WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:05.200 Are you tired of your wireless router dropping your internet connection at the worst possible times? 00:00:05.200 --> 00:00:10.400 It turns out you can build your very own router that'll perform a lot better and 00:00:10.400 --> 00:00:17.120 it's a lot simpler to do than you might think. But why does store bought and ISP provided routers tend to be so unreliable in the first place? 00:00:17.680 --> 00:00:21.760 So, a typical wireless router is actually three devices in one. 00:00:21.760 --> 00:00:26.800 The actual router part is what moves traffic between the internet and the gadgets in your home. 00:00:26.880 --> 00:00:30.240 All those LAN ports on the back of it serve as a switch, 00:00:30.240 --> 00:00:33.840 which allow multiple wired devices to connect to the same home network. 00:00:33.840 --> 00:00:38.880 Finally, there's a wireless access point, which enables wi-fi through those antennas that stick 00:00:38.880 --> 00:00:43.280 out of the top. Unfortunately, these three-in-one routers can be a little bit like one of those 00:00:43.280 --> 00:00:46.640 restaurants that tries to serve food from three different parts of the world. 00:00:46.640 --> 00:00:51.920 Instead of doing one thing well, they do three things... just okay. 00:00:51.920 --> 00:00:56.640 A big reason is because the CPUs they contain are usually underpowered and can get 00:00:56.640 --> 00:01:04.480 overwhelmed if you have lots of devices connected to your network. More specifically, commodity routers often have CPUs based on older ARM designs. 00:01:04.480 --> 00:01:09.680 Even on higher-end routers, such as these two, that cost hundreds of dollars and promise you the moon, 00:01:10.240 --> 00:01:15.120 if only. The chips are only about as powerful as something you'd find in a low-end smartphone. 00:01:15.120 --> 00:01:18.720 In this case, it's a Cortex A53 from 2012. 00:01:18.720 --> 00:01:22.800 No wonder so many routers drop out with as much data as we suck down these days. 00:01:22.800 --> 00:01:27.280 And that isn't even counting the underpowered wi-fi. I want my 4K Netflix! 00:01:27.280 --> 00:01:31.040 But do you need a bunch of high-end hardware to build something better? 00:01:31.040 --> 00:01:37.920 Mercifully, the answer is no. Typically, a home-built router is basically just a PC that's running a special operating system. 00:01:37.920 --> 00:01:45.680 Just about any reasonably modern PC will do. If you've got a multicore X64 CPU from the last 10 years or so and a modest 4GB of RAM, 00:01:45.680 --> 00:01:49.840 you likely have enough to build a system that will run circles around your old router, 00:01:49.840 --> 00:01:54.320 and will be a heck of a lot more reliable and nicer to look at. 00:01:54.320 --> 00:01:59.680 This means a DIY router can live on anything from a newly built desktop to an old laptop 00:01:59.680 --> 00:02:04.000 you've kept in a closet to one of those small mini PCs that aren't much bigger than a cup of coffee. 00:02:04.000 --> 00:02:10.320 But I wouldn't recommend anything with an ARM CPU, as operating system support for those chips is still rather poor, 00:02:10.320 --> 00:02:15.920 and we're trying to make our lives easy here. But there is one special thing you need to make sure you do have. 00:02:15.920 --> 00:02:20.080 Your DIY router needs to have at least two Ethernet ports, 00:02:20.080 --> 00:02:24.320 one for WAN, or your internet connection, and one for your home LAN. 00:02:24.320 --> 00:02:27.920 You can then buy an inexpensive switch and connect it to your LAN port 00:02:27.920 --> 00:02:33.600 to get your other devices onto your home network. Because remember that whole your router is more than one device thing? 00:02:34.240 --> 00:02:38.240 That's what we're doing here. The piece is coming together. 00:02:38.240 --> 00:02:41.440 If you're using a desktop, you can easily add a second Ethernet port 00:02:41.440 --> 00:02:46.240 by buying a separate PCIe card, which can usually be found for cheap on sites like eBay. 00:02:46.240 --> 00:02:52.880 And if you get a card with more than one port, you can even put different devices on separate LANs for added security. 00:02:52.880 --> 00:02:57.120 So like if an attacker compromises an unsecured device like a TV or camera, 00:02:57.120 --> 00:03:00.640 your more sensitive devices like PCs will be protected. 00:03:00.640 --> 00:03:05.680 It's okay to play favorites here. But if you want to keep things simple and just keep everything on one network, 00:03:05.680 --> 00:03:09.520 the best practice is to buy a switch instead of a multi-port card. 00:03:09.520 --> 00:03:12.800 Since using a card like that as a switch, or bridging, 00:03:12.800 --> 00:03:16.880 is one of the few things that can overwhelm your CPU and her performance. 00:03:16.960 --> 00:03:20.960 Now it's time to talk about our third Amigo, the wireless access point. 00:03:20.960 --> 00:03:25.680 You can actually just use your old router as an access point by putting it in AP mode, 00:03:25.680 --> 00:03:29.680 but you'll usually get better performance if you buy a dedicated access point. 00:03:29.680 --> 00:03:34.720 There are lots of options out there. Just get a well-reviewed one with the range and bandwidth you need, 00:03:34.720 --> 00:03:38.080 hook it up, and you'll have a fully functional and powerful home network. 00:03:39.040 --> 00:03:42.480 But what about an operating system? Windows 11? 00:03:43.200 --> 00:03:48.720 No. Probably the most popular option for DIYers is called PF Sense, 00:03:48.720 --> 00:03:53.040 which is a completely free and open-source router and firewall solution. 00:03:53.040 --> 00:03:56.480 It's based on a Unix-like operating system called FreeBSD 00:03:56.480 --> 00:04:05.120 and offers a GUI similar to an off-the-shelf router, but with way more features so that you can have maximum control over your network. 00:04:05.120 --> 00:04:10.240 I mean, it's your network. It even offers optional packages that can perform functions like intrusion 00:04:10.240 --> 00:04:14.800 detection and ad blocking. Some other operating system options are OPN Sense, 00:04:14.800 --> 00:04:19.920 which is a fork of PF Sense with some additional security features, and Sophos XG for Home, 00:04:19.920 --> 00:04:23.680 which is a free version of a paid firewall aimed at commercial users. 00:04:23.680 --> 00:04:26.880 But whatever you go with, make sure you have compatible hardware. 00:04:26.880 --> 00:04:30.560 All of these options play very nicely with Intel network controllers, 00:04:30.560 --> 00:04:36.640 and less so with other brands. So it's good practice to make sure both the Ethernet port built into your motherboard 00:04:36.640 --> 00:04:41.040 and any PCIe cards you use are connected to Intel controllers. 00:04:41.040 --> 00:04:47.200 And no, they did not pay us to say that. And if you still have problems getting your ports to work on PF Sense, 00:04:47.200 --> 00:04:51.360 try OPN Sense instead, as it uses a newer version of FreeBSD 00:04:51.360 --> 00:04:54.960 and tends to support some of the newer Ethernet controllers built into motherboards. 00:04:54.960 --> 00:04:58.400 Do keep in mind though that setting up PF Sense or OPN Sense 00:04:58.400 --> 00:05:02.560 isn't quite as straightforward as just connecting a $30 router from Walmart, 00:05:02.560 --> 00:05:06.800 but as long as your goal is just to get up and running without doing anything too fancy, 00:05:06.800 --> 00:05:11.360 it's not actually a very difficult process. And there are plenty of good how-to guides online 00:05:11.360 --> 00:05:17.440 that show you how to get your Ethernet ports configured properly. Both operating systems have plenty of documentation to help you along as well, 00:05:17.440 --> 00:05:21.600 which we'll link in the description below. And remember, if you can't get it working, 00:05:21.600 --> 00:05:24.240 just unplug it and plug it back in. 00:05:24.880 --> 00:05:29.200 And that'll fix it. And that'll do it for this video. 00:05:29.200 --> 00:05:32.720 Thanks for watching, guys. Like the video if you liked it, dislike it if you disliked it. 00:05:32.720 --> 00:05:38.640 Check out our other videos and comment below with video suggestions. And don't forget, subscribe. 00:05:38.800 --> 00:05:40.080 And follow.