Replacing router with OpenWRT on Proxmox
Replacing router with OpenWRT on Proxmox
Not sure if this 100% goes here but I'm relatively new to the self hosting world. Please advise if this needs to be moved elsewhere and I will.
I recently picked up a beelink mini PC and have been running Proxmox for things like jellyfin, home assistant, etc.
I'm looking to set up OpenWRT and found a helper script that sets up the VM but I'm having issues being able to configure wireless. According to the official docs, wireless is off by default if there are eth ports. When I go to edit it, both in the LuCl and in the /etc/config/wireless file, I hit 2 issues:
- The web client doesn't have a wireless option.
- There is no wireless file In the config directory.
I tried looking for some solutions online but wasn't sure what was exactly specific for me. I wasn't sure if this was a hardware issue or a Proxmox/OpenWRT config issue. Any advice on this?
Side note: My thoughts were I could use the internal wi-fi adapter for wireless but would I need a USB adapter of some sort for this capability?
Edit: I realized later I left some context off. In case i wasn't clear enough. Sorry. Currently I use a Google nest wifi pro router and was hoping to replace it with OpenWRT for more control/customization.
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What is the point in installing OpenWRT on something that is not a router? I use it, i have it on a few different WiFi access points...
but what would be the reason to install on a regular pc, whether on VM or not?
Compared to other embedded devices, ease of installation, less chance of driver quirks and much higher performance (especially relevant if you're running a VPN on the same device).
Compared to other x86 software based routers, a UI that is familiar, and the Linux kernel which generally means it gets new features quicker than its BSD based counterparts.
It's a handy router OS, why not?
Consumer router hardware generally under performs a lot, so running your router on better hardware solves that.
Better hardware is not a VM in Proxmox. You want quality gear with each component doing one job.
If thats what your needs are. But proxmox has nothing to do with the hardware being better.
I does though since there is the added overhead.
You want hardware that is designed for networking. Networking pulls the CPU away from other things. It might be fine if you only ran a router in Proxmox but that's about it.
Also, good wireless hardware is needed for any decent speeds. You want good antennas connected to hardware that has MU-MIMO. It is also important to pay attention to the Wireless version. (You want at least WiFi 5 if not 6)
True, modern hardware can easily route 10gbps or more though so for most of us that won't be an issue. Often OpenWRT on consumer routers struggles to route even 1gbps.
I agree on the external AP, that is needed.
It can be used as a VPN router, any VM that needs a VPN can be connected to a network bridge that is forward through the VPN. This could also be done on the primary router and a VLAN.
Well currently I have a nest wifi pro router that doesn't allow a lot of customization. (I used to be a Google fan). And since I had a beelink I figured I would try it. I was also wanting to be able to run a VPN on my router and the nest doesn't allow clients.