consumer "routers" are really NAT gateway + DHCP server + DNS cache + WiFi AP + maybe a firewall, all in one box. separating them makes each piece clearer.

There's also a layer 2 switch connecting the pieces together.

Re: How to turn anything into a router

#234

Post by progmetaldev »

gruez wrote: post #83
nathas wrote: post #75

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's everything you mention in the second paragraph, and additionally just the ability to turn them off. Imagine everyone had their routers disabled simultaneously. I don't know if the cell networks could function with the surge in standard traffic that would happen, and then you've effectively plunged all or part of the country into a communication blackout. I think "turn it off permanently by bricking it" is almost…

>Imagine everyone had their routers disabled simultaneously. I don't know if the cell networks could function with the surge in standard traffic that would happen, and then you've effectively plunged all or part of the country into a communication blackout. IME cell networks definitely can't cope with a loss of all routers in an area, given how mobile data becomes basically unusable when there's a power outage. That…

Isn't the issue that a lot of these devices have vulnerabilities and aren't updated often enough, rather than the device being of Chinese origin? You look at hardware for the home market, and most haven't received an update in years, if not a decade. Widely deployed hardware with out of date software seems like it's just a script to crawl home IP address spaces, like a Metasploit module, no?

Maybe I'm misunderstanding the link to Chinese vs. non-Chinese router vendors?

Re: How to turn anything into a router

#235

Post by a96 »

bombcar wrote: post #209
esseph wrote: post #180

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I really want to end up with one of these for at least a few months: https://mikrotik.com/product/rds2216

At $2k out the door that's way more reasonable than I thought it'd be. Too bad I can't fill it with old spinning rust.

And no (mention of) ECC.

Re: How to turn anything into a router

#236

Post by a96 »

bluedino wrote: post #47

This really takes me back. My first actual 'use' for Linux was making routers out of leftover computers. The perfect machine back then was a 100MHz Pentium, in a slimline desktop case. At the time, the Pentium III was the current desktop chip, so you'd have a pile of early Pentium-class machines to use. And even a 10mb ISA network card (3Com if possible) would have plenty of power for the internet connections of the…

Far from my first, but early on I set up some 386's to bridge cheapernet segments and tp ethernet. No budget for new hardware, but there were some computers that were way too old for windows or even Linux users who had 486's or even Pentiums. Scavenged ISA network cards for both sides. It was a bit sketchy with the low RAM and old arch, but worked.

IIRC, there were some Macs that were confused if there was a bridge in the network, so had to change the segmentation and run masquerade, but that was still better than not having internet. And no need to allocate those precious public IPs, though you could still get them.

Masq was one of the first killer features for Linux.

Re: How to turn anything into a router

#238

Post by namibj »

userbinator wrote: post #231
doubled112 wrote: post #156

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Basically any computer is a router if you're brave enough. Windows PCs had (have?) that Internet connection sharing feature for a long time. It was really just a checkbox to enable NAT too. Sometimes I think combining a firewall/router/switch/AP/file server/etc into a device called a "router" really confuses people. Even people who should know better.

You don't even need more than one NIC: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Router_on_a_stick

Iirc classic WRT-841 and similar "300Mbit WiFi" generation 4-100Mbit-ports Wi-Fi routers had the CPU attached via an on-SoC gigabit link to a vlan capable switch that has the 4 100BASE-TX ports exposed.

Re: How to turn anything into a router

#240

Post by zokier »

baby_souffle wrote: post #208
eptcyka wrote: post #151

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Any tips on good wifi chipsets that do not suck in AP mode?

Which bands and capabilities did you have in mind? For a basic 2.4 GHz, almost anything at this point. Intel and some iteris chipsets are well supported. mt7996 is good for wifi 7. You can also check the suggested hardware list on the kismet project for good recommendations for older bands and protocol versions

> Intel and some iteris chipsets are well supported.

Intel chipsets categorically do not support AP mode

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