OpenWrt in a WiFi card reader (2017) | Hacker News Reader

OpenWrt in a WiFi card reader (2017)

phasenoise.livejournal.com

147 pointsinfosecrf22 comments

Reminds me of these SD cards running Linux

https://hackaday.com/2016/06/30/transcend-wifi-sd-card-is-a-...

Edit also, there was picture frames at one point with bluetooth that ran linux that were hacked, I made a video years ago, funny to look back on

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FEP0i1zteVM

In reference to the other discussion recently about whether there were still new big-endian machines being made...

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16187939

....the SoC in this contains a Big-Endian MIPS core.

If you want a small, USB-powered wifi device running OpenWRT, and you don't need the card reader, you might have a better time with a NEXX WT3020F[0].

[0] http://www.dx.com/p/NEXX-WT3020F-Portable-Mini-300Mbps-Wirel...

I use one of these running LEDE.

For the original porting work done on OpenWRT, check this link: https://wiki.hackerspace.pl/projects:zsun-wifi-card-reader

For more recent work done to get up-to-date LEDE builds running on the device, check https://forum.lede-project.org/t/supporting-zsun-wifi-card-r...

I heard LEDE and Openwrt just re-merged the other day.

That's true, but the port work described in this post is older (predating the fork of LEDE and OpenWRT), and the latest work regarding these zsun devices are more recent (but they haven't been upstreamed into LEDE, and so haven't been merged back into OpenWRT, either).

So the state of the art for these devices is a couple of months old LEDE builds.

Awesome! And this device is even cheaper in China (59 RMB, or about 10 USD, including domestic shipping): http://www.dwntme.com/h.Z0L1EYw

it's only about 12 dollars on aliexpress to the US, with most of that being shipping.

The DX link has apparently dropped to $9.91

Shipping from HK may be cheaper than you think.

> the hardware supports multiple simultaneous wireless interfaces!

This seems to be a somewhat rare feature... I might get one just to try this.

Does anyone know of other cards that support something like this? Is there a difference between being able to associate with multiple APs and being able to host multiple APs (or some combination of both)?

I've been trying to do this for a while, OpenWRT runs but the performance is sub-optimal, maybe it's just me or my impatience (or I got a flaky device) but it freezes a lot.

I'm running OpenWrt / LEDE on various routers since 2011, and have the opposite experience.

You might have a flaky device and/or configuration. Some chipsets and devices aren't as stable, but OpenWrt usually maintains a good compatibility list.

Then there is the vocore2; cheaper and not a repurposed consumer device.

AliExpress link if someone wants it delivered in the US: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Smart-Expansion-ZSUN-Wifi-Ca...

It seems like a very good alternative hardware for the same purposes as USB Armory, for a fraction of the price.

I wonder how soon a nice security-oriented package set will emerge. I suppose the USB interface should work as a USB-connected NIC, offering https / ssh / u2f access to the host on the card.

The main issue would be the antenna. Wifi's wavelength is 12cm.

.. which means that a quarter-wave antenna is 3cm, which looks like the metal thing just visible at top right of the PCB extending behind it.

There are loads of devices with tiny WiFi antennae that work fine.

Correct, better photo: https://www.hackup.net/wp-content/gallery/zsun-wifi-2/zsun13...

There are very small wifi antennas out there. One of my favorites is a 3mmx4mm cube:http://www.molex.com/molex/products/datasheet.jsp?part=activ...

You could set up a little mesh network using them. Very cool.

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