Ready to level up your home network? Here’s everything you need to get started:
1. A PC running Windows 10 Pro with at least 4GB of RAM and a CPU that supports hardware virtualization.
2. The Koolshare Lede X64 Nuc firmware. Download it here. Make sure to grab the file labeled with ‘efi’—check the screenshot below.
3. Since Hyper-V requires virtual hard disks in VHDX format, but the Koolshare Lede image comes as a RAW (IMG) file, you’ll need to convert it. I recommend using StarWind V2V Converter. Alternatively, you can search for pre-converted disk images if you prefer.
Once you have your ducks in a row, let’s dive in!
Part 1: Enabling Hyper-V
1. Open Control Panel > Programs > Programs and Features > Turn Windows features on or off.
2. Locate the Hyper-V entry, check the box, and click OK. The system will install the necessary components and prompt you to reboot.
3. After restarting, search for “Hyper-V Manager” in the Start menu to launch it. If it opens without issues, you’re good to go.
Part 2: Converting the IMG file to VHDX
1. Install and launch StarWind V2V Converter.
2. Follow the steps shown in the screenshots below.
Once finished, your target folder will contain the converted VHDX file.
Part 3: Setting Up the Hyper-V Virtual Machine
1. First, create a virtual switch. Click on “Virtual Switch Manager” in the right-hand panel.
2. Select “New virtual network switch” > “External” > “Create Virtual Switch”.
3. Give your switch a name, select your physical network adapter for the External Network, and ensure the “Allow management operating system to share this network adapter” box is checked. Apply the changes and confirm any prompts.
4. Go to “New” > “Virtual Machine”.
5. Continue through the wizard to name your VM and choose a storage location.
6. Select “Generation 2” and continue.
7. Assign memory. 1GB is more than enough for a side-router. Make sure to uncheck “Use Dynamic Memory” before proceeding.
8. In the networking configuration, use the dropdown to select the virtual switch you created earlier.
9. Choose “Use an existing virtual hard disk” and select the VHDX file we converted in Part 2.
10. Before starting the VM, right-click it in Hyper-V Manager and select “Settings”.
11. Go to “Security” and uncheck “Enable Secure Boot”. Remember to click Apply.
12. Select “Hard Drive” and click “Edit”.
13. Follow the wizard and choose “Expand” instead of the default “Compact”.
14. Set the disk size; 1GB is sufficient for a basic Koolshare Lede installation.
15. Click “Finish” and then “OK”.
16. Start the virtual machine and connect to it.
17. You should see the boot screen; this indicates that Koolshare Lede is up and running.
Part 4: Configuring Your Side-Router
1. Once the VM starts, modify the LAN interface address. Inside the OpenWrt console, run:
vi /etc/config/networkEdit the file by pressing “i”. Update the LAN IP to match your local subnet (e.g., if your network is 192.168.0.x, use something like 192.168.0.211). Ensure the IP doesn’t conflict with other devices. Press “Esc”, then type “:wq” to save and exit. Finally, run “reboot”.
2. You should now be able to ping the VM. Open your browser and navigate to the IP address you set. If the login screen loads, you have successfully deployed OpenWrt!
3. To use it as a side-router, configure your main router’s gateway to point to the OpenWrt LAN IP (e.g., 192.168.0.211). Setup varies by router brand, so check your manual if you’re stuck.
4. Inside the OpenWrt web interface, go to Network > Interfaces and edit the LAN settings.
5. Since your main router is already providing DHCP, go to the “DHCP Server” tab in the LAN interface settings and select “Ignore interface” to disable OpenWrt’s DHCP. Save the changes.
6. Return to the General Setup tab and adjust the IPv4 gateway and DNS server to point to your main router’s IP address. Make sure to use *your* specific gateway address, not just the one in the screenshot.
7. Click “Save & Apply”.
8. Run a quick network test. If connectivity is down, double-check your LAN IP, gateway, and DNS configurations.
9. You can now install various plugins through the software center. A word of warning: avoid updating the base software, or some plugins may break. If you’ve already run into issues, open SSH, log in as root, and run this fix:
sed -i 's/\tdetect_package/\t# detect_package/g' /koolshare/scripts/ks_tar_install.sh
Final thoughts: We’ve covered the basics. Now, it’s up to you to experiment and push your network to the next level!