Turn an old PC into a LAN Server with RouterOS - Part 2

Turn an old PC into a LAN Server with RouterOS - Part 1

In this article, I will show you how to use RouterOS software to make use of an old computer as a LAN server, which can save a lot of costs compared to buying a new Cisco router.

In Part 1 of this two-part series, we showed you how to load RouterOS software into an old PC to get advanced enterprise router features at a low cost.

In this article, I will show you how to configure. When you're done, you'll have a basic router and can experience its advanced features.

Configure DHCP to manage IP addresses

If you don't have to manually set up an IP address on every computer connected to the network, you will definitely want to enable the DHCP server on RouterOS.

This server will manage IP addresses on the network. Here's how to enable and configure the DHCP server using WinBox:

Enable DNS Relay to easily configure the client

Next, you should enable the DNS Relay feature so that clients can be configured with the router's IP for their DNS server settings, then the router forwards DNS requests to the real server.

By default, DHCP provides clients with real DNS server addresses, and requests are sent directly. However, if you want to manually configure a static IP, you must manually enter the DNS information.

Remembering the router's IP address is always easier than remembering the DNS address provided by the ISP.
Here's how to enable this feature with WinBox:

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Enable NAT to share the Internet

The final step in creating a basic shared router is to enable Network Address Translation (NAT). This process ensures that sharing an Internet connection is possible.

It should be noted that each computer or device must have an IP address for communication on the network or on the Internet. However, usually you only get one IP address for your Internet connection. Thus, it is necessary to use NAT to "fool" the Internet into thinking that communication from any computer or device on your local network comes from your router.

In other words, it makes your router become a point of contact or transition between your network and the Internet.

This is how to enable NAT on RouterOS using WinBox:

Wireless interface configuration for Wi-Fi access

If your computer has a wireless card, you can set up wireless access on the router.
Here's how to do it:

Now you should configure wireless encryption to protect your network:

Next you need to create an IP address for the AP (wireless interface):

If you want DHCP so that Wi-Fi users automatically receive IP addresses:

Discover the rest of RouterOS

In this article, you should note that we only configured basic services, creating a wireless router or running a simple wire. However, RouterOS can provide many other advanced services for LAN and WAN.

For example, you can use its RADIUS server to be able to run WPA / WPA2-Enterprise encryption for Wi-Fi connections. You can use a VPN server to protect remote connections on public hotspots or to connect your offices together.