STATUS //
Active
PLATFORM //
TP-Link Archer AX23 v1
OpenWrt
LuCI
CAKE SQM
LAST UPDATED //
July 2026
Firelink handles routing and wireless for my home network.
A TP-Link Archer AX23 v1 running OpenWrt replaced the ISP gateway as the
primary router. Bell's gateway remains upstream because their setup
still requires it in the chain.
ROLES //
- Main router
- Main wireless access point
- DHCP server
- Local DNS integration
- Static device reservations
- Firewall
- Traffic shaping
NETWORK DESIGN //
Bell gateway
|
v
Firelink / OpenWrt
|
+-- wired devices
+-- wireless devices
+-- Nexus homelab
The Bell gateway's wireless network is disabled. Firelink provides a
single unified wireless network across the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz radios.
SQM //
Smart Queue Management uses CAKE on the WAN connection.
Interface: WAN
Queue discipline: CAKE
Queue setup script: piece_of_cake.qos
Download limit: 95000 kbit/s
Upload limit: 9000 kbit/s
I added it to control latency under load, not chase a bigger speed-test
number. The connection now stays responsive even when downloads and
uploads are hammering it.
DNS //
Firelink advertises AdGuard Home on Nexus as the normal DNS resolver for
all devices on the network.
Local home.arpa names provide clean access to private services without
publishing them or relying on public DNS.
SECURITY //
- Administrative access is restricted to the LAN.
- WAN input and forwarding remain rejected by default.
- Router services do not listen on the upstream WAN interface.
- Nexus has no public port forwards.
- Configuration backups are created after durable network changes.
Bell's box now does the bare minimum while Firelink handles the network
I actually use.