Scammers have AI now, and even the router we build in this video can't stop the scam text that walks straight up to your phone. Bitdefender Scam Radar gives you a heads-up when a scam wave hits your area: https://bitdefend.me/90NetworkChuck The government just banned your home router. Chinese state hackers were living inside consumer routers, so the FCC banned future foreign-made ones. And honestly? Your router was already slow, insecure, and boring. So in this video we replace my editor Mike's router (and yours) with OPNsense: a free, open source router and firewall running on a cheap mini PC. Whole-house ad blocking, encrypted DNS, a real firewall you control. Then I hand the whole thing to an AI agent (Hermes on a Raspberry Pi) to see if it can manage the router for us. Its first job: block an entire country. 🎓 Want to go DEEPER? VLANs, firewall rules, GeoIP country blocking, Suricata IDS, and the hardened version of the AI agent are all in my OPNsense course on NetworkChuck Academy: https://ntck.co/NCAcademy RESOURCES / LINKS: 🛠️ Download OPNsense: https://opnsense.org/download/ 🛠️ balenaEtcher (flash your USB): https://etcher.balena.io/ 📖 The Realtek NIC driver fix (full written tutorial): https://blog.networkchuck.com 🧪 Test your ad blocking: https://d3ward.github.io/toolz/adblock.html 📺 Set up your own AI agent (Hermes): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QQEgIo4Juxg 📺 What is DNS?: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NiQTs9DbtW4 📺 The original (6 years ago): your home router SUCKS!!: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lUzSsX4T4WQ HARDWARE (the recommended devices I promised): 🖥️ Skip the driver headache (Intel i226 NICs): CWWK N100 4-port: https://www.amazon.com/CWWK-PC-4-core-N100-Fanless/dp/B0C1TWLHXK 🖥️ The exact mini PC in this video (Getorli Ryzen 3 5300U, Realtek NICs): https://www.amazon.com/Getorli-Display-Support-Computer-Business/dp/B0GHV7W7F6 🖥️ US-vendor appliance option: Protectli VP2430: https://protectli.com/product/vp2430/ 🔀 Managed switch (for VLANs in part 2): MikroTik CRS310: https://www.amazon.com/MikroTik-CRS310-8G-2S-IN-in/dp/B0CH9NHFHS 📡 Wireless access point: UniFi U7 Pro: https://store.ui.com/us/en/products/u7-pro TIMESTAMPS: 0:00 - The government banned your router (here's the plan) 1:10 - Why you should build your own router 1:50 - The hardware: what can run OPNsense 4:04 - The Bitdefender Scam Forecast (Sponsor) 6:13 - Double NAT vs bridge mode: how to connect it 7:39 - Installing OPNsense (flash the USB, boot, install) 10:42 - No interfaces?? The Realtek NIC fix 12:40 - First login: your new router is ALIVE 13:22 - The setup wizard + secure DNS (DNSSEC, DNS over TLS) 16:12 - Whole-house ad blocking with DNS blocklists 17:38 - An AI agent takes over my router (Hermes) 20:08 - AI blocks an entire country 20:51 - What's next for Mike's network (part 2) 21:18 - A prayer for you Starring my editors: Mike (the news anchor) and Austin (your Scam Meteorologist). **Sponsored by @Bitdefender SUPPORT NETWORKCHUCK: ☕☕ COFFEE and MERCH: https://ntck.co/coffee READY TO LEARN?? 🔥🔥Join the NetworkChuck Academy!: https://ntck.co/NCAcademy 📚 CCNA Course: https://ntck.co/ccna FOLLOW ME EVERYWHERE: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/networkchuck/ X/Twitter: https://x.com/networkchuck Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NetworkChuck/ Join the Discord server: https://ntck.co/discord Some links in this description are affiliate links. If you buy through them, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. #sponsored #opnsense #bitdefender #networkchuck
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Because of your old pfsense video ive got into networking. Years after that i finished my diploma and now i work in the large IT company as network engineer. Thank you 🙂
Just laughing right now... 😂 Basicly says "get rid of china hardware" - and a minute later showing a tplink switch 😂 I like your content, though!
I wouldn't ever trust any LLM with things like managing my home network (especially with root account), it's you asking for problems.
Balena flashing Balena 🤯 8:26
Been using OPNsense to replace my TP-Link router for a year or so now. Really pleased with it. Also use it as a WireGuard server for remote access. Next steps are IPv6, and High Availability.
The bit defender ad was awesome lol
For most home users, a $200 for dual NIC mini PC with opnsense. I spent a little more to get one with dual 2.5Gb ports to use with my 3Gb fiber. For wifi I have 2 Unifi U6-Pro access points, one at each end of the house.
Great timing. I just got a four port N100 mini-PC I ordered off eBay delivered today. It's my weekend project to install OPNsense on it and set it up.
Thanks for the vide and the prayer!
Scammers have AI now, and even the router we build in this video can't stop the scam text that walks straight up to your phone. Bitdefender Scam Radar gives you a heads-up when a scam wave hits your area: /90NetworkChuck The government just banned your home router. Chinese state hackers were living inside consumer routers, so the FCC banned future foreign-made ones. And honestly? Your router was already slow, insecure, and boring. So in this video we replace my editor Mike's router (and yours) with OPNsense: a free, open source router and firewall running on a cheap mini PC. Whole-house ad blocking, encrypted DNS, a real firewall you control. Then I hand the whole thing to an AI agent (Hermes on a Raspberry Pi) to see if it can manage the router for us. Its first job: block an entire country. 🎓 Want to go DEEPER? VLANs, firewall rules, GeoIP country blocking, Suricata IDS, and the hardened version of the AI agent are all in my OPNsense course on NetworkChuck Academy: /NCAcademy RESOURCES / LINKS: 🛠 Download OPNsense: /download/ 🛠 balenaEtcher (flash your USB): / 📖 The Realtek NIC driver fix (full written tutorial): 🧪 Test your ad blocking: /toolz/adblock.html 📺 Set up your own AI agent (Hermes): /watch?v=QQEgIo4Juxg 📺 What is DNS?: /watch?v=NiQTs9DbtW4 📺 The original (6 years ago): your home router SUCKS!!: /watch?v=lUzSsX4T4WQ HARDWARE (the recommended devices I promised): 🖥 Skip the driver headache (Intel i226 NICs): CWWK N100 4-port: /CWWK-PC-4-core-N100-Fanless/dp/B0C1TWLHXK 🖥 The exact mini PC in this video (Getorli Ryzen 3 5300U, Realtek NICs): /Getorli-Display-Support-Computer-Business/dp/B0GHV7W7F6 🖥 US-vendor appliance option: Protectli VP2430: /product/vp2430/ 🔀 Managed switch (for VLANs in part 2): MikroTik CRS310: /MikroTik-CRS310-8G-2S-IN-in/dp/B0CH9NHFHS 📡 Wireless access point: UniFi U7 Pro: /us/en/products/u7-pro TIMESTAMPS: 0:00 - The government banned your router (here's the plan) 1:10 - Why you should build your own router 1:50 - The hardware: what can run OPNsense 4:04 - The Bitdefender Scam Forecast (Sponsor) 6:13 - Double NAT vs bridge mode: how to connect it 7:39 - Installing OPNsense (flash the USB, boot, install) 10:42 - No interfaces?? The Realtek NIC fix 12:40 - First login: your new router is ALIVE 13:22 - The setup wizard + secure DNS (DNSSEC, DNS over TLS) 16:12 - Whole-house ad blocking with DNS blocklists 17:38 - An AI agent takes over my router (Hermes) 20:08 - AI blocks an entire country 20:51 - What's next for Mike's network (part 2) 21:18 - A prayer for you Starring my editors: Mike (the news anchor) and Austin (your Scam Meteorologist). **Sponsored by
Love having you pray for us, Chuck! I'm praying for you on Mondays.
Thanks for introducing Hermes to me a few months ago... is super ultra mega cool
Chuck you are awesome! I'm sending this video to my son who's getting new internet service in his one bedroom apartment that he's moving into this weekend sir
I feel like I'm in a staring contest with Frodo.
The fact that youtube put ads when he said coffee break
lmao taking the governments word as gospel in the big 2026
Thanks for the 🙏 Prayer, Refreshing.
Thank you brother for your videos, prayers, and all around joy that you bring to people along with the fun things you teach people. Praying for you to continue to follow His Will and be the light that the world needs to those that God brings into your life and to this channel.
I already configured enterprise firewalls for decades, but this is interesting for home lab, I'm gonna test it soon, thanks Chuck
Great video and a very nice prayer, thank you for that. I am probably not ready to let AI configure my router, though. I would prefer to learn how to do it myself with OPNsense. Could be a future video there? ;-)