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Project ideas from Hacker News discussions.

My home network observes bedtime with OpenBSD and pf

Original Article

Hacker News Discussion

📝 Discussion Summary (Click to expand)

Top Themes from the discussion

# Theme Supporting quotation(s)
1 Separate VLANs for time‑based access control “This is also the approach I would have used … I used a separate VLAN to achieve the same thing as the author to shutdown internet access on the VLAN my kids devices use at bedtime…” – giobox
2 pf anchors provide cleaner, deterministic rule management “The anchor‑based approach for time‑dependent rules is elegant. … using pf anchors keeps the state management inside the packet filter where it belongs.” – panavinsingh
“…pf is far more ergonomic … iptables is more capable but pf is much easier to work with.” – somat
3 Realtek NIC/driver quirks cause instability “I’ve run into problems with Realtek gigE NICs on Linux, FreeBSD, and Windows … the driver can stall, mis‑DMA packets, and the reset behaviour is weird.” – toast0

These three ideas—VLAN segmentation for bedtime rules, the elegance of pf anchors over traditional iptables, and the practical headaches of Realtek networking hardware—emerge as the most prevalent topics in the thread.

🚀 Project Ideas

[BedtimeBandit]

Summary

  • Provides a simple web dashboard for parents to schedule bedtime internet windows and apply gentle bandwidth throttling instead of abrupt shutdowns.
  • Core value: Eliminates manual rule‑editing while keeping kids’ online time predictable.

Details

Key Value
Target Audience Parents of school‑age children seeking granular home network control
Core Feature Time‑based scheduling + progressive speed reduction + VLAN‑based device isolation
Tech Stack Node.js backend, React front‑end, PostgreSQL, Docker, OpenBSD/pf API integration
Difficulty Medium
Monetization Revenue-ready: Subscription $7/mo per household

Notes

  • HN users repeatedly mentioned wanting “less jarring” enforcement and a way to gradually wind down connectivity.
  • The UI can showcase real‑time bandwidth graphs, making the throttling visible and less surprising.

[VLANGuard]

Summary

  • A lightweight CLI/web tool that creates time‑bound pf (or iptables) anchors with automatic UDP allowance and audit‑ready rule syntax. - Core value: Lets users manage bedtime VLAN rules without hunting through raw rule files.

Details

Key Value
Target Audience Home network hobbyists and admins comfortable with pf/iptables
Core Feature Define reusable anchors, schedule rule activation, auto‑generate UDP‑allow stubs
Tech Stack Go (pf/iptables interaction), SQLite for rule storage, optional Vue.js UI
Difficulty High
Monetization Hobby

Notes

  • Commenters praised pf anchors for readability and deterministic evaluation; this tool makes that power accessible.
  • Potential for community contributions, especially around rule auditing and UI polish.

[FlowControl Router]

Summary

  • A plug‑and‑play home router kit (Raspberry Pi + case) pre‑loaded with OpenBSD/pf VLAN profiles that enforce bedtime, isolate IoT, and optionally throttle speeds over an hour.
  • Core value: Ready‑made hardware solution removes the need for users to tinker with scripts or custom firmware.

Details

Key Value
Target Audience Families and home users who want a set‑and‑forget networking appliance
Core Feature VLAN‑based bedtime enforcement, progressive speed caps, IoT network isolation
Tech Stack Raspberry Pi OS, Ansible scripts, Docker, web dashboard (HTML/JS), OpenBSD/pf
Difficulty Low
Monetization Revenue-ready: Hardware bundle $149 or $5/mo subscription for updates

Notes

  • Discussions highlighted the desire for a “faraday cage” or DNS‑based parental controls that actually work across networks; this kit directly addresses them.
  • Easy hardware sales plus optional SaaS updates create a clear monetization path.

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