Portable Router running OpenWRT on a Raspberry Pi 4
February 24, 2026
Open Source Network OpenWrt Router Raspberry Pi Cybersecurity VLANs
A portable, VLAN-capable router built on a Raspberry Pi 4B running OpenWrt, for travel, testing, and network research with built-in monitoring and security tools.
Hardware
- Raspberry Pi 4 Model B
- Atheros AR9271 USB WiFi Adapter
- TP-Link TL-SG105E
- 5 port managed switch
- 32GB microSD Card
- Ethernet Cables
- USB-C Power Supply
Layout
This is a very simple visualisation of what I built.
— draw.io
Features
- Dual-band WiFi
- 2.4GHz for range
- 5.0GHz for speed
- VLAN Separation
- single ethernet port handles WAN and LAN (802.1Q tagging)
- DNS-level Adblock
- Monitoring
- collectd and statistics dashboard
- Tools
- Wireguard, tcpdump, nmap, …
It works, its portable, its useful.
> live in an apartment
> every resident has their own AP
> our isp-provided routers dont provide 5.0GHz
> everyone is on 2.4GHz
> check net-analyzer
> holy interference
> build router from stuff laying around
> wireless speed go wow