How to Install OpenWRT on Your Raspberry Pi for a Home Firewall

Before you start, you'll need some basic information about your network. This tutorial won't cover adding WAP functionality to the firewall, but that may be a future topic. The OpenWRT will replace a standard two-interface firewall. Here's how the networking configuration will look in the finished product.

This tutorial assumes you have a separate switch for your network that is not integrated with your home router. I'll use my process as the model for this tutorial, which involves building an OpenWRT RasPi firewall behind my old firewall before replacing it. The instructions below assume you have access to an existing private network to download and set up the firewall.

To get started, you'll need a few components:

* A computer for SD card image creation and configuration

* An Ethernet cable to connect to your internet interface (cable modem/DSL modem/etc)

* An Ethernet cable connected to your home network

Check out the Raspberry Pi Buyer's Guide for buying options. I'll be using a pre-built, modified image so no custom compiling or advanced knowledge is required. Refer to this article about the modifications for an in-depth explanation.

This tutorial uses a modified version of the default image to fix boot issues and SD card stability. Please note that the OpenWRT image for the Raspberry Pi is very new and still under development. Most common operations can be done through the friendly web interface, but the key value of OpenWRT is that it provides an easy-to-use and manage home firewall solution for those who are not Linux power users.

Of course, a Raspberry Pi could be used as a home firewall with the default Raspbian distribution with the right configuration, packages, and tweaks. In this tutorial, I'll show you how to install OpenWRT on a Raspberry Pi, add a second network interface, and replace your home firewall with your new OpenWRT firewall.

With the recent interest in the Raspberry Pi, there is of course an OpenWRT build for it as well. The list of compatible hardware is large enough to require its own index. It has grown and expanded to support an amazing array of old and new hardware alike.

OpenWRT is an active and vibrant home firewall project that was born on the Linksys WRT54G line of home routers. With these instructions, you can create your own OpenWRT-powered home firewall using a Raspberry Pi and start enjoying the benefits of a customizable and flexible network security solution.

Home firewall