Router

A web interface for running my home internet endpoint. I need a better name for this project. I am working on that.

The (First World) Problem

I have CenturyLink Fiber to the Home, and they supply a decent “modem”, the Zyxel C3000Z. However, I am power user of all things internet (streaming services, torrents, servers, VPNs, etc.). While the Zyxel C3000Z can handle some of this, I find that I exhaust its capabilities pretty quickly. In the end the poor thing just doesn’t have the power to handle all the work I ask that little machine to do.

The Solution, with a Problem

To solve the first problem, I have replaced the Zyxel C3000Z with an off-the-shelf (literally) used Dell computer from a local university surplus store. I only had to add an additional network interface card to get the machine ready to be a router for two networks.

The Problem with the Solution

So now I have an Arch Linux box running as my router/modem for my CenturyLink FTTH installation, but it means I am SSH-ing into the machine anytime I have to make changes to the device. To solve this issue I am writing a web based interface for configuring the network settings etc. There are plenty of options out there like DD-WRT and Tomato that I think I could probably wrestle to work with my hardware, but what I am really after is the knowledge gained from creating this product on my own, with hopes of generating enough knowledge and experience to boost my next efforts in hardware manufacturing.