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Raspberry Pi As an Ad Blocking Access Point

Posted by Soulskill on from the subtract-ads dept.

coop0030 writes "Adafruit has a new tutorial that will show you how to use your Raspberry Pi as a WiFi access point that blocks ads by default for any devices using it. This is really neat in that it would work for your Android or iOS device, your Xbox 360, TiVo, laptop, and more without needing to customize any of those devices other than to use your Raspberry Pi as the access point for WiFi. Using an ad-blocker can be useful for conserving bandwidth, helping out low-power devices, or for keeping your sanity while browsing the web!"

2 of 82 comments (clear)

  1. On a WGR614 v6? by tepples · · Score: 4, Informative

    Why not do this in the router itself and save a little bit of power?

    Because not everybody's home router 1. is easily customized and 2. has enough memory. I've read that my seven-year-old NETGEAR WGR614 v6 doesn't have enough flash for DD-WRT, and some people don't want to bother soldering, and some other routers are tivoized not to run an unapproved kernel. If I were to replace it with newer hardware, what make and model of home router would you recommend for no more than the price of a Raspberry Pi?

    1. Re:On a WGR614 v6? by adolf · · Score: 5, Informative

      Yeah, you're right.

      But then there's the obvious counter-argument: Not everyone has a Rasberry Pi and a spare USB WiFi NIC kicking around, either.

      If I were to replace it with newer hardware, what make and model of home router would you recommend for no more than the price of a Raspberry Pi?

      You didn't set the bar very high, did you?

      From adafruit:

      $39.95 Raspberry Pi Model B 512MB RAM
      $9.95 Adafruit Pi Case- Enclosure for Raspberry Pi Model A or B
      $11.95 Miniature WiFi (802.11b/g/n) Module: For Raspberry Pi and more
      $5.95 5V 1A (1000mA) USB port power supply - UL Listed
      $7.95 SD/MicroSD Memory Card (4 GB SDHC)

      == $75.75. Adding first-class USPS shipping (to Ohio) adds another $5.18.

      That's a grand total of $80.93 to get enough RaspPi to build an access point (some assembly required). (And you still need an Ethernet cable, and a USB cable for power.)

      Or, for $50, shipping included you can get the venerable Linksys WRT54GL. Comes pre-assembled with everything you need except third-party software, which is it is widely compatible with.

      For a few dollars more than a pile of Raspberry Pi kit, you can also get an Asus RT-N16. It's a beastly little router for the price, and has a gigabit switch built-in along with 802.11n (2.4GHz only, sadly). It's about as compatible with third-party firmware as the WRT54GL.

      They're currently going for about $84, shipping included. Also comes pre-assembled with everything needed except software.

      --
      Kid-proof tablet..