Things to do with an idle broadband connection

  • Obtain a La Fonera FON router and install it behind a caching (for speed) and filtering (for illegal material) proxy server for others in your area to use either for a fee or in exchange for sharing their connections. (You could also provide a non-FON router, or use a hacked lafonera firmware, implementing a more strict filtering proxy for unauthenticated access.) Make sure that the router does not allow users to access the rest of your internal network.
  • Run a Freenet or GNUnet node to support anonymous distributed publishing networks. Set up a BitTorrent tracker to host out-of-print video, music, books, and software — heeding all necessary DMCA precautions.
  • Run a Tor onion router to provide others around the world with anonymous surfing.
  • Participate in a distributed computing project that tickles your fancy.
  • Have your router also act as a remote control to send Wake-On-LAN packets to hibernating machines when you need to remotely access them, allowing you to leave your machines in hibernation most of the time to save power.
  • Have your router act as a Asterisk telecommunications server for incoming voice mail, faxes, and remote access modem calls for PPP or for a BBS. Fax and modem calls can be differentiated with adaptive answering built-in to the modem, but voice mail and data calls must be differentiated through software heuristics or through Distinctive Ring service.

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