Setting up a Home Router - Revision history

John3-16: Added /See also / : Setting up a wireless AP with udhcpd and NAT (page had been orphaned).

2026-01-03T03:44:12Z

Added See also: : Setting up a wireless AP with udhcpd and NAT (page had been orphaned).

← Older revision		Revision as of 03:44, 3 January 2026
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	See [[How to setup a wireless access point]].		See [[How to setup a wireless access point]].

			==See also==

			* [[Wireless_AP_with_udhcpd_and_NAT\|Setting up a wireless AP with udhcpd and NAT]]

	[[Category: Networking]]		[[Category: Networking]]

AlpinePhil: AlpinePhil moved page User:AlpinePhil/Router to Setting up a Home Router: Moving a draft howto out into the real world

2025-09-23T20:06:48Z

AlpinePhil moved page User:AlpinePhil/Router to Setting up a Home Router: Moving a draft howto out into the real world

← Older revision	Revision as of 20:06, 23 September 2025
(No difference)

AlpinePhil: Added category

2025-09-23T20:05:47Z

Added category

← Older revision		Revision as of 20:05, 23 September 2025
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	See [[How to setup a wireless access point]].		See [[How to setup a wireless access point]].

			[[Category: Networking]]

AlpinePhil: /* Wi-Fi */

2025-09-23T20:04:55Z

Wi-Fi

← Older revision		Revision as of 20:04, 23 September 2025
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	The only DHCP server that the author was able to install and operate from the default repositories at the time of writing was [https://dnsmasq.org/docs/dnsmasq-man.html dnsmasq.]		The only DHCP server that the author was able to install and operate from the default repositories at the time of writing was [https://dnsmasq.org/docs/dnsmasq-man.html dnsmasq.]

	==Wi-Fi==		==Hosting Wi-Fi==

			See [[How to setup a wireless access point]].

AlpinePhil at 19:56, 23 September 2025

2025-09-23T19:56:14Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 19:56, 23 September 2025
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	As such this HowTo will indicate the relevant pieces of software, and link to the corresponding documentation. It will also contain some more general guidance.		As such this HowTo will indicate the relevant pieces of software, and link to the corresponding documentation. It will also contain some more general guidance.

	~~{{Note\|Throughout this HowTo, it is presumed that you have a router provided by your ISP via which you can get an internet connection}}~~

	== Before You Start ==		== Before You Start ==

AlpinePhil: /* DHCP Server */

2025-09-23T19:54:09Z

DHCP Server

← Older revision		Revision as of 19:54, 23 September 2025
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	==DHCP Server==		==DHCP Server==

			A DHCP server is responsible for assigning dynamic IP addresses to computers attached to your network.

			If your network is small enough, and the constituent computers do not change regularly, you might consider sticking with static (manually) assigned IP addresses. However, beyond a certain size and/or if you have changing members of your network (for example, house guests using your wi-fi), then DHCP becomes quite important.

			The only DHCP server that the author was able to install and operate from the default repositories at the time of writing was [https://dnsmasq.org/docs/dnsmasq-man.html dnsmasq.]

	==Wi-Fi==		==Wi-Fi==

AlpinePhil: Added information about routing.

2025-09-23T19:43:53Z

Added information about routing.

← Older revision		Revision as of 19:43, 23 September 2025
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	==Enable Routing and Set Up Routes==		==Enable Routing and Set Up Routes==

			The clue is in the name that routing is at the heart of what a router does.

			To enable routing, you will need to add a line
			<code>net.ipv4.ip_forward=1</code> to the file /etc/sysctl.conf and then run
			<code>sysctl -p</code> with administrative privileges.

			If you have subnets managed by their own routers in your network, you may need to add [[How to configure static routes\|static routing]].

			Dynamic routing is an advanced topic which goes beyond the range of this HowTo.

	==Configuring Network Interfaces==		==Configuring Network Interfaces==

AlpinePhil: Added information about practical considerations of installing pppd

2025-09-23T19:36:35Z

Added information about practical considerations of installing pppd

← Older revision		Revision as of 19:36, 23 September 2025
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	If you are looking to connect your router directly to the internet without using the router from your ISP, then you will need to configure pppd. The documentation for pppd can be found [https://linux.die.net/man/8/pppd here].		If you are looking to connect your router directly to the internet without using the router from your ISP, then you will need to configure pppd. The documentation for pppd can be found [https://linux.die.net/man/8/pppd here].

			On a practical note, it is helpful to download pppd and your firewall of choice using your ISPs provided router and configure them prior to connecting your home-made router to the internet directly.

	==Firewalls==		==Firewalls==

AlpinePhil: Checkpoint - pppd and firewalls

2025-09-23T19:34:18Z

Checkpoint - pppd and firewalls

← Older revision		Revision as of 19:34, 23 September 2025
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	* CIDR (Notation of the form 192.168.1.0/24)		* CIDR (Notation of the form 192.168.1.0/24)

			==Enable Routing and Set Up Routes==

	==~~= You should have done =~~==		==Configuring Network Interfaces==

	~~Ensure~~ to [[Configure Networking\|~~Connect your router to your ISP router~~]]~~. This howto will presume throughout that this connection is set up on the interface eth0~~.		Generally speaking, routers are in charge of their own IP addresses, as such you will need to understand how to [[Configure Networking#Static address configuration\|configure static IP addresses on the interfaces]].

	==~~= You should =~~==		==Connecting to the Internet - pppd==

	~~Design~~ your ~~network address layout~~		{{Warning\|If you are planning on connecting your router directly to the internet, you should have a firewall in place. See next section.}}

	~~== Setting up~~ your router ==		If you are looking to connect your router directly to the internet without using the router from your ISP, then you will need to configure pppd. The documentation for pppd can be found [https://linux.die.net/man/8/pppd here].
	~~There are two options for~~ your ~~router~~, ~~depending on whether~~ you ~~wish~~ to ~~use statically or dynamically assigned addresses~~ for ~~your network~~.

	Statically assigned addresses are generally only suitable for networks where there are a very limited number of computers connecting to the router. Moreover, they are unsuitable for situations in which computers which you do not control will need access to your network, for example if you are setting up a router including a wireless interface.		==Firewalls==

	~~=== Setting up a network with statically assigned addresses ===~~		Firewalls At the time of writing, there are three main firewall options available of which the author is aware:

			* [[Uncomplicated Firewall\|ufw - the uncomplicated firewall]]
	~~=== Setting up~~ a ~~network with dynamically assigned addresses ===~~		* [https://wiki.nftables.org/wiki-nftables/index.php/Main_Page nftables]
			* IPTables is also an option - but be advised that it is an older piece of software with a somewhat arcane syntax. It has been superseded by nftables.

	== ~~Extension: Adding routes to subnets~~ ==		==DHCP Server==

	~~== Optional Next Steps ==~~

	* Set up a firewall on your router
	* Set up pppd on your router to manage an ISP connection directly		==Wi-Fi==
	* Set up hostapd to set up a wireless network

AlpinePhil: Adjusted intro to reflect intended change in direction.

2025-09-23T05:42:19Z

Adjusted intro to reflect intended change in direction.

← Older revision		Revision as of 05:42, 23 September 2025
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	{{Expand\|To include information on ipv6}}		{{Expand\|To include information on ipv6}}

	This HowTo is written to indicate the basics necessary to get a simple router set up for a network.		This HowTo is written to indicate the basics necessary to get a simple router set up for a network. Unlike most HowTos, this will not form an exhaustive list of instructions, as a home router is not one piece of software, and not every piece of software listed here will be relevant to your specific requirements. Moreover, the individual pieces of software themselves, in particular firewalls, require configuration which requires documentation in their own right.

	~~{{Tip\|If your router is going to be a gateway to~~ the ~~internet~~, ~~ensure you look at the next steps part of this tutorial~~ to ~~ensure that you look at items related to security, in particular setting up a firewall, which goes beyond~~ the ~~scope of this HowTo~~.}}		As such this HowTo will indicate the relevant pieces of software, and link to the corresponding documentation. It will also contain some more general guidance.

	{{~~Tip~~\|Throughout this HowTo, it is presumed that you have a router provided by your ISP via which you can get an internet connection}}		{{Note\|Throughout this HowTo, it is presumed that you have a router provided by your ISP via which you can get an internet connection}}

	~~{{Todo\|Include a link to an article on connecting to an ISP directly using something like pppd.~~}}

	== Before You Start ==		== Before You Start ==

	=== You should know ===		=== You should know ===

	This article presumes that you are familiar with the fundamentals of IP networks. In particular you should have a good understanding of the terms:		This article presumes that you are familiar with the fundamentals of IP networks. In particular you should have a good understanding of the terms:

	* IP Address		* IP Address
	* Address Mask		* Address Mask
			* Subnet
	* CIDR (Notation of the form 192.168.1.0/24)		* CIDR (Notation of the form 192.168.1.0/24)


	=== You should have done ===		=== You should have done ===