The toaster principle

A Parahub mesh router works like a toaster — plug it in and forget it. Flash the firmware onto a compatible OpenWrt router and it self-configures, self-connects to nearby nodes, and self-updates at night. No manual setup required.

Two networks from one router

Parahub_Free

Open network, no password. Speed capped at 512 kbps. Guest traffic routes through a VPN tunnel: you are not liable for their internet activity (Mere Conduit principle).

My_Home

Your private WPA3 network at full speed. Access to home devices, NAS, DLNA. Isolated from guests, shares the same mesh backhaul via a separate VLAN.

Earn from guest traffic

Guests get basic free access. Those wanting more speed scan a QR code and pay satoshis via Lightning. The router instantly lifts the throttle. You receive payment without any involvement.

Local and global mesh

Nearby nodes connect automatically over Wi-Fi via batman-adv — seamless roaming, unified DLNA. Nodes in different cities connect via Yggdrasil over the regular internet — automatically, no port forwarding needed.

Network Architecture

Each Bumblebee router creates two WiFi networks and a mesh backhaul. Batman-adv connects all routers at Layer 2. Guest traffic exits through a WireGuard VPN tunnel to a Mullvad exit node — the router owner is never the exit point.

Radio 0 (2.4GHz)              Radio 1 (5GHz)
├── mesh (802.11s, SAE)       ├── mesh (802.11s, SAE)
├── parahub.io/free (OWE)     ├── Parahub (WPA3, 802.11r)
└── → batman-adv              └── → batman-adv

         bat0 (BATMAN_V)
          │
   ┌──────┼──────┐
br-private │    guest (512kbps / paid unlimited)
10.P.P.0/24│    10.G.G.0/24
  Bee: 10Mbps│    Bumblebee only
           │         │
           │    WireGuard VPN ──→ VPS ──→ Mullvad ──→ Internet
           │         OR
           │    Direct Mullvad (optional upgrade)
           │         OR (fallback)
           │    Mesh → nearest Bumblebee with VPN
           │
          ygg0 (Yggdrasil overlay, management)

Guest Traffic Flow

  • Default: Guest WiFi → WireGuard tunnel → VPS → Mullvad → Internet
  • Upgrade: Guest WiFi → Direct Mullvad WireGuard → Internet (lower latency)
  • Fallback: Guest WiFi → Mesh → Nearest gateway with VPN → Internet

If the local VPN tunnel is down, the router finds another Bumblebee in the mesh that has a working tunnel and routes through it. If no gateway is available, guest internet stops (kill switch).

Seamless Roaming

All nodes share the same SSID, password, and encryption (WPA2+WPA3). 802.11r Fast Transition enables ~50ms handoffs. 802.11k/v help clients discover and move to better access points. You walk between rooms and your device follows — no reconnection needed.

Auto-Updates

Routers check for new firmware every night at 3 AM. If an update is available, all nodes download it first, then reboot together at XX:15 — so the mesh stays up during download. SHA256 verification prevents corrupted updates.

Verification Commands

After flashing, SSH into the router and check:

batctl if                    # mesh0, mesh1
iwinfo                       # 4 wireless interfaces
cat /etc/parahub/keys        # Credentials + Yggdrasil address
uci show network.private     # Private bridge config
wg show                      # WireGuard handshake status
Download firmware
Plug in a router — it builds the network itself