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I'm currently running this setup:

• System: PCEngines APU system
• Wireless adapter: COMPEX WLE900V5-23 miniPCIe 802.11ac adapter
• OS: Voyage Linux

I've been running witht his setup for about a year with excellent results. Although, if I had to do it over, I would go with a discrete 802.11ac AP instead of running it on the router, as Linux wireless support for master (AP) mode is pretty shitty.

I second this. I did a lot of research into embedded x86 systems, specifically to act as a router/AP and ended up with the PCengines APU running Voyage Linux (I originally wanted the Soekris net6501, but they're just too damn expensive for what I was looking for). I upgraded from a previous PCengines system (ALIX). The ALIX was great, but it couldn't keep up with my 100 Mbit connection...the APU handles it with no problems.

I paired it with an Atheros-based (ath10k) mini PCIe wireless adapter and it acts as my 802.11ac AP (running hostapd). However, if I were to do it again, I wouldn't combine AP functionality into my firewall/router, and would instead make it a discrete device. Speaking of, once I got the APU to replace my old ALIX system, I turned the ALIX into a discrete AP to handle my 2.4 GHz-only devices (it has an ath9k-based wireless adapter). Simply bridge all ethernet ports together with the wireless interface & it's idiot proof.

tl;dr: PCengines makes good shit

These make nice network applicances. I just set one of these up as my new router/firewall/AP. They're pretty solid. Load your OS of choice and start having fun. For me that's Voyage Linux.

• APU 1C
• APU 1C4 (same as above but with 4 GB of ram instead of 2)

Software:

• Voyage Linux This is a Debian-based Linux distribution that's tweaked to run on x86-based embedded systems (like one of the APU systems above). This is a good option if you're a Linux power user and prefer to set things up yourself manually.
• pfSense You can flash this onto an SD or mSATA card and boot straight into it. This is good for those that want a more turn-key solution. pfSense is based on m0n0wall.

You could consider using Voyage Linux [0].
It's a Debian derivative distro for embedded (x86) hardware (think PC Engines ALIX, Soekris boards, and more).
Voyage includes hostapd and boiler plate configs (for network interfaces, hostapd, etc).
There isn't a webui with Voyage, but is one necessary? It could be argued that once a DIY router is set up the configuration will not change.

And there's IPFire [1] which offers an embedded Linux system with a webui.
IPFire is for x86 hardware, but they have images for ARMv5 hardware.

If for whatever reason the OP looks at buying new hardware rather than re-purposing the netbook, it would be wise to stick with a hardware platform that has more than one OS option. Example: I have far more software/distro options running x86-based PC Engines ALIX hardware!
And my PC Engines hardware uses ~5W so it's on par with that of consumer grade routers (per my Kill-A-Watt tests) in terms of power consumption.

[0] http://linux.voyage.hk/features
[1] http://www.ipfire.org/features

They're called embedded systems. Maybe you've heard of them? Not free, but when you load a Linux distribution tailed for embedded systems (like this one) they're MUCH more stable than anything you can buy at any big-box store (even if you're flashing the firmware with something less retarded).

I'd like to throw voyage-linux in there as well, (its debian lenny based). I use it alot loading linux onto embedded devices (x86). Great if the system only has a cf card for storage, load the live cd up on your desktop, and pxe boot the embedded device. After installed, two commands remountrw and remountro let you update/change stuff on the device and then set the filesystem read only again. http://linux.voyage.hk/live-cd

However, it's still pointless to do what the submitter is attempting. 486 machines weren't even interesting targets 9 years ago. Any recent version of Fedora won't boot on a 486, since Fedora is now compiled for i686 and up. Even if you got it to boot, it would be too slow for a modern X, and nearly too slow even for a console.

The only modern-day task that a 486 machine can still perform acceptably is IP routing. Most people still have "slow" (by networking standards) DSL or cable connections. An old machine is perfectly capable of handling such speeds. But it's still a very bad idea. Energy costs are so high these days that buying a new low-power router machine is much cheaper than running a 486 even in the medium term (1-2 years), and the new machine will be much more capable and featureful. For $99 you can get a SheevaPlug which comes with Ubuntu and consumes 5 watts.

If I was setting up a 486 machine anyway, my distribution of choice would be Voyage Linux. Voyage is just a very small Debian Lenny installation with a few additional (small) packages for embedded environments. It doesn't ship as an ext2 image, but rather as a tarball that you untar, which is just as good. The kernel is compiled for 486, so (unlike Fedora) it will actually boot. In theory, you can apt-get anything in the Debian repositories (including X, GNOME, etc.), but in practice it won't work on a 486. There are just too many differences between modern X11R7.5 and contemporary versions to the 486 like X11R5 or X11R6. I've done this before, and I can tell you that you won't be happy with the GUI even if you get it to run.

A lot of commenters have suggested running an old distribution. This is a bad idea on any machine that you plan to connect to the internet. Even if there's a firewall in between, old versions of Linux have so many security holes that they represent an unacceptable risk. Old Linux versions are just as insecure as old Windows versions. Don't make the spambot problem worse. As a side note, distributions that provide no mechanism for in-place security upgrades are also insecure. This rules out most mini-distros like DSL or Puppy Linux.

Basically, there's no way to run X securely on such old hardware. Just forget about it. If you intend to use it as a text terminal, then it might be worth setting up. Even then, don't leave it on all the time, or your electricity bill will dwarf any savings. (If you're not paying for the electricity, still, do the rest of us a favor, and save the planet from global warming or something.)

Ooops. Sorry, I got really excited replying to your post. I love it when people try to recycle old hardware with Linux..

Voyage Linux: http://linux.voyage.hk/

dvtm: http://www.brain-dump.org/projects/dvtm/

The Sheeva Plug mentioned elsewhere is one option.

Another we've had a good experience with are the ALIX boards from PC Engines. The ALIX 3D3 board we run is at 3 watts at idle, up to 5W (not including whatever you attach via USB). It runs from CompactFlash and has no fan so keeps the energy down nicely. CPU is AMD Geode. You get serial, WiFi, Ethernet, USB connectivity and VGA port if you need it for a screen.

We've used it with the Voyage Linux distribution (Debian-based) and it's running great. Building from parts the whole box costs you around $200 or less and you get a full-fledged system with which to tinker with. We've got a bill of materials online and some build instructions as well.

Intel just released the D945GSEJT Atom board. This is not the same boards that used to older 945 chipsets. The older boards needed a fan on the chipset for it sucked up almost 20 watts!! The new board is mini-itx so it should fit in just about any case and runs on a single 12 volt coaxial plug so no need for a buly ATX PSU.

A nice review here: http://www.silentpcreview.com/Intel_D945GSEJT_with_Morex_T1610

I also use, and am a big fan of the PC Engines Alix boards: http://www.pcengines.ch/ You have several board styles to choose from. You can install Voyage Linux (Debian based and keep APT!!) on a compact flash with a simple installation (specifically for ALIX) script: http://linux.voyage.hk/

My alix, which I use as a USB music server, draws a measly 3 watts (Kill-A-Watt meter) when playing FLAC files. You can attach a low power USB hard disk for added storage if you want to run NFS.

Maybe replace the hard disk with an SSD or low power compact flash?

If you go the CF route then check out Voyage Linux. 'Tis like Debian but made for embedded and low power machines. http://linux.voyage.hk/

(I use it with a PC Engines single board computer running MPD as a source for an audiophile grade USB music server. Just install th OS to CF and apt-get what you need.)