Empowering Privacy: Unveiling the World of Affordable VPNs through Shared Bandwidth Projects and Proxmox Efficiency

In an era where digital privacy is a growing concern, Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) have become indispensable tools for safeguarding online activities. However, the cost of premium VPN services can be a deterrent for many users. Fortunately, a new wave of projects that leverage shared user bandwidth has emerged, offering a cost-effective alternative to traditional VPNs. In this blog post, we'll explore the benefits of such projects and discuss how setting them up as Linux containers on a Proxmox server can be a resource-efficient solution. 

Shared Bandwidth VPN Projects:

Mysterium

Mysterium is a decentralized VPN network that operates on a peer-to-peer model. Users can share their excess bandwidth in exchange for MYST tokens. By becoming a node in the Mysterium network, users contribute to the overall infrastructure and, in return, gain access to affordable VPN services. Setting up Mysterium nodes as Proxmox Linux containers ensures efficient resource utilization and easy management.  I set this up following the instructions for Linux nodes.

Mysterium setup

EarnApp

EarnApp takes a unique approach by allowing users to earn money by sharing their internet bandwidth. Users can convert their earned tokens into VPN services, creating an innovative system where the community contributes to the network's growth. Proxmox's virtualization capabilities make it straightforward to deploy and manage EarnApp nodes, making it an attractive option for those seeking a low-cost VPN solution.

EarnApp setup

Cracking the Code: Navigating Network Nightmares with Home Assistant, LibreNMS, and Wireshark

Introduction:

Hey there! Ever found yourself scratching your head over a quirky network issue that just won't quit? I recently had my fair share of head-scratching moments when network broadcast storms started causing serious disruptions in our switches and wireless access points. In this post, I'm breaking down the steps I took to unravel this persistent, network mystery.

Setting the Scene:

Picture this – network switches and access points dropping off the radar every few nights. To get to the bottom of it, I needed to gather some intel without losing sleep, especially as these problems seemed to occur in the middle of the night.  First move? Configuring Home Assistant to ping, with the Ping integration, a crucial switch and give me a notification on my phone when things go south. It became my silent night watchman, marking the time when the broadcast storm kicked in.

The Quest for Network Clarity:

LibreNMS, a network monitoring system, was my next stop. Although it did show spikes in network bandwidth, the specifics were elusive. SNMP logs lacked the juicy details needed for a deep investigation.

Enter rsyslogd:

To beef up my data game, I brought in rsyslogd on a Proxmox server. This Linux container was configured to capture logs from the admin VLAN, where switches and access points were. This did capture a lot of data, however, drowning in logs was not my idea of fun.  It was too hard to find the root cause of these issues.