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Another successful OpenBSD setup
I've been buying these little boxes from AliExpress for years to use as firewalls and routers. My oldest one is almost 9 years old now! OpenBSD installs just fine. Just a BIOS tweak to always boot up after power is restored.
Ive wanted one of these for a while to replace my ISPs modem+router+switch+wifi-AP. But apparently these devices can be funky to get a good wifi going, and I don't feel like adding three (mini pc, switch, AP) new devices to my "we don't talk about it" corner where all the IT is stored. Do you know anything about wifi on these?
It's usually considered a poor idea to use it also as an AP.
The location usually isn't great for your WiFi and there are better tools for the job.
Is location the only reason to not use it as the AP? If I had a larger house I'd agree, but as I live in a small apartment, the current router location can easily serve the entire flat, so that is no concern right now.
I picked up a 7 year old Netgear modem/router on eBay that has replaced my ISP modem/router. The WiFi is better, and I can port forward without taking all the cables out of the back (yeah that's a thing with the ISP one) and forward traffic through my Adguard DNS. Well worth the £25 I bought it for.
Also if it starts annoying me I can throw OPENWRT on it and play with that instead.
How would one go building a router? I was planning on getting wired networks for a NAS build but most providers seem to ship their own router which probably is a nightmare for privacy, can I just pay for internet and use whatever router I want?
OpnSense would be the easiest way if you wanted to go. It's still not easy, but the articles online should help you out.
First you'd need a machine. I've got an m920q I bought off eBay for $135 after shipping.
The computer will likely only have one Ethernet port. And it's likely the port is Realtek which isn't supported well.
So, you'll need to get yourself a NIC (a fancy term for a network card). There are good forum posts and articles online about the best NICs to buy for your needs. Intel is a must. However, you can find many of their NICs online labeled as another brand - usually HP, Lenovo, or Dell. Again, the forum posts will tell you what to look for.
If you bought the same computer I mentioned above, you'll also need a riser and a bezel. Amazon and eBay will have a good selection.
Now assemble it. Flash the computer with OpnSense. Don't plug it in as your router yet. Follow along with some basic setup guides online to figure out how you want it configured.
Once you're happy, plug it in as your router and test that it works. If not, you'll need to put your old router back in place until you can figure out what you need to change.