Turn you Mac into a super router (Part 2)

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Turn you Mac into a super router (Part 2)

Hello Community,

in this post im referring to an earlier post by TomHsiung that didn't get much attention. Here's the Link to catch up: Turn you Mac into a super router - Apple Community

So essentially I'm asking myself the same thing. I have multiple Mac minis sitting around wanting to turn them into Wi-Fi Accespoints. I have used the Internet sharing feature to test the connection and I'm very happy with the results.

The Point of this is being able to manage things like caching iCloud Files and Updates on device and not needing any additional Hardware, that can Fail. Also the CAT connections in my Residence is limited to CAT5, so I hope to enroll updates and access files faster.

In my experience Mac's have been extremely reliable and it seems like the most reasonable thing to do.

So my Question is: Is there a way to either permanently activate Internet-sharing or run a Router Software on the Mac that can Wirelessly redistribute a Ethernet signal?

Earlier Mac models

Posted on Apr 6, 2024 8:17 AM

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Answer 1

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MrHoffman

Community+ 2024

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Apr 6, 2024 9:30 AM in response to lars121

Cat 5 will probably run GbE.

Macs make comparatively poor IP routers, and yet worse bridges.

Access Points and Mesh Routers are widely available, and the models I’ve used have worked well.

But if you want to learn about network bridging and IP routing, well, have at.

But on that path (and on x86-64), I’d look at using Vyatta, VyOS, or another alternative, and not macOS.

Out-of-the-box, macOS can provide NAS services, or the boxes can be reloaded with TrueNAS or analogous.

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Answer 2

lars121 Author

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Apr 6, 2024 9:43 AM in response to MrHoffman

Thank you so much for the reply, my CAT5 only runs at 100 MBit/s so the wireless caching option could bring up to 3x improvement for cached files if im right.

I'm still looking for a good AP if you have a recommendation that can do about 700 MBit/s through wifi that would be great, because we'll get Fiber Internet soon. That's also the reason I'm trying to "cheap out" on this, because our internal CAT cables will be replaced then.

I will definitely look into using other Operatingsystems to host this. From what I've read DD-WRT would be the best alternative to VyOS, so I'll try to set that up.

Thanks for the help!

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Answer 3

Apr 6, 2024 10:58 AM in response to lars121

I’m mostly running Ubiquiti gear including APs, and it’s worked well.

I’ve also used ZyXEL gear heavily, and that too has worked well.

Of the Ubiquiti gear, Express meets your stated requirements, has a GbE WAN connection, and provides mesh.

The mid-range and upper-end gear can spoof the ISP router MAC address, which can make replacing some ISP router configurations easier. This assuming you’re using an ONT box and not an ISP-provided all-in-one router that terminates the optical link.

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Turn you Mac into a super router (Part 2)

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