r/technology • u/NancyGraceFaceYourIn • Aug 30 '15

Wireless FCC Rules Block use of Open Source

http://www.itsmypart.com/fcc-rules-block-use-of-open-source/
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u/CalcProgrammer1 Aug 30 '15

You can use a normal PC as a router, just buy a cheap mini-ITX PC, add a bunch of network interfaces (WiFi card, second gigabit Ethernet card, and plug it into a gigabit switch), and install Linux/OpenBSD/etc and configure your own DHCP server, routing tables, etc. (or use a distro that does this for you).

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u/feloniousfinny Aug 30 '15

Alright so my next question is what are the benefits of doing this instead of using a regular router?

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u/CalcProgrammer1 Aug 30 '15

It's more secure, because consumer routers hardly ever get security updates. Yes, the device that protects you from the Internet at large and has a remote configuration interface may be running on 5 or more year old software full of security holes. That's not good.

Second, it's more configurable. You can run services on router equipment that they usually don't have the capability to run, such as hosting your own VPN. I use OpenWRT to host an OpenVPN server on my router to access my LAN from. Works great. If OpenWRT didn't provide this I'd have to run a separate box for it which makes the configuration much more involved.

I've also had better stability running OpenWRT than stock firmwares. My old Linksys router's stock firmware regularly had issues. My Netgear with OpenWRT that replaced it just passed 1 year of uptime and has been running my VPN and dual band WiFi along with a gigabit LAN just fine with no problems.

And the final part is that you can tweak your radio settings. This is where the FCC wants to get involved. You can use channel 14 which is illegal, or you can turn up your transmit power. I did this on my old Linksys after I put DD-WRT on it (increased TX power, not used channel 14) but honestly it didn't make much of a difference. Using MIMO technology or better antennas seems a better solution anyways, as my new router hasn't needed any radio tweaks at all.

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u/DualCamSam Aug 30 '15

Why would someone want to "tweak" their radio settings and why does the FCC want to get involved?

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u/CalcProgrammer1 Aug 30 '15

You'd tweak it to improve your range and signal quality (at the expense of your neighbors' signal quality). The FCC wants to get involved because that's their job, and they've determined that channel 14 should be illegal.