How to build a speed-loving DIY Linux router from scratch

[securitybreach]

After finally reaching the tipping point with off-the-shelf solutions that can't match increasing speeds available, we recently took the plunge. Building a homebrew router turned out to be a better proposition than we could've ever imagined. With nearly any speed metric we analyzed, our little DIY kit outpaced routers whether they were of the $90- or $250-variety.

 

Naturally, many readers asked the obvious follow-up—"How exactly can we put that together?" Today it's time to finally pull back the curtain and offer that walkthrough. By taking a closer look at the actual build itself (hardware and software), the testing processes we used, and why we used them, hopefully any Ars readers of average technical abilities will be able to put together their own DIY speed machine. And the good news? Everything is as open source as it gets—the equipment, the processes, and the setup. If you want the DIY router we used, you can absolutely have it. This will be the guide to lead you, step-by-step...................

 

 

Router hardware

 

As we disclosed last time, this decision was pretty simple: a dual-gigabit-NIC mini-PC from Alibaba and an inexpensive SSD from Newegg. (Update, 4/18: Though that vendor seems to have raised its prices on Alibaba, you can still get a basically identical mini-PC option through Amazon.)

 

Those particular choices sparked a lot of comments. Was this the absolute least expensive possible setup? No, definitely not. So why did I use the pieces I did? For one thing, I wasn't actually sure where the homebrew would end up on the performance spectrum. I wanted to get an efficient but relatively powerful CPU... the kind you'd find in, say, an Intel-based Chromebook...............

 

http://arstechnica.c...n-linux-router/

[Hedon James]

oooohhhhh! I live in the boonies with spotty DSL on occassion, and it seems I burn through cheap Verizon routers every year or so. Would love to have a "permanent" router, and a speed increase would be AWESOME! Now, doesn't this little project look interesting!

[securitybreach]

[abarbarian]

oooohhhhh! I live in the boonies with spotty DSL on occassion, and it seems I burn through cheap Verizon routers every year or so. Would love to have a "permanent" router, and a speed increase would be AWESOME! Now, doesn't this little project look interesting!

 

Certainly does

 

Mind you I guess you would need a decent broadband speed to make the effort worthwhile.

 

UK Broadband Speed Sept 2016

 

[securitybreach]

Wow, I didn't know it was that bad.

[abarbarian]

Wow, I didn't know it was that bad.

 

Yeah slow as stink. It may get better at my new pad.

 

 

[securitybreach]

Ugh, I thought mine was slow at 200/30..

 

I wish I could get my VPN's speed:

 

comhack@darkstar ~ % speedtest

Retrieving speedtest.net configuration...

Retrieving speedtest.net server list...

Testing from Linode (162.216.19.236)...

Selecting best server based on latency...

b'Hosted by fdcservers.net (New York City, NY) [14.26 km]: 3.043 ms'

Testing download speed........................................

Download: 933.40 Mbit/s

Testing upload speed..................................................

Upload: 502.11 Mbit/s

comhack@darkstar ~ %