Monday, August 4, 2014

Teaser: Project Rawrbox - My idea for remote wireless diagnostics

So I'm sure everyone has noticed that the blog has quieted down a bit since #WFD6.  I could tell you that work's been busy, that I've completed my CCIE-W (#43153), but those are excuses.  I will put some more focus into the blog for the next few months as I wrap up some things in the real world.

What I can tell you is that I have been working on an new project that I hope to complete in the next few months.  I had hoped to have it ready to show off to the other delegates at #WFD7, but it's not going to make it.

The idea behind the project is simple.  A wireless diagnostic rig that I can ship to a remote site and perform basic packet captures, performance data and maybe even specturm analysis for under $250 USD.  The goal is to publish the software as an RPI image and give others the ability to use some of the tools I've built to create their own rigs.  The plans, software and image will be published for the community once it's finished.

Today the hardware looks something like this:

Raspberry PI B+ running latest Raspbian
High Performance MicroSD Card (Lexar)
3x USB Pigtails (2x RH, 1x LH)
3x USB Wifi Adapters (currently evaluating)
Pelican Case
TP Link PoE Splitter
Miscellaneous usb and power cables.

Currently I have a number of Python scripts to automate the packet capture process, uploading of files to both an FTP server and Cloudshark and am working the task scheduler right now.  I have support for AutoSSH for remote management.  Eventually there will be a web interface to simplify the operations, and a setup script to personalize the image to your environment.

There are some hardware limitations with the RPI hardware, but I'm hopeful that I can overcome most of these to get this project published soon.

Thanks for your patience and you'll see more on this soon.