Using openwrt as wired internet connection on a bare metal server that uses wifi to connect to the internet

[Jklein11]

Ok, everyone, I have an unusual network configuration. I'm installing openwrt on a host computer that's connects to the internet by wireless.

Before anyone asks I don't have a choice. The isp router is in the master bedroom so unless I want to run an ethernet cable the host computer has to connect by wireless.

I want to use openwrt as the gateway router to my homelab network. It will have full firewall with snort ips, app visibility, etc.

Here's the problem I don't want to use openwrt as a wifi access point. I want all the host machines after the gateway to connect to the internet through an 8 port poe Cisco Catalyst 1200-8t-d network switch.

In other words, openwrt is a gateway router that provides the internet through a hardwire connection through the switch.

Questions:

1. Do I have to install openwrt in a vm to make this work?

2. If I don't have to install it in a vm, how would I accomplish this on a bare metal install with no other operating system? Or could it be dual boot?

3. If I have to use a vm, how would this work?

4. If I have to use a vm, how do I secure the host computer since it won't be behind the firewall?

[lleachii]

@Jklein11

Do I have to install openwrt in a vm to make this work?

No, you said you were installing on bare metal.

Or are you saying this server is already running something else?

@Jklein11

If I don't have to install it in a vm, how would I accomplish this on a bare metal install with no other operating system?

After you install and boot, configure it like any other OpenWrt router.

@Jklein11

Or could it be dual boot?

It could, but (obviously) the router would be down when booting the other OS/partition.

@Jklein11

If I have to use a vm, how would this work?

The same a bare metal - although, you are responsible for [properly] configuring the bare metal host hypervisor.

@Jklein11

If I have to use a vm, how do I secure the host computer since it won't be behind the firewall?

You would properly configure your interface on the host. That is not OpenWrt-related.

(If you are running this on a VM in a already running server, you would passthrough the NIC to the VM as WAN and connect the bare metal to an internal network LAN - created thru the hypervisor.)

@Jklein11

the host computer has to connect by wireless.

Just to add, in the web GUI, there's a wizard to create a Wireless WAN interface.