Submitted 5 weeks ago by StructureOfChaos@lemmynsfw.com to selfhosted@lemmy.world
I will be located in a country where the Internet is EXTREMELY controlled and filtered. Not sure if I can even bring my current router with me(seems forbidden), so turning my RPi4 seems a good idea… Don’t you think?
You’ll need a USB 3.0 to gigabit ethernet adapter and a separate gigabit ethernet switch, but this setup is considered to be excellent as a lower-cost OpenWRT solution.
Noted, I plan to connect to my iSP using the USB port, and then the WiFi to distribute the internet at home on a local-based network.
Found this video, seems quite straightforward: NetworkChuck - RaspberryPi router
He makes good videos. There are a bunch out there about portable routers nowadays. But I’d trust chuck tbh.
Alternatively you can use a managed switch and use vlan tagging, but this is slightly more complex and effectively makes the link half-duplex (up and down have to share the gigabit link, e.g. with a 100 mbit/s upload running you will be capped at 900 mbit/s download)
You’re right, a bit more complex rn, but thanks for mentioning it anyway
Silly question but why are you going there?
It’s not about doing this illegal, it’s about protecting my privacy wherever I am located.
wizardbeard@lemmy.dbzer0.com 5 weeks ago
Depends on if you’re allowed to bring the Pi in at all. Might be safer to just buy what you need “on site”. There’s a lot more to this than just the technical side.
Whatever you do, just be careful. A lot of places don’t play easy with foreigners breaking the law. It can be easy to hide what you’re specifically doing over a network, but they don’t need to know what you’re spefically doing to say “bypassing the filter at all is illegal”, “using tor gives us probable cause”.
Depending on your situation and how they check things you bring in, it might be better to just load up a/some big hard drive(s) with enough content to carry you through until your next trip outside the filter. Knew someone who was in a similar situation for a long while that would emulate their way through old console game libraries like that.
May be worth looking into how political dissidents can protect themselves. Hidden encrypted containers. Private vps outside the filter that you connect to, doing all your questionable shit on the remote server outside, so the only data transfer is video feed to/from.
So much of this depends on specifics it may not be safe for you to share. Probably worth asking questions in some of the privacy focused communities.
StructureOfChaos@lemmynsfw.com 5 weeks ago
Appreciate the detailed answer.
You’re right, OpenWRT will not hide but let’s say protect my home computers from being monitored.
Also, VPN is a must and need to figure out the best way to handle that.
I don’t think they will forbid me to bring the Pi.
milicent_bystandr@lemm.ee 5 weeks ago
I don’t think it’s usual to forbid bringing hardware. And in some (many?) internet-restricted countries VPNs and things are also not illegal of themselves, and still less punishable normally. Because practical reality is foreigners have a variety of reasons for circumventing restricted internet and the state’s interest is mostly in restricting their own citizens.