The soft router is gaining traction as one of the most efficient bandwidth management techniques. Hence, managing network services is now easier than ever with the soft router system for many companies. Our article will cover all the key insights of this routing solution and the wide range of its applications in facilitating access across networks.
Contents
What is a Soft Router?
Features of Soft Routering
Advantages and Disadvantages of Soft Routing
Best Open Source Router OS Software
Building a Home Soft Router and NAS with a computer
Summary
What is a Soft Router?
A conventional network switch
As the name suggests, it’s similar to the conventional hardware router. However, unlike hard routing, where there’s a hardware component, soft routing involves wireless access to a network via software.
This software can run either on a desktop or a server. Hence, in this case, the software enables access control to a router, eliminating the need for sophisticated hardware devices.
Features of Soft Routering
A soft router offers multiple access methods, unlike hard routers.
Among the key properties of soft routering systems include the following:
Advantages and Disadvantages of Soft Routing
You can set up a soft router on any PC.
Upsides
Downsides
Best Open Source Router OS Software
Here are the 13 great open-source router OS:
VyOS
VyOS router OS guarantees high-performance routing for all types of networks. Also, it supports dynamic routing protocols that include RIPng, OSPF, BGP, and policy-based routing. Besides, only internal users can access internal resources as it blocks out unauthorized users via stateful firewalls.
RouterOS from MicroTik
RouterOS from MicroTik works on the Linux kernel.
It serves as the operating system for MicroTik router board hardware, which functions on the Linux kernel. Furthermore, it avails a wide range of features such as source firewall, bandwidth management, backhaul link, VPN server, and hotspot gateway.
Besides, it offers a wireless access point and other additional network services. Also, it’s among the most popular systems owing to its ease of installation and user-friendly interface.
OpenWRT
The OpenWRT software targets embedded devices and allow users to customize the router firmware. Among its key upsides include access to numerous routing capabilities. It is similar to having numerous network ports in the conventional hard router.
Besides, access to networks on OpenWRT is cost-efficient as this is a free open source software.
Advanced Tomato
It’s an open-source GUI-based router software that operates on Broadcom-based routers. It allows you to perform a variety of operations that include:
Running custom scripts
Access to a bandwidth usage monitor to manage internet connections
Network port forwarding
Ability to perform a wireless site survey
Access to wireless client modes and WDS
Note: The primary downside to this firmware is that its developers haven’t updated it in years.
Fresh Tomato
It’s similar to the Advanced mentioned above Tomato, as both are open source routing firmware for use in Broadcom-based routers. However, unlike Advanced Tomato, the Fresh Tomato firmware still receives updates from its programmers.
Also, its other key upside is that access to router firmware is free.
Others
The other open-source router operating systems include:
pfsense software
ClearOS
IPFire
DD-WRT
Zeroshell
Fli4I
Sophos XG Home Firewall/Router
OPNSense
Building a Home Soft Router and NAS with a computer
Here’s a stepwise illustration of building a home soft routing system and NAS.
Hardware Assembly
You’ll need an SSD state solid drives disk.
Below we’ve listed some of the components you’ll require and the specifications.
A 8GB RAM + 64GB eMMC ReComputer motherboard
A m.2 SATA SSD
Grove – OLED Display 0.96″
Cooling fan- 8cm, 4-pin.
An enclosure
Fan cables, SSD cables, and grove cables.
Note that acrylic sheets with a thickness < 3mm are best for the enclosure. Also, the cooling fan cables should be suitable for a 12V power supply.
Assembly
Note that the fans enable cooling in this system by wafting cold air, which flows over the SSD and CPU cooling fans. Hence, heat dissipation of the system is efficient.
Proxmox VE Virtual Environment installation and configuration
You need an 8GB flash drive.
Arduino Programs
Here is the Arduino Program that you will require to run this system:
Compilation
Flashing
Note that the fan will cease working once the temperature goes below 45℃.
Also, what we’ve described above is how to create a small PVE server featuring a smart cooling system. Our server also has a 2TB disk drive capable of running several virtual machines and useful for NAS storage.
Installing Soft Routing System
Installing the NAS system
Summary
Soft routing is a crucial solution to some of the contemporary bandwidth management issues we commonly encounter. Also, it is easy to access as a considerable number of the soft routing software are free to download. Lastly, please reach out if you seek further clarification on this topic.
