Networking Question

A

Alvarez

Veteran XX
This may be stupid and I am fine with that heh. I have an RT-AC5300 the wireguard VPN support on it is pretty much nill. Is it absurd to set up a Linux computer with 2 network cards connected to my modem runnin WireGuard and share the internet with my router and then the rest of the home?

Any downfalls to this? I have plenty of fast enough computers not being used and network cards etc. Seems useless to buy another router with WireGuard when the one I have works great plus this would be less stress on it from runnin a VPN.
 
No downfall. Setting up a Linux computer with two network cards to run WireGuard and share the internet with your router and the rest of your home is indeed a feasible approach. Let’s break it down:

Linux Computer Configuration:
Install WireGuard on your Linux computer.
Set up two network interfaces: one connected to your modem (external interface) and the other connected to your router (internal interface).
Configure WireGuard to use the external interface for internet access.

Router Configuration:
Your router (the RT-AC5300) will act as a client to connect to your Linux computer’s WireGuard server.
Configure the router’s WireGuard client settings to point to your Linux computer’s public IP address.

Routing and Firewall Rules:
Ensure proper routing and firewall rules on both the Linux computer and the router.
The Linux computer should forward traffic from the internal interface to the external interface.
The router should route traffic through the WireGuard tunnel to the Linux computer.

Home Network Access:
Once the router establishes a WireGuard connection to your Linux computer, devices on your home network can access the internet securely via the tunnel.
The Linux computer acts as a gateway, forwarding traffic between the router and the external network.

Considerations:
Make sure your Linux computer has a static IP address or a reliable dynamic DNS (DDNS) setup.
Regularly update your Linux system and keep WireGuard up to date.
Test the setup thoroughly to ensure proper functionality.
Remember that this approach involves some manual configuration, but it can be a viable solution if your router’s built-in WireGuard support is limited. Keep in mind that while it’s not absurd, it does require technical expertise and careful setup. Good luck! ��
 
Nomad said:
No downfall. Setting up a Linux computer with two network cards to run WireGuard and share the internet with your router and the rest of your home is indeed a feasible approach. Let’s break it down:

Linux Computer Configuration:
Install WireGuard on your Linux computer.
Set up two network interfaces: one connected to your modem (external interface) and the other connected to your router (internal interface).
Configure WireGuard to use the external interface for internet access.

Router Configuration:
Your router (the RT-AC5300) will act as a client to connect to your Linux computer’s WireGuard server.
Configure the router’s WireGuard client settings to point to your Linux computer’s public IP address.

Routing and Firewall Rules:
Ensure proper routing and firewall rules on both the Linux computer and the router.
The Linux computer should forward traffic from the internal interface to the external interface.
The router should route traffic through the WireGuard tunnel to the Linux computer.

Home Network Access:
Once the router establishes a WireGuard connection to your Linux computer, devices on your home network can access the internet securely via the tunnel.
The Linux computer acts as a gateway, forwarding traffic between the router and the external network.

Considerations:
Make sure your Linux computer has a static IP address or a reliable dynamic DNS (DDNS) setup.
Regularly update your Linux system and keep WireGuard up to date.
Test the setup thoroughly to ensure proper functionality.
Remember that this approach involves some manual configuration, but it can be a viable solution if your router’s built-in WireGuard support is limited. Keep in mind that while it’s not absurd, it does require technical expertise and careful setup. Good luck! ��
Click to expand...

paging juggs for confirmation
 
Yes I too expected this was a Juggs thread.
Now I'm expecting his expert opinion.
 
setting up a 2 nic linux server is how most mad leet dudes did back in the day. its still feasible if you want to put the effort in. Atleast you will control it 100% past ur modem.
 
Thanks guys! I have a lot of networking in my past but WireGuard is newer and I am learning it. OpenVPN I knew could be done this way but there are thousands of threads saying true WireGuard at 1gb is not actually possible by commercial routers. Plus I guess OpenWRT kind of abandoned the RT-AC5300 and the current version with Wireguard has a bunch of vulnerabilities, and only the AX routers have WireGuard under AsusWRT.

My monkey brain said run it on a separate computer and serve it to the router. Internal network with the 5300 LAN will be 10G between my desktop and my server and 1G for most other clients. WAN will be wireguarded and 1gb connection.

Hopefully the best of both worlds.
 
FYI, I typed the OP into Microsoft CoPilot and the gibberish it produced was what i copy/pasted.

Thank your AI overlords
 
Nomad said:
FYI, I typed the OP into Microsoft CoPilot and the gibberish it produced was what i copy/pasted.

Thank your AI overlords
Click to expand...

Yea I searched like 15 different ways and mostly found tutorials on how to install a VPN on my router lol.

I could not find a clear answer out there
 
I built the server out of spare parts still not a bad computer Ryzen 1800x build. Not a big surprise with everyone saying it would work well, but once I navigated installing the wireguard service I got the custom file from proton and it configured and worked out the gate and has been running the whole house for like 2 weeks solid.

My plex server currently isn't available outside of the house which I expected so I plan to just run it into the built in router on my cable modem (finally a legitimate use for that stupid 3 port router)
 
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