Someone on another Lemmy instance raised the question of whether an old wifi router could make a usable server of some sort, specifically a decade-old Google AC-1304. Since I happened to have a couple hanging around, I decided to give it a try.
I wrote a little about my experience in my blog but to summarize, I thought it would be fun to se if I could run a GoToSocial instance entirely on the router. It has an ARMv7 processor, 4GB of storage, and 512MB of RAM, so it falls a smidge short of the recommended minimum specs, but I figured that I might be able to get by if I kept the instance simple.
Surprisingly, GTS seemed to run fine after some basic configuration tweaks. The biggest issue I encountered was actually with ffmpeg, rather than GTS itself. The only GTS build available for ARMv7 is a nowasm build, meaning that it’s missing the built-in media handling components, and instead relies on ffmpeg being proveded by the host system. The version of ffmpeg that ships with the OS I’m using (OpenWRT) didn’t have the needed codecs to create webp files, which GTS requires when dealing with media. Using the OpenWRT SDK, I tried to build an ffmpeg package with the correct codecs, but it still failed to properly convert files to webp. My goal was just to run GTS, though, so I that digging deeper into ffmpeg felt like a tangent I didn’t want to pursue.
But I digress. The instance is now online and running (though without media), and I created a simple bot account, named Gale, who will post a random fact about wifi and networking each day.
Feel free to give 'em a follow in your favorite Mastodon client at @gale@gts-googlewifi.k3can.us or you can view past toots here
Just wanted to share!
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@K3can I then struggled with basic stuff like moving different devices / ports onto different subnets (which I don’t think I had issues with before using my old #BtHomeHub ) I think I lost confidence.
@K3can Someone has installed #proxmox #hypervisor on a #bananapi R3 - forum.banana-pi.org/t/bpi-r4-a… which I thought was quite cool. They then run #openwrt in one vm and could put a home server in other vm/containers
Interesting. Looks like he’s actually using an R4. I’ve got an R3, myself, though. I use mine as my gateway router and it certainly seems under utilized. I’ve got SQM, adblocking, DDNS, DoH proxying, multiple VPN interfaces, and it’s a ‘router on a stick’ for my home networks (at 2.5gbe). Despite all of that, the CPU load never seems to budge and I’m only using a tenth of the RAM. I’m personally a bit torn on the device; on one hand, it certainly seems like it can do a lot more. It even has a m.2 slot for SATA/nvme, so it could definitely provide NAS or even some bigger applications. On the other hand though, I feel like it’s such a critical piece of infrastructure that I don’t want to introduce a bunch of non-router-related functions and risk one of those extra functions crashing the system and bringing down my whole network.
@K3can Ah yeah … so that was a typo … meant to say R4 - I have an R3 as well and am in the same position - (well without the technical capability to actually move things on… I’m completely new to #proxmox and struggling a bit to even work out routing properly) . I actually have two - I just got a second one for a second location that I run a VPN to. But I’m still suck on things like properly flashing #Openwrt (should it be in NAND or NOR?? ) - so in the meantime I have a couple of Dell Micros that I have proxmox on to run random VMs to try out things.
should it be in NAND or NOR??
Why not both? My initial idea was to flash to NOR and then configure openwrt to a sort of “minimal usable state”. That is, I’d have the basic functions required run my home network: basic routing between local networks and WAN. Then I’d copy that image to NAND and that would be when I installed the “extras”, like SQM and whatnot. That way, if I ever broke it beyond repair, I could just flip the switches and copy the NOR back to NAND and start over with that minimal usable config.
I sort of followed my plan, but I think things have changed enough that it would not be the simple restart that I hoped it would.
I still think it’s a good idea, though.@K3can Oh that is a good suggestion - I think I’ll do that. I struggled to flash the NOR - I think you can only do that from SD Card which then was weird as it wouldn’t start via the SD card and then… and then …
Can something like this be done on the more rounded Google AC routers/extenders?
The Nest ones? I haven’t seen anything online of folks successfully flashing one. The first steps would probably be to solder on a USBC port and see what kind of access you can get over serial. There’s a picture of a Nest board (not the Pro) here, as well as info on what appears to be the correct usb connector. The OP also mentions that the Nest is lacking the developer button, but my guess would be that the function is still accessible by shorting the correct TPs. It doesn’t seem like that OP ever went through with the project, though, so maybe you’ll be the first!
Great work, but I just want to share the stupid comment of
“Looks like a cup of internet”
Stupid indeed, but of utmost importance.
I saw the thumbnail and thought those were cables in a cup of water. I was ready for a meme like “the opposite of a firewall”. I’m impressed and disappointed at the same time.
Very, cool. But I can’t help to notice the very odd placement of the ethernet ports on that router?
Edit: Ah, I see:
They are still weird
And a pain in the ass to get the power plug inserted especially in scenarios where you might need to pull power and reset power
and he looks a bit like surprised pikachu
Nice! I just picked one of these up from the thrift store and flashed openwrt.
Oooh, they work with it? … my family still has these as actual WiFi routers. the coverage kinda sucks.
I still use them and the 3 of them cover my entire house without issue?
Idk how large your house is, but our house (3 stories + basement) and garden are easily covered by a single wifi router, so needing 3 doesn’t sound so great
It’s not about the size, it’s the walls. Signal barely travels more than 2 rooms over without being dog-shit. All routers have been like this for me, it’s only a mesh set-up that’s helped mitigate it.
Hm, weird, our concrete walls and ceilings aren’t that bad
@tofu @Deceptichum I haven’t had problem with concrete walls, but the walls with metal lathe (& plaster) really do a number on wifi and cell signal. I’m guessing different kinds of metal lathe probably makes a difference, too; my prior house literally had chicken wire in the ceilings, my current house has more like a metal sheet with smaller holes punched out.
@K3can Very cool - I think there is promise in Openwrt routers becoming more than just routers - I posted about it here in selfhosted a while back - lemmy.radio/post/10217918
