Hey guys I am building planning on making a old computer I bought into my newest home router. I don't know what I need but I do know that the pc has capable hardware with only legacy pci slots. It could run pfsense fine with alot of features but I don't know what other hardware I need. It is going to be connecting to a modem so it needs at least two gigabit ethernet ports right? I also want wireless internet so I am going to put a wireless card that goes uses the pci interface. Since this is a home router, I need a many ethernet ports for a home phone, computers and what not, therefore I need a ethernet switch right? I am going to put the hardware I think I am getting or what I need to get. Tell me if I'm missing something or if I am doing something wrong. Thanks for the help.
2x Gigabit card (One from modem and one to switch): http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833106121
Many times, that goes off a brief description for the hardware and more towards the software (which helped alot). I need more info on if I need to Intel Nic's for input and output, and I need to know if a switch would work.
I have a wireless router that is 2 years old that I am currently using. It's a netgear that isn't really that good. Would that be better than getting the adapter?
Not that I want to hijack your thread or anything, but I am looking to do a similar thing with an old computer and pfsense. My main question is that I have a BT Home Hub currently and it is connected with a DSL cable. Would I be right in thinking I therefore need to purchase a DSL PCI card? Alternatively, is it possible to get this connected to an Ethernet PCI card, and use an additional Ethernet PCI card to connect to a switch.
Hmm, nope. While the RJ11 connector is physically compatible with RJ45, you cannot run xDSL into anything ethernet. You need a xDSL card in order run xDSL straight into a computer. Then you'll have to deal with PPPoE or PPPoA for authentication, VPs/VCs, etc.
Wifi in PFsense is pretty horrid and won't improve one bit until 2.2 arrives by then the N standard gets supported and who know which wireless devices ;)
You can do this without a PCI card as long as your dsl connection supports PPPoE (not PPPoA), just put your modem in bridge mode and connect it to the WAN port on your pfsense box, then in the WAN interface configuration select PPPoE as the mode and put in your username and password and it should work.
First of all, save yourself a few bucks and get this dual port instead of two 30 dollar singles http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004T01KOC/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Also, I've been fighting with pfsense for the past two days trying to get my wireless card to work to no avail. Its the step up from the one you linked, the dual band tp link. It sees the card but when you go to add a wireless interface, there's no option to add either of the ones you can clearly see on the previous page. Frustrating. The driver support just isnt there for the newer cards, unfortunately.
Doesn't help that I'm not too keen on networking but that's why I'm doing this, to learn.