Cool tech - if it doesn't exist, somebody ought to build it

[e_pepys]

I've been designing a device in my head. This ought to exist, but if it does I'm not quite sure what it would be called or how I could find it. Maybe some of you other techies out there can point me in the right direction - or set me straight.

It started with my long-held desire for a replacement wireless router.

Comments

[osymandias]

Not quite as high spec as you're suggesting, but I do a lot of this with my router. You might be interested in the Asus WL500g series of routers, along with the custom firmware found at http://wl500g.info/. The key advantage it has over other routers that can run linux is that it has built in USB ports, so it's nice and easy to expand.

Not sure what processor is in it - mine has 32mb of ram, which isn't ideal, but...

I currently have mine running as printer server, file server, firewall and music server (using daapd). When I move to somewhere with a less weird network arrangement, I also shall have it running dDNS. Hadn't thought of using it as a web server, but that's mainly because the disk I have hung off it is quite loud, so I turn it off. If I was hosting off flash, I might well do it - I know other people have.

They are quite difficult to get hold of - I ended up paying about 70GBP for mine, as I couldn't find them anywhere.

[e_pepys]

I'm impressed that you are running so much on the router. Is it easy to add services, ie. can you log in and install stuff, or do you need to rebuild the whole flash binary each time you want to add something? I don't suppose it runs Perl, does it?

[osymandias]

Very easy to install things - there's even a lightweight package manager running on it. I don't have it running Perl, but you could certainly get it to do so with minimal fuss.

WL500g

[e_pepys]

Is this what's at Lost Hope? Can I take a look next time I'm there - after all the unmentionables are done?

Mini-ITX

[damiancugley]

Jack PC is a PC that fits in a power socket. (More here.) No indication on its official site whether it permits Linux rather than Windows CE .NET. Claims to require only 5W to run.

There are other very-small-form factor Linix boxes. You could make your own with kit from Mini-ITX.COM (who are British despite the .com), who have details of various people’s wacky enclosures for their miniature PC boards. As well as Mini-ITX there are also Nano-ITX and now Pico-ITX standards; these are even smaller but presumably cost more. There are fanless boards with dual Ethernet, which would suit a router.

There are companies that make Mini-ITX-based systems as a cottage industry.

Re: Mini-ITX

[e_pepys]

That Jack PC looks interesting, though it's clearly aimed at the client market rather than as a server.

Mini-ITX might do me, though it is quite a bit higher specced (and expensive) than I was looking for. With a quick scan, I found ones there that would do what I was looking for for £300-£400. With more hunting, I could maybe find something a bit simpler, and I could probably get it down by finding some of the components elsewhere.

Re: Mini-ITX

[tea_and_cuddles]

Look up D201GLY2A (or without the A), and Celeron 220. Intel now make Mini-ITX boards for about US$70 - quite a bit cheaper than Via's.

[celestialweasel]

Fundamentally, the economies of scale for the things that people buy shed-loads of are so massive you will never get anything out of the ordinary for comparable sums. As Damian suggests, your best bet would be Mini-ITX.
Alternatively an EEE-PC laptop is about twice that price, there is no reason you couldn't have one of them sitting somewhere.

[celestialweasel]

When I say twice that price, I mean twice 100 quid, not twice the 300-400 for the Mini-ITX. The eee has 3 USB ports and WiFi.

[e_pepys]

That's an interesting option. A laptop does seem massive overkill for such a purpose, but it might be the cheapest option for something a bit more than a souped up router.

Odd that both options (osymandias's router and the EEE-PC) are from Asus. It's a pity they have such a crap website.

[celestialweasel]

They are quite a bit smaller than a 'normal' laptop. We should do lunch and I could show it to you. Oooerr Missus.

[celestialweasel]

PS, there are ARM Mini-ITX boards that support Linux, you can google for ARM, Mini-ITX and USB as well as I can, I suspect! e.g. http://www.linuxdevices.com/news/NS7367183626.html

However last time I looked into these they are seriously expensive (c 350 quid) as they are specialist things for people paying one-off commercial rates.

Also, I concluded you would have to know what you are doing to a far greater extent than I do or would ever want to, but you are probably more versed in the way of such things.

The other thing to look at is http://www.gumstix.com/ Again if you know what you are doing I suspect you can hook up the sort of thigns you want.

[zengineer]

I couldn't let this go without suggesting the mechanical solution that all your other cleverer friends have avoided mentioning. Bolt the PC in a weatherproof box to the outside of your bedroom wall and run the cable through the wall. I suppose that since it would require ladders, cementing and a hammer drill it's not for you but I thought I'd mention it.

[e_pepys]

If I were going for this sort of solution, I'd put it in the spare room and run a cable along the wall and then connect via WiFi (at the moment my main computer is connected to the router by wire). But this solution is just ugly.