Modem vs. Router: How Do They Differ?
The difference between a modem and a router is that a modem connects to the internet, and a router connects devices to Wi-Fi.
LibreRouter
The LibreRouter is an Open Source Hardware WiFi Router designed from the ground up for Community Networks.
Based on the the QCA9558 SoC and QCA8337N Gigabit Switch
OpenWrt Project
The OpenWrt Project is a Linux operating system targeting embedded devices. Instead of trying to create a single, static firmware, OpenWrt provides a fully writable filesystem with package management. This frees you from the application selection and configuration provided by the vendor and allows you to customize the device through the use of packages to suit any application. For developers, OpenWrt is the framework to build an application without having to build a complete firmware around it; for users this means the ability for full customization, to use the device in ways never envisioned.
Net Neutrality and Free Software: The Case of Router Freedom in Europe
Router Freedom is a net neutrality principle that Internet Access Providers (IAPs) must not the limit the users’ right to choose their own routers and modems to connect to the Internet protected in Europe since 2015. However, new rules on EU has created challenges router freedom, given that IAPs will be able to limit the right based on «objective technological necessity». The talk will go through the historical aspects and future developments in Europe.
Net neutrality is the principle that Internet Access Providers (IAPs) must treat all Internet communications equally, and not discriminate or charge differently based on user, content, website, platform, application and type of access equipment. The FSFE has been involved with net neutrality advocacy in Europe since 2013, achieving positive results in Germany with a law securing end-users the right of free choice of routers and modems.
In the context of the reform of European telecommunications law, EU Member States must implement in their national jurisdiction the European Electronic Communications Code (Directive (EU) 2018/1972), which brings new rules on router freedom, allowing IAPs to limit the rights of users if they can determine an «objective technological necessity» for imposing their routers and modems on consumers.
The talk will go through the historical developments in the last two years in Europe to present an overview on the positions on the debate in regards to router freedom and the consequences for Free Software.
As a take away, the talk will propose the discussion around the main principles of net neutrality and freedom of terminal equipment within the EU legal framework.
Speakers
Best free Linux router and firewall distributions of 2020
Other comparisons out there are recommending Operating Systems that are long dead or no longer relevant. This is most likely because these «Top 10 Open Source Linux Firewall Software» lists are copied from year to year by non-technical users, without doing the actual comparison.
Some Operating Systems have been superseded or simply stopped being maintained and became irrelevant. You want to avoid such systems because of security reasons – these distros use outdated and have insecure Linux/BSD kernels which can potentially expose you to security exploits.
Building my ideal router for $50
I’ve managed to cobble together a device that is not only dirt cheap for what it does, but is extremely capable in its own right. If you have any interest in building your own home router, I’ll demonstrate here that doing so is not only feasible, but relatively easy to do and offers a huge amount of utility – from traffic shaping, to netflow monitoring, to dynamic DNS.
I built it using the espressobin, Arch Linux Arm, and Shorewall.
The 9 Best Secure Routers of 2021
The Linksys WRT3200ACM has Tri-Stream 160 technology that doubles bandwidth to help maintain speed better than most dual-band routers. Additional features such as MU-MIMO technology helps each device stay connected to the network at the fastest possible speed without interfering with the performance of other devices.
Linksys’ Smart Wi-Fi smartphone app also lets you manage and monitor your network from anywhere at any given time, but it’s the open-source aspect that really shines for security-focused router buyers, since you can easily use “packages” from trustworthy open source distributions such as OpenWRT or DD-WRT and establish a secure VPN, monitor and analyze network traffic or detect network intrusions instantaneously. Since the firmware packages are all open source, that also means that they’ve been extensively “peer-reviewed” by security experts, making them much more likely to be free of vulnerabilities that hackers can exploit.