4 ms·

For a few years now I only buy a small x86 box with dual nics and run OpenWRT. I love it. It's open source, lots of support, good community. It supports wiregu

For a few years now I only buy a small x86 box with dual nics and run OpenWRT. I love it. It's open source, lots of support, good community. It supports wireguard. Latest version allows you to even run docker containers.

hedora 2y ago
I’ve got an old PC Engines board with openbsd on it. It’s been remarkably trouble free for something like 8 years.
- ziml77 2y ago
  The PC Engines boards are great for that. I've got mine running OPNSense (FreeBSD) and it's not required any fuss.
  - glitchcrab 2y ago
    Another very happy PC Engines user here, I've been running pfsense and more lately opnsense on one for over 10 years now. It has never missed a beat.
- rpcope1 2y ago
  It's huge shame Pascal basically stopped building those boards since AMD and Intel wouldn't play ball. I'd really like to have something like an APU with 10G connectivity with an x86 processor that was not built and designed in China running open firmware. With PC Engines gone now, I think you're basically out of luck.
  - MisterTea 2y ago
    My APU2 died few years back and haven't found a decent replacement. Instead I use a Lenovo Thinkstation M720Q off eBay with the PCIe x8 riser and Intel 2 port 10GbE card. You could also fit a 4 port 1Gb card too. The thing idles at 18-19W which is less than the big white rectangular Verizon "trash can" router which idled at 22W and has horrible WiFi (I use a Unifi APLR.)
jeffbee 2y ago
These are DSL modems, though. At some point there has to be some interface between the WAN side, be it DSL or coax or fiber, and your network. Even DSL adapters for PCIe slots are just systems on a stick, coming with all the features and bugs of a "router" but without the enclosure.
- ronnier 2y ago
  You can tell I didn't read the article :)
- bauruine 2y ago
  The interface to DSL or coax only has to be a layer 2 bridge. You can put many modems into bridge mode so they don't do any layer 3 (IP) at all. For fiber, if you don't use PON at least, even a standard SFP(+) will do.
fckgw 2y ago
Since it were modems that were affected, OpenWRT would do nothing to protect you.
- ronnier 2y ago
  Ah, that's what I get for not reading the article.
- nisa 2y ago
  OpenWrt works for some modems pretty fine. It's not straight forward as the VDSL firmware can't often be distributed but poeple use it on avm Fritzbox devices. Also LTE devices are supported. Not sure about cable modems, probably not. It's probably involved and not straight forward so for most users, even technical ones it's no alternative.
- bauruine 2y ago
  The article says that the "modems" affected are the Sagemcom F5380 and ActionTec T3200 which from a quick search looks like full fledged CPEs aka routers with a web interface and NAT, WIFI and all the stuff. They also write about Censys and banners so it looks like they had their web interface exposed to the Internet. When I hear people say they use OpenWRT I assume they have their modem in bridge mode so that it doesn't even have an IP. OpenWRT would save you in that case.
chrisjj 2y ago
> Latest version allows you to even run docker containers. What could possibly go wrong...

hedora 2y ago

I’ve got an old PC Engines board with openbsd on it. It’s been remarkably trouble free for something like 8 years.

ziml77 2y ago
The PC Engines boards are great for that. I've got mine running OPNSense (FreeBSD) and it's not required any fuss.
- glitchcrab 2y ago
  Another very happy PC Engines user here, I've been running pfsense and more lately opnsense on one for over 10 years now. It has never missed a beat.
rpcope1 2y ago
It's huge shame Pascal basically stopped building those boards since AMD and Intel wouldn't play ball. I'd really like to have something like an APU with 10G connectivity with an x86 processor that was not built and designed in China running open firmware. With PC Engines gone now, I think you're basically out of luck.
- MisterTea 2y ago
  My APU2 died few years back and haven't found a decent replacement. Instead I use a Lenovo Thinkstation M720Q off eBay with the PCIe x8 riser and Intel 2 port 10GbE card. You could also fit a 4 port 1Gb card too. The thing idles at 18-19W which is less than the big white rectangular Verizon "trash can" router which idled at 22W and has horrible WiFi (I use a Unifi APLR.)

jeffbee 2y ago

These are DSL modems, though. At some point there has to be some interface between the WAN side, be it DSL or coax or fiber, and your network. Even DSL adapters for PCIe slots are just systems on a stick, coming with all the features and bugs of a "router" but without the enclosure.

ronnier 2y ago
You can tell I didn't read the article :)
bauruine 2y ago
The interface to DSL or coax only has to be a layer 2 bridge. You can put many modems into bridge mode so they don't do any layer 3 (IP) at all. For fiber, if you don't use PON at least, even a standard SFP(+) will do.

fckgw 2y ago

Since it were modems that were affected, OpenWRT would do nothing to protect you.

ronnier 2y ago
Ah, that's what I get for not reading the article.
nisa 2y ago
OpenWrt works for some modems pretty fine. It's not straight forward as the VDSL firmware can't often be distributed but poeple use it on avm Fritzbox devices. Also LTE devices are supported. Not sure about cable modems, probably not. It's probably involved and not straight forward so for most users, even technical ones it's no alternative.
bauruine 2y ago
The article says that the "modems" affected are the Sagemcom F5380 and ActionTec T3200 which from a quick search looks like full fledged CPEs aka routers with a web interface and NAT, WIFI and all the stuff. They also write about Censys and banners so it looks like they had their web interface exposed to the Internet. When I hear people say they use OpenWRT I assume they have their modem in bridge mode so that it doesn't even have an IP. OpenWRT would save you in that case.

chrisjj 2y ago

> Latest version allows you to even run docker containers. What could possibly go wrong...