from Hacker News

OpenWrt in a WiFi card reader (2017)

by infosecrf on 1/23/18, 10:57 AM with 22 comments

  • by send_computers on 1/23/18, 12:38 PM

    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

  • by userbinator on 1/23/18, 4:28 PM

    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.

  • by tga on 1/23/18, 3:55 PM

    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...

  • by sspiff on 1/23/18, 2:57 PM

    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...

  • by rahimnathwani on 1/23/18, 12:11 PM

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

  • by ohazi on 1/23/18, 5:41 PM

    > 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)?

  • by netsharc on 1/23/18, 1:08 PM

    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.

  • by askvictor on 1/23/18, 8:26 PM

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

  • by ktta on 1/23/18, 4:03 PM

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

  • by nine_k on 1/23/18, 8:57 PM

    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.

  • by samfisher83 on 1/23/18, 2:26 PM

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

  • by robert_foss on 1/23/18, 2:24 PM

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