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Ask Slashdot: Best Open Source Project For a Router/Wi-Fi Access Point?

Posted by timothy on from the what's-the-nsa's-least-favorite dept.

An anonymous reader writes "My wireless router just died. I have an old netbook lying around that has a wired network interface and a wireless one. The wireless card is supported in master mode by Linux, FreeBSD, and OpenBSD. What does Slashdot recommend I use to turn it into a router/wireless access point? DD-WRT? pfSense? Smoothwall? Fedora/Ubuntu/OpenBSD with a manual configuration? I'm not afraid of getting my hands dirty and I know what I'm doing, but I want as close to zero maintenance as possible."

3 of 193 comments (clear)

  1. OpenWRT by Knuckx · · Score: 5, Insightful

    OpenWRT Attitude Adjustment 12.04; loads of packages available from official repositories, nice webinterface, and no commercial side selling product activation keys for certain features (like DD-WRT).

  2. Fix possible? by jones_supa · · Score: 5, Insightful

    My wireless router just died.

    Well, can it be fixed? Maybe it's just a dead AC/DC transformer or blown cap.

  3. Just get a router by SQLGuru · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Using an old laptop as a router isn't the most efficient use of your resources (time, money, energy, etc.). Sure, it can be done......but a router can be had for around $20 that is probably as good or better (I'm assuming your old laptop is at least 5 years old and probably G at best). Spending more would get you a better router (and if you shop around, even open-source compatible), but if the goal is to go on the cheap (assumed because you want to reuse a laptop), I'd still get a stand-alone router.

    But if you insist on going that route, go with Linux and manual configuration. Then you can use the laptop for other things as well. Print server, web server, etc.

    But in the end, giving the laptop to a group such as this: http://www.interconnection.org/ is better use of the technology.