On 4/13/19 9:16 PM, Computer Nerd Kev wrote:
> Has anyone used a Raspberry Pi ZeroW (or another Pi, plus a USB WiFi
> adapter) as a WiFi router?

I have not personally done so.  I know (of) some people (1 or two
degrees removed) that have done so.  The general consensus seems to be
1) that it will function and 2) that the wireless radio on the Pi has a
tendency to burn out (or otherwise be under powered) for use in an
Access Point.  They resoundingly recommend the little USB dongle that is
an AP with a small rubber duck antenna.

I've heard of this type of config being used for a LOT of things, not
just AP use cases.  (Sniffers, intrusion detection, reconnaissance, etc.)

> As my existing WiFi router already connects to the internet
> using a USB mobile broadband modem, this might suit me more than
> most people, but there is an OpenWrt image for the Raspbery Pi:
> https://openwrt.org/toh/raspberry_pi_foundation/raspberry_pi

My biggest concern would be the bandwidth and any constraint /
contention for the USB bus.

> My cause for looking down this path is that I want to set up a HTTPS to
> HTTP proxy on the router to serve all HTTPS connections to computers on
> my local network via unencrypted HTTP.

I've pontificated the same or a slight variation on the theme.  My use
case is for newer clients to connect to older servers that can't be
updated.  It sounds like you're primarily worried about older clients
that can't step up to the new standards.

sslstrip comes to mind.  I've not used it before.  Check it out.

I'd also consider Squid as it supports bump-in-the-wire SSL
interception.  (You need to put a cert in client device's trusted Root
CAs, but that shouldn't be a problem for you.)

I'd think you could configure Squid to strip HTTPS and / or provide a
consistent maintainable HTTPS / TLS / SSL that your devices can support
while it can step up to talk to what ever level of security on the
outside.  Plus, it can cache things for you.  ;-)

I'm sure that there are other options.  That's jut what jump out at the
moment.

> This is because all the stupid websites forcing HTTPS (when it isn't
> needed) are making it difficult to keep all the software on my various
> computers compatible with the various and ever-changing encryption
> protocols required.

You have your opinion, and I have mine.  I see no reason to debate which
is correct.

Feel free to ask questions if you want to have a technical discussion
(with as few opinions as possible).

> The Raspberry Pi ZeroW with a 1GHz CPU and 512MB RAM should be fast
> enough, and as I'm only using WiFi and USB in the existing router, it
> should have all the hardware that I need built in. It would use less
> power as well.

I get the impression that a Pi Zero W might not be the best choice.  But
that a regular Pi might be acceptable.  Or some comparable SBC.

> The main thing that I'm worried about though is
> the WiFi range. I should be able to solder on a
> connector for an external antenna as described here:
> https://www.briandorey.com/post/raspberry-pi-zero-w-external-antenna-mod

Intriguing.

I don't know if or how it would effect the burnout that I was mentioning
above.

I've got to say, I would take a look at some of the GL-iNet's small
router / AP boards.  I think they've got some close to regular Pi
prices, run OpenWRT, have external antennas, and can be powered via
Power over Ethernet.

> However looking deeper it seems that my existing router may have more
> transmitting power (28.11dBm) than the Pi ZeroW (17.0dBm).

Remember, Tx power is not all that it's cracked up to be.  Sometimes you
get better overall service with more lower power devices than fewer
higher power devices.

> I don't really want a significant drop in my WiFi range, so would it be
> better to use a Pi Zero (non-W) and a USB WiFi adapter? In which case,
> which WiFi adapters should I look for to suit this application?

I think I would use the USB WiFi adapter in favor of the WiFi adapter
built into the Pi Zero.

> In case it helps, or to satisfy any curiosity, here is the list of router
> transmitting power with the Pi ZeroW added:

Interesting data.  Thank you for sharing.



--
Grant. . . .
unix || die

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