Sooo... Not sure if this is a new idea at all. I recently started building a NAS device to house some of my files and an idea struck me. It occurs to me, with a number of my extra wifi routers, I could easily not just serve myself files, but also other users within proximity of my signal. I'm in a fairly dense area, there could be 50 users within my reach, and I could even "loan" out signal-extending routers to nearby parties that would agree to run it 24/7. This would be like an underground BBS from days long past (not that I was part of that movement, but I understand how it worked). The short vision of it is this, user connects to WAP and is directed to a website (via some sort of reverse proxy agent) that links to the NAS share and the details to connect (probably FTP) where files could be uploaded/downloaded. That's pretty much it, internet access could be shared obviously, but ultimately the idea is it's a separate WLAN from the operator's LAN. I'm wondering whether this is a stupid idea, maybe slightly short sighted, or just plain genius. My concerns is, BBS was a mixed bag, a lot of cool little apps, shareware, media, but also warez (illegal) and hence the operator could be prosecuted. Ultimately I'm sure this sort of setup exists on the internet and I would view the visibility of this network as LOW compared to a public IP on the internet serving up files. A vigilante "concerned citizen" with a chip on their shoulder waiting to knock you down (as no good deed goes unpunished) could finger you to authorities. This is a real threat as I can't recall any BBS that didn't have SOME illegal software on it even if it was quite heavily enforced. Advantages over Internet-Sharing - Much larger storage, no paid access, no ads, no registration, no bullshit. - Make your own rules, set up quotas to encourage growth, could even make access to the NAS paypal-oriented if you so desire. Disadvantages - Obviously you run this at cost of your electricity bills and HDD space - You have some risk of getting your NAS hacked (I still think less than an internet exposed server) - Setting up space for your own personal files (such as photos, sensitive personal data) on such a setup is very questionable no matter how much security you've implemented.
So in essence, you want to create a private network, but with internet access...a bit like a corporate LAN? Should be easy enough. The only big issue I see is the reliability. You wouldn't want to loose 75% of the network just because one access point has a glitch. I am not sure I would trust a NAS with this, or at least not with your personal files...or at least I would not trust a cheaper NAS, and the better NAS units cost more than a basic linux server.
