In this site, I'm going to talk about setting up a home network using a Linux machine as a router from scratch, with all my inner rambling and rants that occur to me while doing it.
You might be wondering, but why? I'm doing it mostly as a way to learn about networking. Recently I finished networking class at my university and I was left with the desire to go in depth, go lower than the Cisco routers I got taught in and try to apply that knowledge to a computer at home, since Cisco routers are expensive and bulky. They are also cool not going to lie, but good luck obtaining one that is as cheap as a second hand Dell Optiplex.
I also wanted to do it because, I currently run at home three routers from my Internet Service Provider which I hacked a bit (probably will talk about that in another blog entry) in order for them to behave like a somewhat neutral router. The issue is that they create their own NAT, so I currently have a triple natting issue at home which I'd like to solve. Another strong point as to why I am doing it this way is because upgradeability and reusabilty. The machine that I am going to set up as a router is also my home server, which is by itself a very capable machine that does not fail very often, and a good example is that, if I want, there is nothing stopping me from swapping the WiFi 6E card with a WiFi 7 card, or adding a secondary wireless radio running in 802.11b with WEP temporarily to go online with my DSi.
Another thing that I want to do is add IPv6 to my home, which I currently don't have, and there are services that can help you tunnel IPv6, so long as you have the equipment necessary, but this is going to take me longer and probably will be one of the last posts of this saga.
Finally, and most importantly, new WiFi routers are expensive, some can go in a range of 200 euros, while my Dell Optiplex was 50 euros and a WiFi 6E card on AliExpress from Intel (the AX200) was around 20 euros. And let's not forget this setup is reusable and upgradeable, as I stated before.
My intention is not to replace the main ISP router that is provided to me by the ISP, as this will be providing access to my homelab and will be set up using DMZ in the ISP router, so we will have to set up a firewall too in order to filter incoming/outgoing traffic too.
So, let's get on with it! bare with me as I try to get into the networking world by creating my own router at home.
If you want to get in contact with me, or suggest something, feel free to send me an E-Mail to nacabaro(at)nacatech(dot)es