About Us - OSH Router
About Us / FAQ
What is OSH Router?
OSH Router designs, manufactures, and programs performant, open-source routers (and other home / small business networking hardware). We want to provide transparent and customizable devices for the sensitive Internet security pathways we use every day.
In these early stages, this is largely an aspiration. But we have nothing to lose and everything to gain by trying.
Why design networking hardware?
There are lots of reasons! Home networking hardware is an important part of everyday privacy and security that we often overlook, so we think it deserves some attention. On the educational side, this project is a great opportunity to learn and teach. It touches the first 3 to 4 layers of the OSI model, which is deeper than most open-source projects go. At the physical layer, it requires complex signal routing with KiCAD. It pushes the envelope of what the open-source tools can do.
If you want to sell these products, why open-source their design files and firmware?
| The long of it... | The short of it... |
|---|---|
| It gives people an alternative to purchasing from a vendor. If you want, you can make your own. And you can compare costs and make the best decision for your situation. | It's fair to customers and makers. |
| It presents a "standard" against which to compare alternative hardware projects (when they exist), and a reference for creating new designs. Further, closed-source designs are only a barrier to those who don't have sufficient time and money to reverse engineer a part. Open-source shares information equitably. | It's fair to other designers. |
| It creates auditable files to compare with a physical product. Like giving a homeowner the original blueprint, red-lined with changes. If someone identifies a discrepancy between a major version and received hardware, something fishy is going on. | It's trustworthy and it looks good. |
If the goal is to publish open-source hardware, why sell it? Is that compatible with open-source? Is it shady?
| The long of it... | The short of it... |
|---|---|
| Buying a finished product is the easiest option that works best for most people, what with economies of scale and all. | It's better for most people. |
| Buying the OSH Router trademark means people can feel confident/charitable buying from the original designer rather than another vendor. | If we don't, an untrusted third-party will. |
| It keeps the designer honest. Bad OSHW can be published anonymously, and open-source licenses protect creators just as much as they authorize re-use. Selling products with their blueprints in the open gives creators a tangible incentive to achieve stated goals, to update the project regularly, and to fix their mistakes. Products that fail technically, spy on users, cheat customers, or are wildly dishonest get culled from competitive marketplaces. | Money is a good motivator. Motivation produces better work. |
| Therefore, an active online storefront is one indication of an effective and trustworthy open-source design. | A living store is a sign of product quality. |
| In the absence of an open-source hardware "guild", forming a company and staking personal success on public scrutiny is the closest we have to financially rewarding open-source designers. | We'd like compensation for this endeavour. |