With all the gov’t attacks on privacy these days I’ve been thinking about getting my own router. I’ve never done it and am pretty new to network stuff overall. I certainly welcome any recommendations for routers but I mainly have a stupid question:
Is it as simple as just swapping out the isp router? I’ve disconnected anything I had exposed to the internet and use LAN only right now so none of my old port forwarding rules are needed.
Oof. Looks like I’ve got more homework to do. I’m tired lol. Thanks for the write up, I’ll look into this more.
When I went searching out options like you I found many things and I was sure I was going to want to use OPNsense, it was what I felt the most used by youtube people and I thought it was a fork of a proprietary pfsense. When I did a little more research I found out why OPNsense was used by so many Youtubers, OPNsense is proprietary-ish software for certain firewalls. The next thing I found was openWRT, once I found it I went searching for the best hardware for it and found the Flint 2. After I got that I flashed it with a vanialla install of openWRT.
My original plan was to self-host an email server, so I had gotten 2 static IP addresses. They were free so why not I thought. Turns out hosting your own email server is not that easy, so I went to the company hosting my domain. This is all besides the point.
After getting my static IPs and my Flint 2 setup (I did it backwards you should really have a firewall before the static IP it was not to far apart but it would have been easier to do it the right way), I could do things I could only dream of in the past. I could have a VPN into my LAN (using wireguard) so when I was out and about I can still use my pihole setup to block trackers, ads, and some spying eyes. I have vLANs galore and if it does not need to be attached to the internet it is not, or it is in my IoT vLAN that does not have WAN access.
In short do not think it is simple, it is not. The ISP router does so much more than routing it is also a sad excuse of a firewall and it is a modem.
The Flint 2 with openwrt is amazing. I second it.
People who never handled phone tech support calls have entered the chat.
Probably you can just go to the local second hand store, see if they have a router that’s supported by the software packages openwrt or freshtomato and pick that up.
Install your custom firmware on your new router and away you go!
The main factor for being able to do a drop in replacement is if you get any other service from your isp like tv or phone. If you do, and the boxes for those plug into the extant router you will probably need to call them and get someone to set that up.
Otherwise it’s drop in.
You can verify it’s a drop in by plugging your computer directly into the wire your routers wan port is using. Don’t do this for very long. Make sure you call the isp and return their router, they’re likely renting it to you and might get three dollars off your bill.
Ok, looks like my isp router doesn’t have bridge mode but using DMZ apparently works. Honestly it’s the basics that I’m not getting. The setup seems pretty general, I guess I have to keep my isp router as a modem and connect the new router to the WAN on the isp modem/router. That makes sens but there’s another wire from the isp modem/router that goes to an ethernet box. Wouldn’t that bypass my new router? Would I have to swap the ethernet wire to the new one?
What kind of service do you have? Possible answers are cable, dsl and fiber.
What services do you get from your isp? Possible answers are internet, phone, tv, security and maybe more.
You have a bell home hub 3000, but you said you also have an Ethernet box. What is that? Does it have a model number?
Fiber and only internet service. I’m not sure if ethernet box is the right term. The ethernet cable goes from the modem through the walls to the other side of the house. The end of that cable is connected to a D-Link box that has 6 more connections for multiple devices.
It doesn’t have to be the right term. When you get a chance post the model number of that d-link box. It’s probably either a switch or hub.
Okay, so your fiber service comes into the house, then to your ISPs media converter (fiber box), then to your bell home hub router using an Ethernet wire from the fiber box and a d-link thingy is in there somewhere.
What you want is fiber box -> new router wan port and d-link -> new router lan port
DGS-108, it’s a switch. It’s just so I can wire in without having to run cables all the way to the router/modem.
Okay. Plug your new routers wan port into the Ethernet from the isp fiber box, plug your new routers lan port to the Ethernet wire that goes to your d-link, unplug power from your bell home box and it ought to work. You may need to factory reset your new router.
Bridge mode would be something you would have to talk to your ISP about more than likely. The router from your ISP is also the modem so the ethernet reaching out to the WAN needs to go to the ISP modem, than the ethernet coming out of the modem going to your LAN needs to go to your firewall.