Many open source operating systems exist that can turn a computer with multiple NIC’s into a router or can be used in place of a hardware router OS. https://distrowatch.com/search.php?ostype=All&category=Firewall&origin=All&basedon=All&notbasedon=None&desktop=No+desktop&architecture=All&package=All&rolling=All&isosize=All&netinstall=All&language=All&defaultinit=All&status=Active#simpleresults is a search on distrowatch.com that gives you a petty good list to get started.

I personally use OpnSense with a Supermicro motherboard a Xeon E3-1226 v3, and 16GB of RAM. It was all used server equipment bought on Ebay. I run Caddy, an ACME client, Intrusion Detection, Chrony, UnboundDNS, Wireguard as a VPN endpoint, and Wireguard as a client for IPv6 connectivity through Route64 because my ISP only has an IPv4 stack. For WiFi access I’m running a couple TP-Link Omada EAP-650’s with the OC200 controller using POE so I can place them in ideal locations.

Will a firewall prevent issues if the Asus devices have some sort of Spyware on them. It can but not by default. Generally firewalls are configured to stop anything coming in and let anything out. Since the RT-AX3000’s are on your internal network by default they can send data out. Something like Intrusion Detection can watch for bad things running on your network and help but you would have to set static IP’s on each one and null route them. You could also flash them to an open source firmware if you are worried but is a personal decision.

I avoid two things in networking, router modem combo devices and really cheap routers or access points. Honestly you should ask, “Why is this so cheap?” Then look at the reviews for those super cheap Chinese android tablets and computers and you should begin to understand my reasoning why.

Also used commercial grade hardware on Ebay is a great place to get a steal if you are building a homelab. Most of the time this stuff is pulled because it no longer is fast enough for a server farm and functionally obsolete. The firmware will generally be very stable and well tested. I’m running a 10Gbps fiber backbone for my network that connects my router, server, 48port ethernet switch (using 2 DAC cables), and desktop computer together.

I have a 1Gbps fiber connection and speedtest at 950Mbps while everything is up and running. The Ethernet connection at 1000Mbps is the limiting factor. A speedtest from my cell phone (S26) over WiFi I test at 680Mbps. My testing internally from my desktop to my server using openspeedtest runs around 8000Mbps.

Here is the issue with modularity like you are planning. If a cable is loose because something bumped into it you now have a problem to chase. Even worse you now have the potential for a power cable to become completely unplugged while the host is still up and running. Having two power supplies also creates a potential for a ground loop through the data cables if things are not made correctly.

Some people have been able to use USB drives connected to a computer to create a NAS but they are also the ones hitting forums because they have issues. What you are trying to do isn’t much different. If you want to keep your hardware you would be much better off getting a case that can hold all your drives. A used server chassis would be ideal if you use a SAS card. But if you are going to upgrade anyway maybe it’s a time to make plans to make the switch sooner than later.

Do some commercial solutions for this exist that are safe, yes they also live in racks and are effectively ground connected with the cabling protected/much less likely to be bumped into.

Yeah, looked at one for around 5K. Good for about 30 miles because the battery pack needs replaced which increases the price by nearly triple.

Exactly, we have two vehicles. One is 11 years old the other is 23 years old.

Bought an old slum lord house for 18K. Doing all the repair work ourselves. Couldn’t afford 1K a month for rent on an apartment

A new car at 900 plus per month isn’t in the books at all. Plus when it’s 10 years old it will only get 1/4 of the original mileage on a single charge.

Option C

Linux

Yep

That or you can double NAT if an ISP doesn’t allow passthrough. It makes self hosting tougher but if you can port forward on the provided device and just forward everything it’s basically passthrough mode.

Most ISP’s in the US are always looking for a government handout. When the government decides to tie that handout with a backdoor attached you will never know about it. If they control the router you don’t get a choice.

Not to mention they buy the cheapest POS they can get to do the job. Then when the wifi sucks they will rent you some mesh nodes. And you can only hope they update them if there is a flaw.

I run OpnSense and have for about 10 years now. I’ve considered using a gPON sfp module so I can get rid of the ONT.

Personally I would use something that can run OpnSense. Then grab POE access points for wifi, later on when a new standard comes out you just replace the AP instead of the whole router.

It’s an active project that is updated regularly. As long as the hardware supports X86-64 it should run with no problem. If you area looking to build a home lab IMHO it’s hard to beat.

https://docs.opnsense.org/manual/hardware.html

I personally use a Supermicro X10SLL-F and a E3-1226 v3 with 16GB of RAM. Built it a few years ago for about 150 with an old PSU and case with a 120gb sata ssd and threw in a Mellanox ConnectX3 to run to my fiber backbone. I can squeeze every ounce out of the 1G fiber connection and run multiple vLan’s, Caddy and Let’s Encrypt acme client, plus a IPv6 Tunnel since my ISP doesn’t have native connectivity.

I’ve considered getting rid of the ONT and dropping in a gPON SFP module but honestly not sure if my ISP will be willing.

Desktop - Ubuntu Cinnamon LTS (I game and edit video this is also currently my Frigate host)

Laptop - Ubuntu Budgie (It’s basically just a thin client to access my desktop when I want to sit in the livingroom)

Stepson’s Desktop - ChimeraOS (Because I don’t want to deal with anything in his room)

Server - TrueNAS (Been using it since the FreeNAS 9 Era)

Router - OpnSense (Been using that since before I started using FreeNAS)

Different distro’s suit different needs. Could I use a single one for everything, yeah with a lot of extra work I don’t want to deal with. I’m much more hardware oriented and can make software work tried switching to Linux for everything in the mid 2000’s but couldn’t do things reliably with it till lately.

https://wordpress.org/plugins/exmage-wp-image-links/ might fit the bill

When you are running chown what is the exact command you are running and from what directory? Where are you getting your instructions? What error are you getting exactly? Did you verify that the directory has the correct owner before continuing? What are the directory permissions? What are the directory permissions supposed to be?

It’s impossible to troubleshoot without the information.

Honestly, I suggest going onto ebay and buying an old server hardware. My TrueNAS and OpnSense boxes as well as my 10G switch and my 48 port 1G switch were purchased used on ebay. My TrueNAS came from UnixSurplus https://www.ebay.com/str/unixsurpluscom and I have purchased hardware for others from them. They list their TrueNAS ready systems under FreeNAS but it doesn’t matter, the HBA’s are flashed to IT mode already so all you need to do is add drives and install an OS.

Yes 10G can be useful if you have a lot of users or transfer large files. I edit video and I store it all on my server.

Yes 8GB of RAM will be limiting, ZFS needs a minimum of 16GB to function correctly.

The switches and AP’s shouldn’t care what the router OS is. I use OpnSense, my 10G switch is a Quanta LB6M, my 1G switch is a Dell Power Connect 5548, I have 2 TP-Link EAP650 AP’s with a TP-Link Omada OC200 controller and will be adding another AP when my upstairs is finished.

For POE I just use an injector with my Power Connect. My AP’s, the OC200, and multiple cameras are all POE.

I’ve found that if the equipment powers up and works for a week it will continue to do so for a long time, I’ve used the Quanta LB6M since 2016 or so.

He lost his battle with cancer in May of 2024. He was my wife’s dog, I lost her to complications of neurosarcoidosis in February 2019. He kept me going and a lot of our pictures has been in my memories feed lately.

Not really he loved to just lay down in the snow. We didn’t get snow very often so he would roll and burrow his face.

I will have to take another look. I’ve seen it before but didn’t see anything about Lemmy and such.

I use Reolink. Some of the older cameras don’t work as well but setting them to reboot on a schedule works pretty well.

Frigate is not able to control the PTZ function of my RLC-823S1 but the Duo 3V is amazing. I would like to be able to track people who step onto my porch so I can get an image of their vehicle or direction of travel, but I mainly just use it to look around if I hear a noise.

Hardware routers can be killed for many reasons. Age and an inability to upgrade them to suit current needs is the biggest one. OEM’s do this fairly quickly as they build devices with the resources to work for today and maybe tomorrow. After their product is no longer made they want it to be obsolete not long after so they can claim they can support is no longer viable. Then you but another router and they make money.

OpenWRT tries to augment and support devices for as long as possible but at the same time the hardware limitations still exist and often the storage will no longer support the latest version due to the size of the new version.

As far as when that will happen depends on multiple factors that have the ability to change at any time. There viable be a massive flaw in a portion of the software that requires a huge rewrite and the addition of code that will make the software too large to fit.

Sometimes someone will create a version with less used features available so that it can still be used but it’s a losing battle

If you want true longevity repurpose an old computer into a router. OpnSense is what I use and recommend. Add in something like a TP-Link EAP650 or two and you have a rock solid platform that can handle a lot more and last much longer. Add Power Over Ethernet (POE) along with an Omada controller and you can position the AP in a place where it will work the best for your use. You can have enough access points to have a full signal anywhere even if your place is the size of the Louvre. When new technology comes out you can upgrade the AP’s as needed when needed and upgrade the router as well in a similar fashion.

It’s something I’ve wanted to do for a while. Honestly I want to host a Lemmy instance and my own peertube instance.

Two things are stopping me. I don’t understand certain points of how things interact in the software or how to set it up properly to self host and be comfortable in it’s security. I barely understand docker and some other stuff. It sucks because I understood how to use DOS at an around 14 by reading the manual. I also don’t have the funding to do so in a way that I would feel comfortable at this point. I don’t fully trust co-mingling my home services with web services due to the security risks.

Simple solution is to switch to Linux. Ubuntu Cinnamon 24.04LTS had worked great for me so far.

If you absolutely can’t or won’t switch look at openshell https://open-shell.github.io/Open-Shell-Menu/